Saturday’s Gulfstream Park card includes a mandatory payout in the Rainbow 6 and newly minted co-feature races in the Royal Palm Juvenile (Race 6) and Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies (Race 9). These 2-year-old turf sprints carry “Win & You’re In” status for July’s prestigious Royal Ascot meeting. Saturday’s winners will gain entry into one of the six Royal Ascot juvenile races of their choosing and eligibility as well as a travel stipend. The Coventry, Windsor Castle, Norfolk and Chesham are open company, while the fillies races include the Queen Mary and Albany.

Horseplayers betting the Royal Palm Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies can enjoy a $10 money-back special on win bets if those selections finish second or third.

Let’s meet the contenders for the 10-runner Royal Palm Juvenile:

#1-Shotgun Pro (Heriberto Figueroa/Gerald James)
Rookie cost just $2,500 at sale and looks to give trainer James his first win of 2023. From the second crop of Upstart, a debut winner, $1.7M earner and winner of Gulfstream’s Holy Bull.

#2-Zaino (Angel Morales/Enrique Amado)
Well-beaten fifth by 10+ lengths behind returning rival Reaper in an April 21 dirt sprint. He was the first offspring to race by 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso.

#3-Praiseworthy (Jesus Rios/Javier Gonzalez)
Debut runner by Wicked Strong was field’s least expensive purchase at just $1,500. Only colt in the field with a published workout on turf, an April 30 half-mile at Palm Meadows in :51-1/5 around the dogs, second-fastest of 6 moves that morning.

#4-Reaper (Emisael Jaramillo/Juan Alvarado)
The field’s lone winner to date, he romped by 5-3/4 lengths in an April 21 dirt sprint with speed from the rail. Full-brother Turbo was a debut winner last June and went on to 4 local stakes placings, including a win in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes. Sire Brethren gets only 6% turf winners at Gulfstream and is 0-19 with 2YO turf sprinters here.

#5-Northshore Drive (Leonel Reyes/Ralph Nicks)
Debut third-place run behind Reaper in that April 21 dirt sprint, beaten 7 lengths by the winner. Never able to tuck in from wide draw in compact field. Trainer Ralph Nicks strong with second-time starters and note offspring of Fort Loudon have an exceptional 17: 5-2-1 record in Gulfstream turf sprints (29% wins, $2.65 ROI for every $1 bet).

#6-Blast Furnace (Edwin Gonzalez/George Weaver)
Keeneland runner-up in an April 27 turf sprint when well-backed at 4-1. Second throughout chasing a 3-5 Wesley Ward-trained chalk named Fandom, but notably did not give way and get passed. Most expensive colt in this race cost $80,000 at auction. Son of The Factor adds blinkers and returns to Florida after wintering at Palm Beach Downs.

#7-No Nay Mets (Luca Panici/George Weaver)
Win-early pedigree for this rookie. Sire No Nay Never won his first 3 starts, a Keeneland April dash and then the Norfolk at Royal Ascot and Prix Morny in France. Dam Etoile won her juvenile debut in May for Aidan O’Brien and contested the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2019. This is her first foal. Minimal morning work showing on paper for barn capable at first asking.

#8-Mattingly (Edgar Perez/Joe Orseno)
Son of turf sprint star Bucchero will be making his career debut off a series of workouts that includes a bullet 3 furlongs on April 23 over the Gulfstream Tapeta surface in :34-4/5. Second-most expensive colt in the field brought $70,000 at sale in March.

#9-Holding the Line (John Velazquez/Wesley Ward)
Owned by Triple Crown-winning jockey Steve Cauthen and trained by juvenile sprint ace Wesley Ward, he lures Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez back to Gulfstream. Son of Soldier’s Call wintered in Florida, spent April at Keeneland but did not start, and returned to Payson Park for a bullet drill May 6 (3 furlongs, :37 flat, fastest of 9). Sire placed in elite Group 1 English sprints, the Nunthorpe and King’s Stand. Dam is half-sister to last year’s Group 2 York Stakes winner Sir Busker.

#10-Tiberian Sun (Jose Morelos/Juan Alvarado)
Uncoupled stablemate of Reaper for owner Arindel Farm and trainer Juan Alvarado. Son of Brethren is out of the 2006 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Wait a While, a multiple Grade 1 winner on turf of more than $2.7 million. Long series of local works on dirt for this career unveiling. Sire Brethren gets only 6% turf winners at Gulfstream and is 0-19 with 2YO turf sprinters here.

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Let’s meet the leading contenders for the 11-runner Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies:

#1-Kiss (Jose Morelos/Juan Alvarado)
Daughter of debut winner and Grade 1-winning sprinter Army Mule, who sired last week’s Churchill Downs turf sprint Mamzelle Stakes winner Danse Macabre. She offers a bullet workout on the Gulfstream dirt most recently May 7 in :35 flat from the gate, fastest of 34 at the distance. Kiss was purchased for $27,000 as a weanling in 2021.

#2-Bucchera (Angel Morales/Laura Cazares)
First-time starter enters off a series of Palm Meadows workouts in the main track, but is sired by turf sprint specialist Bucchero. $20,000 purchase in October at auction goes for a barn that has a sparking 6-20 (30%) record in turf sprints.

#3-Scootaloo (Luca Panici/Kent Sweezey)
Debut third-place finisher May 4 in a dirt sprint, she could be returning to action after just 9 days. $90,000 auction purchase in March is by champion sprinter Mitole and is that sire’s second starter to race so far. Half-brother Artemus Citylimits is multiple graded stakes-placed turf sprinter who was fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

#4-Fumblerooski (Edgar Perez/Jose Orseno)
Rookie enters off a series of Gulfstream main track and Tapeta works, testing turf for the first time. Daughter of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam’s Map, whose top runners at stud so far this year include local turf sprint stakes winner Little Jewel.

#5-The Myth (Leonel Reyes/Mark Casse)
Most expensive filly in the field sold for $210,000 in October and is one of only a few in here to have logged an official turf workout. Breezed on grass at Palm Meadows before returning to Gulfstream to complete preparations for her debut. Sire The Factor known in this realm for turf sprint star and $1.2 million earner Bound for Nowhere.

#6-Ocean Mermaid (John Velazquez/Wesley Ward)
Expected favorite based on elite connections. Wintered in Florida and got a Palm Meadows grass work in before heading to Keeneland, but did not make a start during that meet. Kingman filly has logged 9 official drills for this, the deepest morning ledger in the field. Sire won 7 of 8 as an elite European turf miler and best known in the US at stud for his son Domestic Spending, a debut winner and eventual 3-time Grade 1 turf winner.

#7-Girvin Star (Ismerio Villalobos/Carlos David)
Barn wins 20% with debut 2-year-olds and this filly is by hot young sire Girvin, whose first crop in 2022 included smashing early season juvenile Damon’s Mound as well as star fillies Faiza and Dorth Vader. Did not log a turf workout for this and notably Girvin has had just 1 win by his offspring on turf so far.

#8-Turf Rocket (Marcos Meneses/Jerry O’Dwyer)
Rookie shows only 2 published workouts on dirt at Palm Meadows. Veteran sire More Than Ready passed away in August at age 25, but not before siring a record 7 Breeders’ Cup winners, including a trio of 2-year-old turf winners at the championships and Turf Sprint winner Regally Ready.

#9-Crimson Advocate (Edwin Gonzalez/George Weaver)
Keeneland debut third-place finisher on dirt on April 26 will add blinkers for this first try on turf. Daughter of champion 2-year-old and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist sold for $100,000 last October, second-highest at auction among those in this race. Wintered at Palm Beach Downs before Keeneland unveiling and returns to South Florida.

#10-My Sweetheart Dani (Brittany Scampton/Jeffrey Crooks)
Most experienced runner in the field has 2 starts on her record, but was far back at Keeneland and Gulfstream in those dirt tries while beating just 1 runner in each at 67-1 and 42-1. $2,000 purchase was the least-expensive auction buy in this lineup.

#11-She Has Class (Jesus Rios/Javier Gonzalez)
The lone winner in the field, she debuted victorious on dirt at Gulfstream April 20. Under-the-radar score at 15-1 odds has been followed up by a turf workout May 5 at Palm Meadows to ready for the surface change. Dam Shezaprado was a turf winner at Gulfstream and Kentucky Downs, though sire Khozan not known for his turf progeny.