Gulfstream Park Picks: Holy Bull Stakes Day, 1/31/26

Key Takeaways

• Holy Bull Stakes Day at Gulfstream Park offers strong horse racing betting opportunities beyond the feature, with full fields across dirt, turf, and Tapeta races.
• Weather and potential scratches are especially important to monitor, as rain could impact surface conditions and change race dynamics.
• Solitude Dude looks like a reliable single in the Swale, showing both speed and versatility over extended one-turn distances at Gulfstream and Tampa.
• In the Forward Gal, pace pressure could favor stalkers like Tessellate, while Sneaky Good offers upside as a lightly raced filly stretching out.
• The Sweetest Chant sets up well for tactical running styles such as Aggressive Lime, with Sister Troienne and Spicy Princess becoming even more appealing depending on surface changes.

The Gulfstream Park spur of the Kentucky Derby trail gets underway Saturday, January 31, with the Grade 3 Holy Bull. However, that’s not the only major race in Florida that day. The Saturday card at Gulfstream Park features a full slate of 12 races. No matter what distance or surface you like to bet, there’s something for you Saturday at Gulfstream Park

The feature race is the Holy Bull, a Kentucky Derby prep whose top five finishers earn points toward the first Saturday in May. However, there is more stakes action on the card as well: the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3) offers Kentucky Oaks points, the Swale invites sophomore dirt sprinters, the Kitten’s Joy puts three-year-old turf routers in the spotlight, and the Sweetest Chant is for sophomore dirt fillies.

First post time for the 12-race card is at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. There are full fields and great betting opportunities all day long, and you can catch every race and get the latest news and handicapping tips at FanDuel TV. And, you can bet every race through FanDuel! Make sure to check the scratches before placing your wagers: scratches can happen for any reason, but with rain expected at Gulfstream Park in the morning, there may be some track-condition changes on race day.

Here are three best bets throughout the day to help you build your bankroll for the Holy Bull.

Gulfstream Park Picks - 2026 Holy Bull Stakes Day Best Bets

Race 8 - Swale Stakes, seven furlongs on the dirt - Solitude Dude and Hammond

FanDuel odds: 6-5 and 8-1

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Solitude Dude (6-5) has been just that in both of his races so far—the one all alone on the lead as he crossed the wire. He led at every call of his 6 ½-furlong debut at Gulfstream before drawing off to win by 9 ½ lengths, showing an affinity for both the course and an extended one-turn trip. Then, he showed versatility in the six-furlong Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs, stalking the pace before taking over to win by eight lengths. With a clean outside gate in a short field, he should be able to stay out of trouble—Irad Ortiz, Jr. can just ride Solitude Dude like he is the best horse. In short, this Saffie Joseph, Jr. looks like a strong single to kick off the late Pick 5.

For those playing exactas or needing a swing in a contest for the Swale, consider the other Joseph runner, Hammond (8-1). Though he was well beaten in his only seven-furlong try, that came over the slop on debut last August. Things have gone much better for this son of Charlatan since—he graduated second out at Gulfstream Park on September 7 despite muddy conditions, then handled a fast track there on November 22 to win the Juvenile Sprint. That Juvenile Sprint covered 6 ½ furlongs, boding well for him to handle extended-sprint trips after all. What’s more, in both of his wins, he tracked a pace that was not particularly fast—modest enough in the Juvenile Sprint, and downright slow in the maiden win—and still cleared off to win by daylight. Especially if another horse tries to go after Solitude Dude early—perhaps Epic Summer, or maybe Class President with his hand forced from the fence? Hammond has the best shot to play spoiler.

Race 10 - Forward Gal (G3), seven furlongs on the dirt - Tessellate and Sneaky Good

FanDuel odds: 6-1 and 8-1

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Though Gulfstream Park has a reputation for being speed-friendly, the pace can still fall apart when there’s too much of it. A horse who can lay a few lengths off and take over is in a good spot, and Tessellate (6-1) should be that horse. Though she wired her debut against Florida-breds last year, she has won her last two starts from a few lengths off the pace. She has done so over an extended one-turn distance as well—a 6 ½-furlong stakes at Gulfstream Park and then a seven-furlong one at Tampa Bay Downs. Though it raises a bit of a question that Edgard Zayas jumps off her to ride Mythical, Mythical looks likely to be part of the pace brigade. Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. lured an experienced and high-percentage replacement in Junior Alvarado, who knows Gulfstream well enough to judge the trip and keep Tessellate’s win streak rolling.

Brad Cox has won two of the last four editions of the Forward Gal, and Sneaky Good (8-1) has upside to become his third. She does need to move forward from her previous two efforts, but with about two months to grow up since her win in the Sandpiper at Tampa in early December, she has had some time. The Sandpiper showed that she didn’t need to be on the lead like she was in her maiden win, as she was able to stay off a rollicking pace and roll to victory. The biggest question is the distance, as she hasn’t gone past six furlongs yet, but as a daughter of Into Mischief from a family with plenty of mile and route form, she has every chance to want seven furlongs—if not even more in upcoming races on the Kentucky Oaks trail.

Race 11 - Sweetest Chant Stakes, 1 1/16 miles on the turf - Aggressive Lime and Sister Troienne; Spicy Princess (if this gets washed to the Tapeta)

FanDuel odds: 9-2 and 2-1 (30-1 for Tapeta)

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Without a ton of speed drawn into this race, Aggressive Lime’s (9-2) running style should play well in this spot. She is entered for her three-year-old debut in this spot after two wins as a juvenile, and a sixth-place finish in the Jessamine (G2), beaten only two lengths after some early trouble that kept her further off the pace than she typically likes to be. She will have to deal with a post toward the outside, but that should help her avoid early trouble, and she handled the outside post of eight well last out in her allowance win in November at Churchill Downs. Irad Ortiz rode her that day for trainer Brad Cox, and returns to the saddle. If he can give her a similar trip this time around, then she can break through at the stakes level.

If the race gets washed off to the all-weather surface because of rain in the forecast for Friday and early Saturday, give Spicy Princess (30-1) a long look. She took eight starts to break her maiden, and her form on the grass wasn’t bad, but she really put it together in her first 1 1/16-mile start last out, which came over the Tapeta at Gulfstream Park. She has a lot of experience in full fields, something that will serve her well in this spot. Trainer Patrick Biancone is having a solid meet and does well with both last-out maiden winners and price horses in ungraded stakes, and could have another live one rallying from the middle of the field if this gets washed off to the same course and distance where she woke up on January 18.

On either turf or Tapeta, Sister Troienne (2-1) deserves a long look for trainer Brian Lynch. After a third-place finish on debut in a dirt sprint, she grew into herself at two turns on the turf last fall in Kentucky, breaking her maiden at a mile at Churchill Downs and then clearing her first-level condition at Keeneland. Her trip south for the winter has been fruitful so far—she won a washed-off edition of the Wait a While on the Tapeta and then the Ginger Brew on the grass. In all four of these wins, she has come from just off the pace and kicked away in the lane. Though the fields in her two stakes wins have been short, the fields in her Kentucky races were eleven horses, just the same size as this race, and she handled it well.

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