Daily Racing Form handicappers have shared their selections for the 10-race card at Gulfstream Park on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Mike Welsch highlights Game Changer Jolie as the best bet in Race 4, while David Aragona and Mike Beer analyze Race 9 as the featured event of the day.
The Gulfstream Park racing card on March 12, 2026, features 10 races with expert analysis from Daily Racing Form contributors. Mike Welsch, a DRF handicapper, provides projected 1-2-3 finishers for each race, emphasizing current form, track surfaces, and recent performances.
In Race 1, Welsch picks Pom Pom to lead, followed by Jamaican Destiny and I Love Ines, noting Pom Pom's early foot in her debut. Race 2 favors Brigade Commander over Murabeh and Fly Erik Fly, citing class relief on the preferred surface. For Race 3, Mo Rapido tops Skedaddling Home and Simo At the Big A, based on promising workouts over Tapeta.
Welsch's best bet is in Race 4, where Game Changer Jolie is selected first, ahead of Bal de Mar and Pocket Pair. He states, 'GAME CHANGER JOLIE needed a baker’s dozen starts to finally break maiden, might not need many more to win N2L condition in current form. Irad stays, continues to work well over the synthetic.'
Race 5 selections are Elenique, Viking Quest, and Emerald Ember, with Elenique getting a chance after a troubled last outing. Awesomely Wild leads Race 6 over O’Hearn and Flatter Fanatic in a weaker field. My Perfect Lady is picked for Race 7, followed by Waittilmidnitehour and The Dove Rules.
Race 8 goes to Patrol Squad Six, then Beautiful War and Tacticality. In Race 9, Welsch chooses Her Town, Velvet Vortex, and Dry Powder, highlighting Her Town's off-pace wins.
Race 9, the DRF Race of the Day, is an allowance/optional claimer for fillies and mares at one mile on dirt, with a $87,000 purse and post time of 4:54 p.m. Eastern. Handicappers David Aragona and Mike Beer offer differing views on the seven-horse field. Beer tops Dry Powder (trained by Chad Summers, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.), a Grade 1-placed filly who finished second in the Cotillion and third in the Barbara Fritchie after a layoff. He notes, 'Daily Racing Form’s TimeformUS Pace Projector rates her with the best late pace in the field.' Aragona prefers Velvet Vortex (Brad Cox, Edgard Zayas) first, citing her debut win and allowance victory, despite a poor last sprint. Both rank Dry Powder highly but see her as beatable in this softer spot.
Beer's full picks: 2-Dry Powder, 4-Her Town, 5-Midtown Lights, 1-Macanga. Aragona's: 3-Velvet Vortex, 2-Dry Powder, 4-Her Town, 6-Sudden Switch. Other contenders include Her Town (Saffie Joseph Jr., Micah Husbands), with two wins in three starts, and Midtown Lights (Joseph, Luis Saez) suited to the distance.
Race 10 is wide open, with Welsch picking Gallant Lad, Sidearm, and Cuban Cowboy. For more, view DRF past performances.
