TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon

Always Hangin’ Around

Coming off consecutive second place finishes in the Smarty Jones and Southwest Stakes (G3), Ramon Vazquez mount Just Steel is eyeing a breakthrough performance in this Saturday’s $1.25 million Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

Though not particularly close in either affair, (2 ½ lengths behind the leader in the latter and 8 in the former), Just Steel has made a habit of landing in the money. Sporting a 1-2-1 line in his last four starts, and a 2-3-1 combo through nine overall, the 3-year-old colt almost always delivers a competitive effort.

Despite finishes of seventh and sixth in his only attempts at the Grade 1 level (Hopeful and Breeders’ Futurity), Just Steel still owns a very respectable top three finish rate of 67%.

He enters Saturday’s seven-figure tilt at 7-2.

Run it (Razor) Back

The undercard event, if you will, on Oaklawn Park’s stacked Saturday card is the $600,000 Razorback (G3) for 4-year-old’s and up. Two competitors, 5-year-old Promise Keeper (12-1) and 4-year-old Seize the Night (6-1), meet for the second time in 28 days with bragging rights on the line.

The pair previously met on January 27, also at Oaklawn, for the Fifth Season Stakes, which 7-1 Promise Keeper took by a narrow half-length margin over 2-1 choice Seize the Night. A late surge from the latter made the final result seem more flattering than it truly was, as Seize the Night mostly trailed the pacesetting Promise Keeper by a healthy margin.

This weekend’s Razorback will be the first start for either challenger since last month’s showdown.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

A chance at the prestigious title of “Multiple Graded Stakes Winner” is on the line this Saturday for Linda’s Gift. The 4-year-old mare is set to join X other competitors on the Santa Anita turf for the $100,000 Santa Ana Stakes (G3T).

It’s been a fruitful last couple months for the Richard Mandella pupil, who has added two stakes scores to her resume since November. The strong stretch began with a three-quarter length Red Carpet (G3T) win and continued into the new year with a 1 ½-length triumph in late-January’s Astra Stakes.

A back-to-back stakes champion, Linda’s Gift (5-2) finds herself back on familiar ground for a shot at three in a row.

Heads or Tails?

How much of a coin flip is 6-year-old Candy Man Rocket? Well, in a dozen starts to date, the William Mott trainee has won exactly half.

Making matters more complicated, three of his six wins came at the stakes level, including two Grade 3 contests in the Sam F. Davis and Runhappy. On the contrary, four of his six losses, three of which occurred at the graded level, came with finishes of seventh, eleventh, ninth, and tenth.

So, what does this all mean going into Saturday’s $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes? Based on recent trends, namely a 3-0-1 line in five starts dating back to last January, Candy Man Rocket appears well positioned to boost his career win percentage above 50.

The horse of chance enters at 8-5.

Scratching the Surface

In career start number one, 3-year-old Pandagate dominated his class of competitors by nine lengths. Two months later, in start number two, the Christophe Clement trainee overcame a bumpy beginning to record an impressive third given the difficult circumstances.

The ridgling’s very Julio Rodriguez-esque track record makes for an exciting storyline heading into Sunday’s $100,000 Gander Stakes at Aqueduct. Like the Mariners’ young phenom, Pandagate is only scratching the surface of what appears to be dazzling potential.

The Gander will undoubtedly be the New York-bred’s stiffest challenge to date, but if his first two efforts are any indication of what he’s capable of, expect the Pandagate name to be a popular one in 2024.