HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.– It didn’t take very long for the decision to push the Florida Sire Series back on the calendar for the first time to reap big dividends, with both the $200,000 Affirmed and Susan’s Girl divisions drawing full 12-horse fields while anchoring an outstanding 11-race program Saturday at Gulfstream Park. The card also includes the $100,000 Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap and a mandatory payout in the Rainbow 6. The Affirmed and Susan’s Girl have traditionally been run on or around Labor Day weekend since the inception of the series at Calder Racecourse in 1982. Moving the six races to later dates has allowed horsemen a much greater opportunity to prepare their 2-year-olds for those races. The finales of the Sire Stakes, the 1 1/16-mile In Reality and My Dear Girl, will not be decided this year until the opening Saturday of the Championship meet on Dec. 2. The seven-furlong Affirmed is led by the imposing duo of local division leader Bentornato and New York invader Hurricane Nelson, who comes into the race still a maiden but having registered a 91 Beyer Speed Figure in his most recent start last month at Aqueduct. Bentornato enters the Affirmed perfect in three starts, having won his maiden in game fashion against statebreds on July 1 before dominating both the Proud Man and Dr. Fager stakes. He captured those six-furlong races by a combined 11 3/4 lengths. His performance in the Dr. Fager, the first leg of the open division of the series, was particularly impressive as he overcame some early trouble before drawing off by 7 1/4 lengths while having something left at the end. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Hurricane Nelson was purchased privately by owner Dean Reeves and turned over to trainer Christophe Clement shortly after launching his career with a game second-place finish against maiden special weight opposition Aug. 12 at Saratoga. Hurricane Nelson disputed the pace before being run down by a half-length in the late stages by another first-time starter, the well regarded Deterministic, who also is trained by Clement. Hurricane Nelson made his lone start for his new connections five weeks later, again contesting the pace before coming out second best behind the highly regarded Todd Pletcher-trained Private Desire. The 91 Beyer he received in defeat is among the top dozen Beyer Speed Figures turned in by a 2-year-old to this point in the season. “We knew the horse that beat him the first time was a very good horse, we liked him a lot, and that fact certainly went into the decision to make the purchase,” Clement acknowledged. “His only start for us was a good one, again it took a very good horse to beat him and the race was very fast. “Obviously, it’s always a bit of a question mark when you ship a horse down to Florida at this time of year, but there’s nothing we can do about that. The distance shouldn’t be an issue because he already ran seven furlongs the first time.” :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures Both Bentornato and Hurricane Nelson are among a bevy of horses signed on for the Affirmed who have shown plenty of speed to date, although the potential for a lively pace scenario seemed of no concern to Clement. “I think this horse will be comfortable wherever he places himself in the race, he doesn’t need to be on the lead,” Clement said. Mattingly is the most accomplished of the other 10 members of the lineup, having won the Hollywood Beach in his most recent start while also stakes-placed on two other occasions. The Affirmed will mark his first race on dirt and beyond 5 1/2 furlongs. Like the two favorites, he figures to be a major part of the early pace on the stretch to seven furlongs. Susan’s Girl Stakes A dozen 2-year-old fillies were entered for the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl, with the undefeated and yet unchallenged R Harper Rose expected to go postward a heavy favorite after launching her career with a pair of one-sided victories, the most recent by 5 3/4 lengths under optional-claiming and allowance conditions Sept. 22. The key question with R Harper Rose, who missed the opening leg of the series – the six-furlong Desert Vixen – after contracting a minor illness the morning of the race, is the distance, as she too will be trying to go beyond 5 1/2 furlongs for the first time. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. The absence of R Harper Rose left the Desert Vixen wide open. Welcome Back took advantage of the opportunity, overcoming an eventful trip to best Mist by a nose. The final time of the race was more than 2 1/2 seconds slower than Bentornato completed the same distance in the open division just 30 minutes later. Mist also returns in the Susan’s Girl along with stablemate Haunted, who finished a distant but promising second to R Harper Rose in her only previous outing. Eleven of the 12 starters in the Susan’s Girl are locally based, the lone exception being Honey Dijon who ships in from Kentucky off a sixth-place finish on grass in the Untapable Stakes on Sept. 13 at Kentucky Downs. An impressive maiden winner at Saratoga in her previous start, Honey Dijon looms a key player taking on Florida-breds for the first time, although she is poorly drawn, on the extreme outside, in post 12. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.