HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Big Everest did not get his preferred spot on the lead early in last November’s Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct. It didn’t matter, he won anyway. That stalking style – reluctant as he might have been doing it – could serve Big Everest well Saturday when he makes his 6-year-old debut in the $150,000 Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The Appleton, which drew 11 but will see at least one scratch in Lucky Score – he’s entered back Sunday – appears on paper to have plenty of speed. Six of Big Everest’s eight wins have come when he’s raced on the lead. In the Artie Schiller, Big Everest was a tugging third, then fourth entering the far turn before rallying through an opening on the rail to win by three-quarters of a length. Exact Estimate, the runner-up in the Artie Schiller, came back to win an overnight handicap on the Fountain of Youth undercard here March 2. Christophe Clement, trainer of Big Everest, has liked – make that loved – what he’s seen from Big Everest in the morning leading up to this. Joel Rosario, aboard for six of Big Everest’s eight wins, is in to ride. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports “His works have been spectacular – not okay – spectacular,” Clement said. “When he won at Aqueduct, he came from out of it. He’s got the luxury to do whatever you want.” Quality G beat his Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Never Surprised in a second-level allowance going 7 1/2 furlongs here March 2. Since having a claim of him voided at Saratoga last July, Quality G has three wins and two seconds. “He seems like he’s getting better and better and he seems to like it here,” Pletcher said. “If he gets a good pace that helps.” Never Surprised was coming off a 15-month layoff when he ran in that allowance race. He has finished worse than second only once in his 11-race career. Though trainer Mark Casse is going to scratch Lucky Score, he believes he has a big shot to win the race with Ice Chocolat, who is coming off a closing third in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf here March 2. “He had a bit of a tough trip, he’s a nice horse, he’s getting better and we feel like he’s training at the top of his game right now,” Casse said. Churchtown, second in this race last year, could offer value coming off a fourth in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes where he wasn’t ridden the way trainer Roger Attfield had wanted. “He needs to be 1-2-3 going into the first turn,” Attfield said. Javier Castellano rides Churchtown from post 11 on Saturday. Sand Springs Stakes After having to scratch out of the Grade 2, $200,000 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs three weeks ago due to an illness, the Grade 1 winner Marketsegmentation is now slated to make her seasonal debut in Saturday’s $150,000 Sand Springs Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. Marketsegmentation, trained by Chad Brown, won this race last year as the 3-5 favorite. She went on to win the Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont and then won the Grade 1 New York Stakes at 1 1/4 miles. Her win streak – and 4-year-old season – came to an end when she ran fourth in the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga last July. Brown said Marketsegmentation went bad on him shortly thereafter and he gave her ample time off. He had her ready to run in the Hillsborough three weeks, but Brown had to scratch her from that race. “She had an issue, she’s back on track and looks good,” Brown said. “This is plan B. I like where I’m at.” Cairo Consort won two stakes here in the winter of 2023 but has some spotty form in six starts since. She is cutting back in distance off a decent third in the The Very One on March 2. Fuente Ovejuna was 30-1 when she finished seventh in an allowance race here Feb. 24, but she was beaten only 1 3/4 lengths and has run well without winning over Gulfstream’s turf in the past. Cutler Bay Stakes Set, an extremely impressive debut winner here Feb. 24, makes his first start against winners in the $125,000 Cutler Bay Stakes for 3-year-olds at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf. Breaking from the rail in a field of 12 going this same distance, Set outfooted several horses for the lead, opened up a three-length advantage down the backstretch, and kept on, opening up to win by 5 3/4 lengths while being taken in hand late by Emisael Jaramillo. “You’re always surprised when they win that easily,” trainer Mark Casse said. “We felt going in he was better than an average horse.” Double Your Money was only beaten a length when fifth, with traffic trouble, in the Pulpit Stakes here Dec. 9. His last race, a fifth going five furlongs on the Tapeta, is probably best thrown out. Tok Tok’s seventh-place finish in the Columbia Stakes at Tampa also should be dismissed. He went to his nose when stumbling out of the gate and then was steadied in traffic entering the first turn. Tok Tok was a stakes winner at 2 and was only beaten 2 3/4 lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Sanibel Island Stakes Ozara will be in search of her third stakes win in her fourth stakes try at the meet, when she runs in Saturday’s $125,000 Sanibel Island for 3-year-old fillies at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf. Ozara, trained by Clement, won the Wait a While in December and the Ginger Brew in January before finishing third as the even-money choice behind Pounce and Life’s an Audible in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride. “She got beat by two better horses on the day,” Clement said. “She did not finish a bad third, she finished a good third, if that makes any sense.” Clement said it made sense to run Ozara back in this spot because of the guarantee to get firm turf, as opposed to waiting for a race at Aqueduct or Keeneland when there is less than a guarantee of that. Joyful Lass and Hello Hollywood are both coming off sharp maiden victories. Vive Veuve is a potential live longshot as she too is coming off a maiden win, a race that produced two next-out winners. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.