HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will be looking for a little redemption for O’Connor when he sends him out against six other older horses in the Grade 3 Ghostzapper, to be decided at 1 1/16 miles over the main track for a $150,000 purse on Saturday’s Florida Derby undercard. O’Connor, a Group 1 winner in his native Chile, made a big splash in his U.S. debut here last fall when he rallied to a six-length allowance victory going 1 1/16 miles and earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure. Expectations were high when Joseph ran him back in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday, but O’Connor disappointed both his connections and a multitude of supporters who backed him to 6-5 favorite that day when he finished an even fourth behind winning stablemate Skippylongstocking, albeit while posting a very respectable 100 Beyer. O’Connor was then given the opportunity to compete against Grade 1 competition in the Pegasus World Cup, but he never factored after breaking from the extreme outside in the 12-horse field. He finished nearly 21 lengths behind race winner Art Collector. The Pegasus has since turned out to be a super-key race, with Stilleto Boy, Proxy, and Defunded coming back to finish 1-2-3 in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap; fifth-place finisher Last Samurai returning to win the Grade 3 Razorback; Skippylongstocking winning the Grade 3 Challenger at Tampa Bay Downs in his next start; and also-ran White Abarrio winning an allowance race in one-sided fashion here in early March. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day. “I can’t use the post as an excuse because he just didn’t show anything and I know he’s not as bad as he ran that day,” Joseph said. “So we decided take a step back with him and point for the Ghostzapper. I like how he’s coming into the race. He had good final breeze the other day, and if he can run back to first two races with us number-wise, he should be right there. The main thing I’m concerned about is the lack of pace in this field.” Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride O’Connor for the first time Saturday. Simplification, who also finished far back in the Pegasus World Cup, and the idled First Captain are among the other key contenders in the Ghostzapper field, which also includes Surly Furious, Cajun’s Magic, Clapton and Twelve Volt Man. Simplification will attempt to snap a nine-race losing streak that dates back to his triumph in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth here 13 months earlier. Simplification finished 17 1/2 lengths behind Art Collector in the Pegasus World Cup, but rebounded to be third five weeks later in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile. First Captain has not started since a poor performance of his own, when beaten nearly 20 lengths as the 6-5 favorite in the Grade 2 Fayette at Keeneland in his 2022 finale on Oct. 29. First Captain, who began his career with three consecutive victories, including the Grade 3 Dwyer, has not won since capturing the Grade 3 Pimlico Special nearly 10 months ago. The pace scenario could favor the rail drawn Surly Furious, who projects to set the pace off a third place finish behind the odds-on Skippylongstocking in the Challenger. Surly Furious earned a 90 Beyer Figure, matching his career best set when finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Ack Ack last fall at Churchill Downs. Sir Shackleton Stakes Defending champion Weyburn may be the horse to beat in the $100,000 Sir Shackleton, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses on Saturday. Weyburn rallied to a 2 1/2-length victory over Collaborate in the 2022 Sir Shackleton while returning from a 6 1/2-month layoff. He earned a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure. Weyburn was given time off after several poor subsequent efforts and returned March 4 to finish second behind White Abarrio in an allowance race here. Dean Delivers and Steal Sunshine, second and third behind last Saturday’s Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Sibelius in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector on Dec. 31, are among the other key contenders in an evenly matched field of nine in the Sir Shackleton. Dean Delivers followed his strong performance in the Mr. Prospector with third- and fourth-place finishes in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile, both won by Endorsed. :: Get ready for Gulfstream Park racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports. Steal Sunshine, winner of the seven-furlong Carry Back here last summer, rallied from near the rear of the field to be third in the Mr. Prospector before finishing a non-threatening fifth in the Gulfstream Mile. The Todd Pletcher-trained My Prankster has been idle since a wide running fifth behind Gunite in the Grade 2 Amsterdam last summer at Saratoga and is winless since defeating Dean Delivers to win the Grade 3 Swale in February 2022. “He needed some time,” Pletcher said. “He hadn’t had a break since he came in. We gave him a little vacation and just tried to figure out where to bring him back. He’s trained consistently, the way he always has. He’s very honest. He wouldn’t blow you away in his breezes, but that’s consistent with the way he’s always been.” The pace should be honest in the Sir Shackleton, with Octane, runner-up at odds of 23-1 in the Fred Hooper, Paco’s Pico, and Mish all expected to vie for the early lead. Completing the field are Collaborate, last year’s runner-up in this race and a winner of two of his last three starts, and Celestial Glaze, coming off a pair of victories against much lesser opposition. – additional reporting by David Grening :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.