Burning Sun Ready to Set Mac Diarmida on Fire

Juddmonte Farms' Burning Sun looks to set the new Gulfstream Park turf course on fire when he takes the gate in Sunday's Mac Diarmida Handicap (gr. IIIT), going 1 1/8-miles.

A son of Danzig, Burning Sun has been away from the races since finishing fourth in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT) at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) undercard. Previously, the Kentucky-bred was fourth in the Mervyn Muniz Jr. Handicap (gr. IIT) at Fair Grounds.

Trained by Bobby Frankel, Burning Sun won the Prix Eugene Adam (Fr-II) at Maisons-Laffitte in 2002 and was fifth in Ireland's Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-I) at The Curragh the next year.

Jockey Jerry Bailey has the mount aboard Burning Sun who is listed as the 118-pound highweight.

Frankel will also send out TNT Stud's Gigli, who has been away from the races since finishing third in the Bowling Green Handicap (gr. IIT). Gigli will be looking for his first win in North American competition when jockey John Velazquez leads him to the gate.

Aside from the Frankel combo, another one to watch will be Scooter Roach, who was fourth, beaten only a length, in the Jan. 8 Fort Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and was a close third by three-quarters of a length in Calder's William L. McKnight (gr. IIT) Dec. 18. Jockey Joe Bravo returns to the irons.

The field for Sunday's $100,000 Mac Diarmida Handicap (gr. IIIT) includes:
1 -- Colonial Bay (Cornelio Velasquez, 113)
2 -- Swagger Stick (Kieren Fallon, 112)
3 -- Burning Sun (Jerry Bailey, 118)
4 -- Scooter Roach (Joe Bravo, 115)
5--Broadway View (Edgar Prado, 113)
6--Rio Guapore (Manoel Criz, 113)
7--Change Course (Jose Santos, 113)
8--Navesink River (Jorge Chavez, 112)
9--Macaw (Eddie Castro, 114)
10--In Hand (Gary Boulanger, 113)
11--Host (Javier Castellano, 114)
12 -- Gigli (John Velazquez, 115)
MTO -- Tap Day (John Velazquez, 114)
AE -- Final Prophecy (Eibar Coa, 112)
AE -- Last Answer (Patrick Husbands, 112)