Jeri & Sam Knighton's Request for Parole figures to be a slight choice in the wagering over six opponents, including an entry, in Saturday's $200,000 Pan American Handicap (gr. IIT), Gulfstream Park's traditional 1 1/2-mile grass course marathon.However, Request for Parole, who won Gulfstream's Mac Diarmida Handicap (gr. IIIT) Jan. 25 and was a troubled but close fourth in the Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IT) Feb. 22, is expected to have at least two strong challengers in Saturday's test.Mansell Stables LLC's Quest Star, hero of the 2003 Pan American 'Cap and beaten less than two lengths in this year's Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup, is one of those.Richard A. Violette Jr.'s Man From Wicklow, winner of the 2003 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup 'Cap, also is a strong threat if he returns to form from injuries suffered last spring.Jockey Jose Santos, aboard Request for Parole in all his Gulfstream outings this winter, returns astride the Stanley Hough trainee, who carries 115 pounds.Quest Star, trained by Elliott Walden, has Pat Day named to ride and carries 114 pounds.Man From Wicklow is the starting highweight at 117 pounds.
$200,000 Pan American Handicap (gr. IIT), 3 & up, 1 1/2 mile on turf
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey, ML Odds
1. Megantic (KY), 112, Joe Bravo, 8-1
2. (a) Joey Blueeyes PA, 112, Eibar Coa, 10-1
3. Quest Star (KY), 114, Pat Day, 5-2
4. (a) Believe I Can Fly (PA), 110, Luis Arango, 10-1
5. Request for Parole (KY), 115, Jose Santos, 8-5
6. Charge (FL), 113, Jean-Luc Samyn, 6-1
7. Man From Wicklow (FL), 122, Robert Landry, 3-1
(a) Happy Valley Stable Entry