SABIN

Gulfstream Park, eighth race. Grade 3. Purse: $100,000. 1 1/16 miles, fillies and mares. Post: 3:49 p.m.

LOWDOWN: Awesome Maria rates the edge over champion Royal Delta in this battle of heavyweights, though she hasn’t raced since June. Her recent workouts indicate she is further along in her training than Royal Delta, who is making her first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic; and more than anything, Bill Mott is using this to prep Royal Delta for the Dubai World Cup. Also, Awesome Maria is a horse-for-the-course. In two starts at Gulfstream, she won last year’s Sabin by 4¾ lengths and followed that with an eight-length romp in the Rampart.

TV: HRTV, NYRA Channel 71.

RISEN STAR

Fair Grounds, 11th race. Grade 2. Purse: $300,000. 1 1/16 miles, 3-year-olds. Post: 5:55 p.m.

LOWDOWN: El Padrino, ranked No. 2 on The Post’s Derby Dozen, takes his next step along the Triple Crown trail after winning his 3-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park by two lengths to earn a sky-high 100 Beyer Speed Figure. El Padrino indicated his class with a close third in last year’s Remsen, and both his losses came by less than a length.

TV: HRTV, NYRA Channel 71.

SAN CARLOS

Santa Anita, seventh race. Grade 2. Purse: $200,000. 7 furlongs, 4-year-olds and up. Post: 6:36 p.m.

LOWDOWN: The Factor looked like the horse we expected him to be blowing away the Dec. 26 Malibu by 3 ½ lengths over this track, running the seven furlongs in a track-record-tying time of 1:19.89. He is 3-for-4 over his home court, looms the lone speed in a short field, and should be long gone by the time last year’s champion sprinter, Amazombie, comes gunning for him.

TV: HRTV, NYRA Channel 71.

LAST WEEK: At Laurel, CC’s Pal (3-1) was third in the Barbara Fritchie, beaten a neck and a nose, paying $3 to show; at Gulfstream, Troilus (6-1) was second in the Sprint Championship paying $5 to place and $3.40 to show; at Santa Anita, Ellafitz won the Santa Maria paying $3.60, $2.60, $2.10.

ed.fountaine@nypost.com