Monday, November 4, 2024
Vasquez wins 33 . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $100,000 when live racing returns to Gulfstream Park on Friday, Nov. 8.

    Following a mandatory payout that yielded multiple $40,299 payoffs on Oct. 26, the multi-race wager went unsolved for a fourth consecutive day Sunday.

    Friday’s sequence will span Races 4-9 and includes a third-level optional claiming allowance feature in Race 8 for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for five furlongs on the grass.

    All seven horses entered have won stakes led by 8-year-old geldings and 13-time career winners Yes I Am Free and Xy Speed. Winless in five straight, Yes I Am Free is looking to get back to the form that saw him capture the Gr. III Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint in 2022 and 2023.

    After a pair of out-of-town starts Xy Speed returns to Gulfstream where he has won three straight races, each sprinting five furlongs on the grass, and six of 13 lifetime with three seconds and two thirds.

    Race 5 is a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds scheduled on the grass at five furlongs that drew a field of 11 including second-time starter Fling Ready, a $350,000 son of More Than Ready who ran sixth in his debut on Oct. 19 at Keeneland.

    Starting Friday, first-race post time moves from noon to 12:20 p.m.

Saturday’s $75,000 Awesome Banner Draws Field of Nine

    Gr. 3-placed Mr Skylight, stakes-winner Divieto and stakes-placed Secret Lover, Big Effect and Roar Ready are among a field of nine entered for the $75,000 Awesome Banner handicap for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs Saturday, Nov. 9.

    Peter Vegso’s Mr Skylight graduated in his second career start, a six-furlong maiden special weight on March 16 at Gulfstream, then beat winners in his first try on April 20 at Keeneland and rallied to be third by three lengths in the May 18 Gr. III Chick Lang at Pimlico. Most recently, he was seventh following a slow start in a six-furlong optional claimer on Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs.

    Divieto was a front-running winner of the one-mile Aventura two starts back on Oct. 18. Secret Lover was fourth in the one-mile Gil Campbell Memorial on Oct. 19, where he had finished second in the FSS In Reality last December. Big Effect, third in the 2023 Juvenile Sprint at Gulfstream, won an optional claimer last out on a Sept. 28 first off the claim for trainer Rohan Crichton. Roar Ready ran third in Gulfstream’s seven-furlong on Carry Back July 5.

    Notes: Jockey Miguel Vasquez registered a Sunday hat trick aboard Como ($11.20) in Race 5, Black Fury ($4.60) in Race 7 and Smile Po ($4.40) in Race 10 … Trainer Rohan Crichton won twice with Sudoku Terry ($20.80) in Race 1 and Light Fury ($10.80) in Race 8.

Thursday, October 31, 2024
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Disappointed by Prevent’s most recent runner-up effort, trainer...

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Disappointed by Prevent’s most recent runner-up effort, trainer Jorge Delgado is looking for the son of Neolithic to show up in Saturday’s $95,000 Showing Up at Gulfstream Park.

    BC Racing’s Prevent was upset as the 4-5 favorite in an Oct. 5 optional claiming allowance in his first start since being transferred to Delgado. The Florida-bred colt will face 11 other 3-year-olds in the Showing Up, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes that will co-headline Saturday’s 11-race program with the $95,000 Armed Forces, a mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds.

    “We were expecting more that day. It was raining during the race. Maybe it wasn’t the best setup for him. It was a small field,” said Delgado of the four-horse field. “He is training very well. He should be competitive. He doesn’t have the best post position with the 12.”

   Delgado is hopeful that Prevent can take advantage of a quick start with no one to his outside. “He’s a horse that wants to be on the lead and he wants to be free,” Delgado said. “He’s a horse that the longer he goes the better he will do.”


    Prevent, who will be ridden back by Edgard Zayas, is rated at 6-1 on the morning line in the well-matched Showing Up field behind 4-1 morning-line favorite Silent Heart.

    Terry Hamilton and Koocanusa Ventures’ Silent Heart has shown a distinct fondness for the turf at Gulfstream in the past – something that runs in his bloodlines. Silent Heart is a homebred son of Heart to Heart, who was a force on Gulfstream turf between 2016 and 2018 for Hamilton and trainer Brian Lynch. The multiple Gr. 1 stakes-winning son of English Channel captured the 2018, Gr. I Gulfstream Park Turf, currently contested as the Gr. I Pegasus World Cup Turf, after winning the El Prado and Canadian Turf (G3) in 2017 and the Canadian Turf and the Ft. Lauderdale (G2) in 2016.

    Silent Heart, who finished second at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Churchill Downs in his first two starts, graduated impressively in a five-furlong maiden special weight on turf last Dec. 7 before coming right back to win a five-furlong optional claiming race on Tapeta a month later. Back on turf, Silent Heart was beaten by just a neck while finishing third in the Colonel Liam March 2.

    The Lynch trainee has gone winless in three subsequent starts, including a third-place finish in an Oct. 6 allowance while returning from a five-month layoff. Edgar Perez is scheduled to ride Silent Heart, whose best showings have been at the five-furlong distance for the first time Saturday.

    Gary Barber’s In a Jam also returns to Gulfstream, where he captured the 1 1/16-mile Not Surprising on Tapeta June 8. The son of Preservationist hasn’t won in four subsequent out-of-town races, but he did finish a troubled third in the Secretariat (G2) at Colonial Downs three starts back.

    Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, In a Jam won back-to-back starts on turf during the Championship Meet, graduating at a mile and coming back to capture a 7 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance. In a Jam, who is rated at 5-1 on the morning line, will be ridden by Emisael Jaramillo.

BreedersCup Simulcast at Gulfstream Park Friday and Saturday

    Full Breeders’ Cup programs will be simulcast from Del Mar Friday and Saturday at Gulfstream Park in conjunction with live cards highlighted by three highly competitive turf stakes.

Friday’s 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected for grow to an estimated $50,000 on the second racing day following last Saturday’s mandatory payout that yielded multiple winning tickets of $40,299.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, anchored by the $95,000 Cellars Shiraz, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for fillies and mares featuring a highly anticipated clash between Vive Veuve and Majestic Venezuela.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024
New first post - noon . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - With the end of Daylight Savings Time looming this weekend, first-race post time at Gulfstream Park moves to 12 Noon starting with Friday’s 10-race program.

    Friday’s 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $50,000. The multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday for the first day following Saturday’s mandatory payout that produced multiple $40,299 winning tickets.

    Friday’s Rainbow 6 will span Races 5-10, featuring the $95,000 Cellars Shiraz in Race 10. Victor Barboza Jr.-trained Majestic Venezuela will seek her third victory in three turf starts in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf. The daughter of Mendelssohn has been first or second in eight of nine career starts on either turf or Tapeta. Vive Veuve, who won the Sanibel Island during the championship meet, returns to Gulfstream coming off three straight on-the-board finishes in graded stakes out of town.



Zayas, Gonzalez Neck-and-Neck in Sunshine Meet Title Race

    Jockeys Edgard Zayas and Edwin Gonzalez are locked in a heated battle for the Sunshine Meet riding title. Through Sunday’s card, Zayas and Gonzalez are deadlocked at the top of the standings with 25 wins each during the meet that runs through Sunday, Nov. 24. Gonzalez rode three winners Sunday, while Zayas visited the winner’s circle twice.

    Zayas is seeking his eighth riding title at Gulfstream Park since 2019, while Gonzalez is looking for his first riding title since making Gulfstream his year-round base in 2021. Miguel Vasquez, who rode two winners on Sunday’s card, is stalking the top pair in third with 21 victories.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Pick 5 carryover today . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool yielded multiple $40,299 payoffs Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

    The multi-race wager went unsolved for eight days following an Oct. 6 jackpot hit, producing a carryover of $87,950 heading into Saturday’s wagering on the sequence that spanned races 6-11. A total of $696,306 was wagered into the Rainbow 6 pool Saturday.

Sunday’s Late Pick 5 will have a carryover of $48,484.

    The Rainbow 6 will start anew today, when the sequence will span Races 5-10, kicked off by a five-furlong optional claiming allowance on turf for fillies and mares in Race 5. Leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is represented by two runners, Sol Hope, who will make her first start for the barn after running second back-to-back at Colonial Downs, and Bustin Bullet, who is rated second at 9-5 following back-to-back victories at Saratoga and Gulfstream.

    A six-furlong maiden special weight event for Florida-bred 2-year-old fillies follows in Race 6. The eight-filly field that includes three first-time starters will be headed by With Kindness, a David Fawkes trainee who finished second following a slow start in her recent debut.

Friday, October 25, 2024
Feature is the $95,000 My Dear Peggy on the grass . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be held Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where wagering on the multi-race wager could grow the jackpot pool to an estimated $1.5 million. The Rainbow 6 has gone unsolved for eight days following an Oct. 6 jackpot hit. There will be an $87,949 carryover heading into Saturday Rainbow 6 wagering.

    The $95,000 My Dear Peggy, a mile turf stakes with a full field of 2-year-old fillies, will anchor the Rainbow 6 sequence that will span Races 6-11.  Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has doubled up for the Race 11 feature with Bellavinino, who finished second last time out in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies at Kentucky Downs, and Ramsey Pond, who is coming off a most impressive maiden winner at Kentucky Downs.

    The Rainbow 6 will be kicked off by a $12,500 claiming race that attracted a field of 10 maiden fillies and mares in Race 6. The seven-furlong sprint offers a potential ‘single’ in Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Timely Reward, who will be ridden for the first time by Edgard Zayas while dropping down. There are several upset possibilities among the 7-5 morning-line favorite’s nine rivals, including Iron Shield, who has finished second three times in eight starts and who will make her first start for returning trainer Rasharn Creque.

    Joseph and Zayas will also be represented by a 7-5 morning-line favorite in Race 7, a 6 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares. Here’s the Kicker, a daughter of Liam’s Map, is coming off a rousing 10 ½-length maiden-breaking score. Joseph-trained Beach Party Bingo, a winner on Tapeta and turf, rallied to finish second and third in her two recent dirt starts, making her a late threat should the pace become hotly contested. Sam Wilensky-trained Ruthless Rua looms as a serious threat coming off an allowance win at Del Mar on Aug. 23.

    A maiden special weight event for Florida-bred 2-year-old maiden fillies in Race 8 figures to be a popular ‘spread’ leg in the Rainbow 6. A field of 10 includes five well-connected first-time starters, as well as several fillies that have flashed promise in recent starts.

    A well-matched field of 11 $16,000 claimers, 3-year-olds and up, also poses a serious challenge for Rainbow 6 bettors in Race 9. Repole Stable’s Disattached is a lukewarm 7-2 morning-line favorite who has been a steady performer since joining the barn of trainer David Fawkes.

    Ronald Coy-trained Megan Makin Money is a considerably stronger morning-line favorite at 8-5 in Race 10, a 5 ½
-furlong race on Tapeta for $10,000 claiming fillies and mares. The daughter of Kantharos has finished in the money in five of six optional claiming allowance and allowance races since being claimed out of an impressive victory at the $10,000 claiming level.  Amor Y Control, a winner at this level last time out, will make her first start for trainer
Elizabeth Dobles. Gary Jackson-trained Shez Speightful steps up a notch after winning by five lengths going away last time.

    Mark Casse-trained It’s Witchcraft, a $1.1 million Keeneland Sept. sale purchase, will surely attract the attention of many bettors in the My Dear Peggy in Race 11. The daughter of Tapit is scheduled to make her two-turn debut after winning one of three career starts while sprinting. Carlos David-trained Miss Mary Nell, who broke her maiden impressively in her first and only start on turf in five starts; Rohan Crichton-trained Special Aviator, a dominating front-running debut winner around two turns on Tapeta last time out; and Ron Spatz-trained Hello Hello Hello, who has won going away in her most recent start while racing on Tapeta; figure to offer some competition to the Joseph-trained duo.