Gulfstream News and Notes: Tequilita Tops Noms for Feb. 16 Royal Delta (G3)

By David Joseph —-

Gulfstream News and Notes

Tequilita Tops Noms for Feb. 16 Royal Delta (G3)
Rainbow 6 Mandatory Payout Set for Saturday
Friday’s Stronach 5 All Star Ticket (Video Link)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Dorothy Alexander Matz’s Tequilita is prominent among 17 nominations for the $150,000 Royal Delta (G3) Feb. 16 at Gulfstream Park.

Trainer Michael Matz saddled the 5-year-old daughter of Union Rags for a going-away 2 ½-length triumph in the $100,000 Rampart (G3) Dec. 28 at Gulfstream Park. Like the Rampart, the Royal Delta is a one-turn mile stakes for fillies and mares.

Tequilita raced at Gulfstream Park twice prior to her sharp Rampart triumph, capturing the 2017 Forward Gal (G2) before finishing second in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2).

The homebred mare has won five of 19 career starts and in excess of $650,000.

The Royal Delta is named in honor of the three-time Eclipse Award winner who won the race in 2013, when it was run as the Sabin Stakes.

Stonestreet Stables, LLC’s Electric Forest, who finished a very troubled second behind Tequilita while making her stakes debut in the Rampart, is also nominated for the Royal Delta. The 4-year-old homebred daughter of Curlin is trained by Chad Brown.

St. George Stable, LLC’s Jala Jala, who ventured from Mexico to win the 2017 Clasico Del Caribe and the 2018 Copa Confraternidad at Gulfstream, is a particularly interesting Royal Delta nominee. The 5-year-old daughter of Point Determined who has won 13 of 25 starts while competing primarily against males, produced a bullet five-furlong workout in 58.4 seconds last week.

L. A. R. Stable, Corp.’s Pure Lemon also brings international flair to the Royal Delta nominations list. The 6-year-old daughter of Eskendereya, a multiple-graded stakes winner in Puerto Rico, recently made her U.S. debut while finishing second in the Wayward Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 19.

Cieber J. Massey’s Blamed, who captured the Comely (G3) at Aqueduct last November after thoroughly dominating the 3-year-old filly division at Sunland Park, is also nominated to the Royal Delta.

Rainbow 6 Mandatory Payout Set for Saturday

A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool will be held Saturday at Gulfstream Park, offering the potential for a truly life-changing payoff.

The entire pool, including a carryover jackpot, will be paid out to all those holding tickets with the most winners. Should the Rainbow 6 remain unsolved Friday, a pool of several million dollars is expected be up for grabs. (There will be a mandatory Rainbow 6 payout Saturday even if the jackpot is hit Friday).

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 7-12 on Saturday’s card and will feature the $100,000 El Prado in Race 11. Turf Stable, LLC’s Mr. Cub and Three Diamonds Farm’s Hembree headline the 13-horse field for the 7 ½-furlong turf stakes for older horses.

The Ian Wilkes-trained Mr. Cub fell just a half-length short of holding off Bricks and Mortar in a Dec. 22 optional claiming allowance race prior to the Chad Brown trainee’s triumph in the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) Jan. 26.

The Mike Maker-trained Hembree captured the Nearctic (G2) at Woodbine three starts back.

The El Prado will be preceded on Saturday’s card by a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds in Race 10. Sagamore Farm, LLC and WinStar Farm, LLC’s Global Campaign, a most impressive debut winner at Gulfstream Jan. 5, is set to return to action. The son of Curlin captured a seven-furlong maiden race by a going-away 5 ¾ lengths while wrapped up by jockey Luis Saez.

Stronach Stables’ Awesome D J, who won his Dec. 7 debut by nearly six lengths at Laurel, is set to make his first start for trainer James Jerkens in Saturday’s Race 10.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence, which will be kicked in Race 7 with a maiden claiming event with a 14-horse field, will also feature and optional claiming allowance at a mile on turf in Race 8 and a pair of maiden special weight races at one mile on turf in Races 9 and 12.

Friday’s Stronach 5 All Star Ticket (Video Link)

The Stronach 5, featuring an industry-low 12-percent takeout, will have a $100,000 guaranteed pool Friday afternoon while showcasing races from Santa Anita Park, Laurel Park, Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields.

The national pick 5 sequence kicks off at 4:35 p.m. with a 10-horse field going seven furlongs at Laurel Park. After stops at Gulfstream and Santa Anita, Friday’s sequence will conclude with the fifth race from Golden Gate.

All Star Ticket Video Link: https://youtu.be/iymSo6Bdsj8

Free Past Performances: http://www.laurelpark.com/sites/www.laurelpark.com/files/content/Stronach%20V%2002.08.pdf
The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

Gulfstream Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; XpressBet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry. For more information contact David Joseph at david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com or call 954.457.6451.