Gulfstream Today 3.25.21: Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $1.3 Million

By David Joseph —-

GULFSTREAM TODAY

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $1.3 million Friday at Gulfstream Park.

The Rainbow 6 went unsolved Thursday for the 13th racing day in a row since a March 6 mandatory payout. Multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $1,793.80 Thursday.

A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 is scheduled for Saturday’s Gulfstream Park program, which will include 10 stakes, headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm at Xalapa.

Should the popular multi-race wager go unsolved through Friday the pool is expected to swell into the multi-millions.

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is usually only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. However, on mandatory-payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.

The Late Pick 5 and the Late Pick 4, both boasting all-stakes sequences, will have guaranteed pools of $750,000 Saturday. The Late Pick 5 (Races 10-14) and Late Pick 4 (Races 11-14) will both have all-stakes sequences. The Curlin Florida Derby will anchor the sequences for the Late Pick 5, Late Pick 4 and the Rainbow 6 (Races 9-14).

There will be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $4,534.49 heading into Friday’s card.

Irad Ortiz Jr. Wins 4, Closes in on Championship Meet Record

Leading rider Irad Ortiz Jt. rode four winners on Thursday’s program at Gulfstream Park, moving to within two victories of the Championship Meet record.

Ortiz, the defending two-time Championship Meet titlist, won back-to-back aboard Ghostly Beauty ($3.60) in Race 4 and Trappezoid ($8.80) in Race 5 before scoring aboard Star Weaver ($4.40) in Race 7 and Foxxy Belle ($5.80) in Race 9.

With three days remaining in the 2020-2021 Championship Meet, Ortiz has a total of 135, two fewer than Luis Saez’s record of 137, set in 2017-2018.

Ortiz has seven mounts Friday and is named to ride in 13 of 14 races Saturday, when he is scheduled to ride Todd Pletcher-trained Known Agenda in the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Ortiz, the defending three-time Eclipse Award champion, is also scheduled to ride in all `12 races on Sunday’s program.

Gonzalez Named on 4 Horses Saturday on 1st Day at Gulfstream

Journeyman Edwin Gonzalez, Penn National’s leading rider the last two years while winning at over a 30 percent clip, will begin his Gulfstream Park residency with four mounts on Saturday’s blockbuster 14-race Curlin Florida Derby Day program.

Gonzalez has mounts in two of Saturday’s 10 stakes – Frosted Grace in the $100,000 Sir Shackleton in Race 5 and Dizzy in the $100,000 Orchid (G3) in Race 13. He is also scheduled in a pair of maiden special weight events aboard 3-year-old colt Core in Race 1 and 3-year-old filly My Desdemona in Race 7. Gonzalez is named in seven of 12 races Sunday at Gulfstream, closing day of the 2020-2021 Championship Meet.

Gulfstream’s 105-day spring-summer meet is scheduled to open Thursday, April 1 and run through Thursday, Sept. 30.

A multiple group stakes winner in his native Puerto Rico, where he won 443 races before coming to the U.S. in 2013, Gonzalez owns 1,445 career victories. He ranked 14th overall in North American wins in 2020 (177) and 11th in 2019 (236).

Gonzalez was second in wins during the 2017 Tampa Bay Downs meet and won six races there on March 10 of that year. He will be represented by Kevin Meyocks, who also serves as agent for Luca Panici.

Winner of the 2017 Arlington Handicap (G3) with Ghost Hunter, Gonzalez last rode March 17 at Penn National, winning two races to push his meet-leading total to 36. He also won six races Feb. 17 and five races March 4.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred horseracing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The company’s consumer facing brand 1/ST (pronounced “First”) powers The Stronach Group’s forward-thinking 1/ST RACING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, 1/ST LIVE and 1/ST PROPERTIES businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING drives the best-in-class horseracing operations at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, and Gulfstream Park West (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the newly formed operating group for all of 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, GWS and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is horseracing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST LIVE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality by delivering uniquely curated events such as InfieldFest and Pegasus LIV Stretch Village. 1/ST PROPERTIES is responsible for the development of the company’s live, work and play communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred horseracing on and off the track. For more information please email david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com and visit www.1st.com.