Gulfstream: Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $200,000

By David Joseph —-

Chuck Willis Impressive in U.S. Debut at Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Tracy Farmer’s Chuck Willis captured his U.S. and 2021 debuts Thursday at Gulfstream Park, where he dominated a solid group of rivals despite a momentary lapse in focus.

The Mark Casse-trained 5-year-old gelding set the pace in the 7 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance on turf before veering to the outside leaving the turn into the homestretch, testing the strength of jockey Miguel Vasquez. Although he lost the lead in the stretch, he rallied back impressively to score by 1 ½ lengths after Vasquez quickly straightened his course.

The impressive victory hardly came as a surprise to his connections following a recent workout in company with multiple graded-stakes winner Ride a Comet at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“We worked him with Ride the Comet a couple weeks ago on the grass and he gave him everything he could handle. It was a very impressive work,” said Nick Tomlinson, assistant to the Hall of Fame trainer. “We worked him from the gate. It was extremely impressive. He’s just a very nice horse.”

Chuck Willis ($7.20), who had won one of four starts in Europe on turf before finishing off-the-board over Woodbine’s synthetic surface in the 2018 Grey Cup (G3). The son of Kodiac came back to win back-to-back optional claiming allowances on the synthetic track at Woodbine last year off a 1 ½-year layoff.

“He’s had his hiccups along the way, but when he’s on it, he’s on it,” Tomlinson said. “As long as he’s happy and healthy, he should be pretty tough this year. We’ve always loved him. He’s great around the barn. The patience of keeping him going, especially by Mr. Farmer, is paying off.”

Chuck Willis ran 7 ½ furlongs on a firm turf in 1:28.45. Blameless, the 3-2 favorite ridden by Paco Lopez, finished second after gaining the lead in the upper stretch. Casse-trained A Thread of Blue, a multiple graded-stakes winner ridden by Emisael Jaramillo, finished a neck back in third.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $200,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $200,000 for Friday’s program at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Thursday for the second racing day since last Saturday’s mandatory payout. Tickets with all six winners were each worth $255.90.

The jackpot pool is 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 goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, including the featured 1 3/8-mile optional claiming allowance on turf in Race 6. Todd Pletcher-trained Pillar Mountain has been installed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the seven-horse field of 4-year-olds and up. The son of Kodiac is coming off a victory in a 1 ½-mile turf race at Gulfstream March 17. Pletcher will also be represented by Cowtown, who finished sixth behind his stablemate last time out.

Joe Orseno-trained Salute the Colonel, a distance specialist with an affinity for the Gulfstream course, will make his third start off a long layoff while stretching out from a mile. Pleasecallmeback is also scheduled to start after being claimed back by Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield for the second time last time out.

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.