Gulfstream Today 1.25.23: Munnys Gold Registers Impressive Comeback Win Wednesday

By David Joseph —-

January 25, 2023

Munnys Gold Registers Impressive Comeback Win Wednesday

Late Multi-Race Wager Pools Guaranteed Pegasus World Cup Day

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Robert and Lawana Low’s Munnys Gold, unraced since her eye-catching debut victory last summer, made a triumphant return at Gulfstream Park with a front-running open allowance triumph in Wednesday’s feature race.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Munnys Gold ($2.20) overcame an awkward start to lead through splits of 22, 45.36 and 57.67 seconds, covering six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:10.78.

A 3-year-old daughter of multiple graded-stakes winner Munnings, who was also trained by Pletcher, Munnys Gold had been breezing steadily since late October at Palm Beach Downs for her return.

“She’d been training well,” Pletcher said. “She was great in her debut. She didn’t off to a great start today. She kind of broke sideways and brushed the side of the gate, but once she got corrected she showed that natural speed she has and looked good from there.”

Munnys Gold was purchased for $300,000 as a yearling in July 2021 and was patiently brought along, unveiled in a 14 ½-length maiden special weight race last June at Monmouth Park. The runner-up in that race, Alma Rosa, graduated in her subsequent start and later took the White Clay Creek at Delaware Park.

“She had a little issue we had to give her a break for and then by the time we got started back there wasn’t a race for her so it’s taken a little while,” Pletcher said. “We had the choice of going to a stake at Tampa and then this race came up, and we decided it’s been a long time since she ran so we wanted to do the right thing by her. She’s a very talented filly.”

Pletcher said Wednesday’s effort earned Munnys Gold a step up for her next start.

“We’ll go in a stake, we just don’t know [which one] yet,” he said.

Ivan Pimentel Jr. Rides First U.S. Winner at Gulfstream

Ivan Pimentel Jr. rode his first winner in the U.S. Wednesday at Gulfstream Park, guiding Chiquirin ($39.80) to an easy nine-length victory in Race 2, a mile bottom-level claiming race for older horses.

Pimental, 39, ventured from Venezuela to Gulfstream Park last fall.

“I’m very happy to win my first race in the United States,” he said through an interpreter. “I dedicate this race to Daniel Quintero.”

Also a Venezuela native, Quintero, was killed in a tragic accident while exercising a horse at Tampa Bay Downs last Saturday.

Pimentel had ridden more than 700 winners in Venezuela.

Apprentice Finalist Barbosa Makes Gulfstream Debut Wednesday

After spending the early part of his first full U.S. winter at his Maryland home base, standout teenage apprentice jockey Jeiron Barbosa is enjoying some time in the sun this week – in more ways than one.

The Puerto Rico native, who turned 19 last month, made his riding debut at Gulfstream Park Wednesday, finishing fourth in Race 2 aboard 5-year-old Gypsy Kitten, trained and co-owned by Gerald Brooks.

Barbosa has another mount for Brooks and co-owner Carl Hess Jr., 4-year-old filly Breezy Connection, in Race 2 Thursday, a maiden claimer where they are the 8-5 program favorite. That night, Barbosa will be in attendance for the Eclipse Awards at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla. where he is a finalist for champion apprentice of 2022.

“I appreciate the opportunity that the trainer gave me to ride today. I am riding another horse tomorrow, and I am very excited to be here,” Barbosa, still getting a handle on the language, said through an interpreter. “I feel very excited and very proud. It’s an honor to even be nominated as one of the top three apprentice riders in the country.”

Based year-round in Maryland, riding primarily at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course, Barbosa launched his pro career Jan. 1, 2022 in Puerto Rico and won three of 72 races before coming to the U.S. Just two days after arriving, he earned his first domestic wins on each of his first two mounts – Heliacial Rising and Ludicrous Mode – March 25 at Laurel. Barbosa picked up his first career stakes win with Music Amore in Laurel’s Searching Aug. 6.

In 2022, Barbosa ranked second in wins (182) and purses earned ($5,685,182) and was third with 1,033 starters among apprentice riders. Represented by agent Tom Stift, he won three titles in Maryland – the spring and fall stands at Laurel as well as Pimlico’s boutique fall meet. He ended the year with 107 wins at the two tracks, ranking second only to four-time overall champion Jevian Toledo.

“I’m very happy because we had a great year. We were able to win a lot of races and three riding titles. I have to thank my agent and all the owners and trainers that gave me the opportunity to ride their horses,” Barbosa said. “We put in a lot of hard work during the year and to win the Eclipse would mean everything to me.”

Joining Barbosa as Eclipse Award finalists are Vincente Del-Cid and Jose Antonio Gomez. Louisiana-based Del-Cid, out since late November with an injury, led all apprentice riders with 246 wins while Gomez, who rode primarily in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, was tops with more than $7 million in purse earnings.

Barbosa could become the 13th Maryland-based rider to win the apprentice Eclipse and first since Alexander Crispin in 2020. Other to do so include Hall of Famers Chris McCarron (1974) and Kent Desormeaux (1987) as well as Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001), Ryan Fogelsonger (2002), Victor Carrasco (2013) and Weston Hamilton (2018). Both Carrasco and Crispin continue to ride in Maryland.

Barbosa leads Laurel’s current winter meet which began Jan. 1 with 17 wins and $612,860 in purse earnings from 68 mounts.

“When I was in Puerto Rico at the jockey school, I went to Maryland and saw the horses breezing in the morning, and I liked it so much I had the desire to ride there. It was a dream come true when I got there,” Barbosa said. “I thank God for the opportunity, and I feel like I have a real shot to win.”

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $700,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $700,000 Thursday at Gulfstream Park.

Heading into Thursday’s nine-race program, the popular multi-race wager has gone unsolved for 14 racing days in a row following a single-ticket jackpot hit for $533,783.63 Jan. 5.

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, headlined by an $87,000 optional claiming allowance for older fillies and mares featuring the long-awaited return of graded-stakes winner White Frost. The Bill Mott-trained daughter of Candy Ride has been sidelined since finishing second in the Winter Memories at Aqueduct in November 2021. The Gainesway homebred had previously captured the January 2021 Sweetest Chant (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 Jackpot pool has been scheduled for Sunday’s program at Gulfstream Park.

On mandatory-payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence. The 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.

Late Multi-Race Wager Pools Guaranteed Pegasus World Cup Day

Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup Day card will offer guaranteed pools for the Late Pick 5, Late Pick 4 and Late Pick 3.

There will be a $750,000 guaranteed pool for the Late Pick 5, which will span Races 9-13. The Late Pick 4, spanning Races 10-13, will also have a guaranteed pool of $750,000. The Late Pick 3 pool will be guaranteed at $350,000 for Races 11-13.

Who’s Hot: Jockeys Tyler Gaffalione, Luis Saez and Irad Ortiz Jr. all doubled Wednesday. Gaffalione was first with Buc N Beauty ($3.80) in Race 1 and Jais’s Solitude ($7.40) in Race 4, Saez scored on Hot Bode ($6) in Race 5 and Man On the Moon ($4.80) in Race 6, and Ortiz visited the winner’s circle aboard Lay the Groundwork ($8.60) in Race 7 and Munnys Gold ($2.20) in Race 8.

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