Gulfstream: Van Dyke Begins 30-Day Riding Stint Friday at Gulfstream

By David Joseph —-

Van Dyke Begins 30-Day Riding Stint Friday at Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Southern California-based jockey Drayden Van Dyke has answered trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s call and will switch his tack to Gulfstream Park for a 30-day stint.

The 29-year-old jockey has one call Friday, four Saturday and another four Sunday, all for Gulfstream’s leading trainer.

“Saffie and I have a relationship from about five years back when he had some horses for Slam Dunk Racing,” said Van Dyke’s agent Ryan Cosato, the son of Slam Dunk Racing’s managing partner Nick Cosato. “I worked for Slam Dunk Racing for about seven years out of college and I’ve been an agent for a year starting last August. Saffie reached out to me about two weeks ago and asked me if I still had Drayden’s book. He said he wanted to help and wanted to bring him out there.”

Van Dyke took a self-imposed break from riding for three months last fall before returning to action in January at Santa Anita, where he has ridden two winners and 13 second-place finishers from 57 mounts.

“I’ve never paid too close attention. I know what he’s accomplished, obviously. It just seems like he’s not doing any good out there. When it gets like that, you need a change,” Joseph said. “If I can help someone get their career going, why not help someone get going?”

Van Dyke, the 2014 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice, ventures to Gulfstream with an extensive resume, including 67 graded-stakes victories. He rode Stormy Liberal to victory in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). He also notched Grade 1 wins in the 2017 Malibu (G1) and 2018 Triple Bend (G1) aboard City of Light, who went on to win the 2019 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano aboard. In 2020, he rode Improbable for victories in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) and Awesome Again (G1).

“We’ll bring him out there for about a month. If he does well, we’ll go from there. There’s no big announcement. We’re just giving it a try,” Cosato said.

Van Dyke is named to ride Joseph-trained Southern Palace in Race 3 on Friday’s program. The 3-year-old daughter of Palace Malice will be making her debut in the mile-and-70-yard maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies on Tapeta.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $475.000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $475,000 Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, headlined by Sin for a Season’s bid for a third win without defeat in Race 8, a six-furlong open optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares. The David Fawkes-trained Sin for a Season won on debut in March 2023 before going to the sidelines for more than 13 months. The daughter of Anchor Down came back to win an optional claiming allowance for state-bred fillies and mares May 4.

The Rainbow 6 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.

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