Gulfstream Today 3.9.25: Praetor’s Owners Derby Dreaming after Gulfstream Romp

By David Joseph —-

Praetor; Ryan Thompson Photo
GULFSTREAM TODAY

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – William Lawrence, CHP Racing and Gainesway Stable’s Praetor rolled to an eye-catching 7 ½-length victory in Sunday’s featured optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park while keeping his owners’ Derby dreams very much alive.

The Chad Brown-trained 3-year-old colt was making his first start since defeating this year’s Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Sovereignty by a neck in a September maiden special weight race at Aqueduct.

“He showed a lot of class as a 2-year-old, and I know Chad wanted to continue to race him, but he had a little issue and stopped on him. He got him back going and hopefully he’s got enough time to make it to the first weekend in May,” said Phil Hatfield, who operates CHP Racing with his wife Christine. “It’s going to be tight. He beat Sovereignty last year, so it’s going to be fun. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes. It’ll be up to Chad.”

The Triple Crown-nominated 2-5 favorite broke alertly from the starting gate in the one turn mile event carded as Race 9 on Sunday’s 10-race program and pressed pacesetter Bear Claw Necklace under a tight hold by Tyler Gaffalione. The son of Into Mischief took over on the far turn and before drawing clear to complete the mile in 1:36.59

“All the credit goes to Chad and his team. He came over and fired big today. He really never felt like he got out of second gear,” Gaffalione said. “He’s a big, strong, powerful horse. He’s got a long stride on him. It seems like he does things so easily. Most of the way, I was trying to keep his attention. His ears were going back and forth. He was looking around. He’s still very young and immature but there’s a lot of potential there.”

Praetor is out of Curlin’s Approval, a multiple-graded stakes winning daughter of Curlin who was based at Gulfstream 2016-2018 with owner/trainer Happy Alter, who bred Praetor with Bridlewood Farm.

“I actually got to ride her. I won a couple of stakes on her here,” said Gaffalione, who won the 2016 Added Elegance and the 2018 Ana T aboard Curlin’s Approval. “Happy saw me the other day and said, ‘You’re riding the baby boy.’ It was a very exciting win.”

Praetor, who was purchased for $725,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September sale, finished third over a muddy track at Saratoga in his debut prior to graduating in his next start and going to the sidelines.

“Chad’s been the driver of the whole thing. He got hurt last year and then Chad gave him some time off. He thought the horse was good enough, he liked him all along and thought that he would give him a chance,” Hatfield said. “He kind of had to push him a little bit to get here but what you saw today I think is what this horse is all about.”

White Abarrio ‘Happy’ to Breezes for G3 Ghostzapper

C2 Racing Stable LLC, King Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and James Pagnano’s White Abarrio breezed an easy half mile in company at Gulfstream Park Sunday morning in preparation for a scheduled start in the Ghostzapper (G3) on the March 29 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) undercard.

White Abarrio, breezing for the third time since capturing the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park, and stablemate Whiskey Park were both timed in 49.78 seconds (36/71) while breezing well within themselves.

“I wasn’t there but I watched the video. To me, White Abarrio was moving well. It was an in-hand work – keeping him happy,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “Everyone was happy.”

White Abarrio drew off to win the Pegasus World Cup by 6 ½ lengths over runner-up Locked, who went on to win the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) by 8 ½ lengths in his next start.

“He came out of it really well. That was the first time I ever cranked on him training-wise. I always wanted to protect him early on because he’s such a good horse. You want to take care of them. That was the first time I really trained on him going into a race, and he came out of the race really well,” Joseph said. “He’s in good order.”

The 6-year-old son of Race Day’s previous Grade 1 triumphs came in the 2022 Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream, the 2023 Whitney at Saratoga and the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

Wednesday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $300,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved Sunday for the fifth racing day following a mandatory payout. The popular multi-race wager’s jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $300,000 Wednesday.

Wednesday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, featuring a strong field of fillies in mares in a 6 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance in Race 8. Graded stakes-placed Streaming Now is slated to make her second start off a layoff following an even effort on Tapeta last time out for trainer Danny Gargan. Joe Catanese III’s Trumpets, the only three-time winner in the field, will be equipped with blinkers for the first time in her second start off a layoff. Kent Sweezey-trained Done Enough, a sharp optional claiming allowance winner last time out, was scratched from Saturday’s Hurricane Bertie (G3) in favor of this spot.

The Rainbow 6 carryover 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 usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. 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.

Who’s Hot: Tyler Gaffalione doubled, scoring aboard Send Cash ($3) in Race 5 before guiding Praetor ($2.80) to his impressive comeback win in Race 9.

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