Gulfstream: Juvenile Racing Returns to Gulfstream Park April 17 – Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $650,000

By David Joseph —-

Juvenile Racing Returns to Gulfstream Park April 17

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Juvenile racing returns to Gulfstream Park for the first time this season with an overflow field of 11 2-year-old fillies entered in a Thursday, April 17 maiden special weight sprinting 4 ½ furlongs on the main track.

Freshman sire Essential Quality – a two-time champion, four-time Grade 1 winner including the 2021 Belmont and earner of nearly $5 million in purse money – is represented by MHM Stables and JWS Racing’s Bohemian. Since fetching $85,000 at the OBS March sale, the Jack Sisterson trainee has had two three-furlong breezes at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, for her unveiling.

Palm Meadows-based Drama and Mythical will both run for owner-breeder Arindel. Trainer Jorge Delgado saddles Mythical, by St Patrick’s Day, who had 4-year-old filly Lady Patrick’s graduate in a maiden claimer going 6 ½ furlongs Thursday. Trainer Carlos David will send out Drama, by perennial leading Florida sire Brethren.

Bred, co-owned and trained by Mary Lightner, Tosca is a daughter of another freshman sire, Chance It, winner of the 2019 Florida Sire Dr. Fager and In Reality and 2020 Mucho Macho Man, who went on to place in the 2021 Smile Sprint (G3) and Forego (G1). Jackie Couture’s Instapurchase debuts for sire Instagrand, winner of the 2018 Best Pal (G2) and third in the 2019 Santa Anita Derby (G1).

Amanda Hernandez’s Willow Case races off the Ocala-based farm for trainer Ramon Minguet and her sire Neolithic. Though never a stakes winner, Neolithic banked more than $2.2 million placing in 10 of 12 starts including thirds in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) and $10 million Dubai World Cup (G1) as well as the Woodward (G1) in 2017.

Drawing the rail was Super Super Stable’s Goldie Glory, an Ohio-bred son of Flameaway, whose five stakes wins included the 2017 Bourbon (G3) and 2018 Sam F. Davis (G3).

Also entered are Rumpus in Paradise (by Rumpus Cat), A Rose for Skyler (Battalion Runner) and Deborahaprophetess, whose stablemate, Ruth the Moabitess, is the lone also-eligible. Both fillies are by Holy One of Israel.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $650,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot, unsolved for a 10th consecutive racing day Friday at Gulfstream Park, will have its jackpot pool estimated at $650,000 when the Royal Palm Meet resumes with a 10-race program Saturday.

Post time is 12:50 p.m.

Saturday’s sequence spans Races 5-10 and opens with a 5 ½-furlong claiming event on the all-weather Tapeta course for fillies and mares 4 and up. Minxy chases a second straight win racing first off an $8,000 claim for trainer Pedro Garcia. Also back after changing hands out of a runner-up finish March 22 is eight-time winner Founder’s Day. Chloe’s Toy has scored all five of her wins over the course.

Race 6 is a maiden special weight for fillies and mares 3 and up scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Brown Sugar, a $400,000 auction purchase last June, adds blinkers and trainer Brad Cox after placing in each of her first two starts including a second as the favorite going one mile on the Gulfstream turf Jan. 26. Restless Dreamer ran second and third, beaten less than two lengths combined, in similar spots over the course in November and February.

Stakes winners Time Passage, De Regreso, Golden Canary and Freedom Speaks are among 10 entries in the Race 8 feature, a 7 ½-furlong grass test for fillies and mares 3 and older. Freedom Speaks will make just her second start since last July, having run sixth by two lengths in Gulfstream’s Ladies’ Turf Sprint Feb. 8. De Regreso gets major class relief after finishing 11th in the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2) Jan. 25, her most recent start.

Tami Bobo, Julie Davies and George Isaacs’ Catalytic, beaten a neck or less in each of his last three races dating back to last summer’s Carry Back, looks to snap that streak in Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up at one mile on the main track. The 2024 Florida Derby (G1) runner-up lost as the favorite in a similar 1 1/16-mile spot Feb. 16. Cardinale is entered to make his comeback having gone unraced since the 2024 Risen Star (G2).

The Race 10 finale is a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds scheduled for 7 ½ furlongs on the grass that drew an overflow field of 14 including four also-eligibles. The 2-1 program favorite is Benny The Waiter, an Irish-bred gelding that was fifth by 1 ¼ lengths going five furlongs on the Gulfstream turf March 15 in his second start and first in North America.

In the Rainbow 6, the 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.

A mandatory Rainbow 6 payout is scheduled for Sunday. If not hit before then, the total jackpot pool is estimated to reach $4.5 million.

Notes: Jockey Leonel Reyes won twice Friday with Something Simple ($9) in Race 2 and Fiveeyesonskystars ($10.80) in Race 4 … Emisael Jaramillo also doubled with Spy Hunter ($8) in Race 5 and Ashima ($4) in Race 7, and Edwin Gonzalez visited the winner’s circle with Diamonds N Thrills ($11.60) in Race 3 and Iron Hand ($10.40) in Race 8 … Both Spy Hunter and Iron Hand are trained by Jose D’Angelo, who was at Keeneland Friday to saddle 3-year-old filly Shisospicy to a popular triumph in the $300,000 Limestone.

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