Gulfstream: G3 Winner Antiquarian Successful in Return to Races

By David Joseph —-

G3 Winner Antiquarian Successful in Return to Races

$3 Million Yearling Vibe Dominant Maiden Winner Saturday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Centennial Farms’ Grade 3 winner Antiquarian, making his first start in 316 days, was triumphant in his return to the races with a workmanlike 2 ½-length victory in Saturday’s featured optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Edgard Zayas for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Antiquarian ($3.40) completed seven furlongs in 1:22.96 over a fast main track. It was the shortest trip in just six career starts for the 4-year-old Preservationist colt, coming off his longest when he was fifth in the 1 ¼- mile Belmont (G1) last June at Saratoga.

“It’s really good to have him back,” Pletcher said. “He had a nice layoff. This was our plan to gear him up for the spring, summer and fall. He’s obviously a horse that wants more ground, so I was a little worried about the seven-eighths coming back. He actually broke sharp and put himself in the race.”

Loco Abarrio, winner of the one-mile Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap last fall at Gulfstream, broke alertly and was in front after a quarter-mile in 22.73 seconds, with Antiquarian on his right hip in second. The top two went unchanged after a half in 45.57 until Zayas set down his charge for a drive to the wire, taking command at the top of the stretch and holding off a late bid from Shaq Diesel in the final 50 yards.

“He was the class of the race,” Zayas said. “I was surprised the way he broke. He’s used to running longer. The race was a little short for him, but he showed he has the class.”

Antiquarian broke his maiden second time out last winter in the slop at Fair Grounds, where he returned to be sixth in the Louisiana Derby (G2). From there he was a three-quarter-length winner of the Peter Pan (G3) at Aqueduct prior to a troubled run in the Belmont where he got bumped while gearing up to make his move and wound up 7 ½ lengths behind winner Dornoch.

“We’re not 100 percent sure [where he’ll run next],” Pletcher said. “We’ll keep our options open, but it will be in a stake.”

$3 Million Yearling Vibe Dominant Maiden Winner Saturday

Second-time starter Vibe, a $3 million yearling bred and co-owned by Mike Repole and trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, graduated in style with a 9 ¾-length maiden special weight triumph Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Favored at 3-2 in a field of nine 3-year-olds under jockey Emisael Jaramillo, Vibe ($5) covered one mile over a fast main track in 1:38.45. By Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Nonna Mia, Vibe was a well-beaten fourth in debut going six furlongs March 15 at Gulfstream.

“We felt like in his debut he got swept off his feet a little bit sprinting, so we wanted to stretch him out. We also worked him back in blinkers and it seemed to work really well,” Pletcher said. “I think the combination of the stretch-out, the experience and adding the blinkers made for a much-improved performance today.”

Vibe raced in the clear in second pressing 25-1 longshot Mahovlich through fractions of 23.92 and 46.61 seconds. Jaramillo and Vibe took over the top spot after going six furlongs in 1:12.44 and separated from his rivals down the lane despite not switching leads until approaching the wire.

“[He showed] good tactical speed, put himself in a good spot and kept going down the lane and opened up,” Pletcher said. “Emisael said he was kind of taking it all in and looking around. He’s still learning.”

Repole Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, CJ Stables, Woodford Racing, Lane’s End Racing and Patrick McGee’s Vibe is a half-brother to 2016 Wood Memorial (G1) winner Outwork, owned by Repole and trained by Pletcher, who also campaigned the Grade 1-placed Nonna Mia.

“High expectations. He’s a beautiful horse, well-bred,” Pletcher said. “He’s from one of Mike Repole’s strong families. It’s kind of cool to have offspring of some of the ones you’ve trained, and it’s a lot of fun for Mike when his homebreds do well.”

Easter Sunday Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $150,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $150,000 for a special 11-race Easter Sunday program at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the third racing day following a mandatory payout.

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, kicked off by a five-furlong maiden special weight dash for 3-year-olds on turf. George Weaver-trained Surf’s Up, a son of Maclean’s Music who ran third in an off-the-turf sprint in his only start last year, returns to action for his 2025 debut with Lasix and blinkers. Emisael Jaramillo has the call on the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a field of eight. Lisa Lewis-trained Deep Dusk, a son of Caravaggio who was unprepared for the start of his Jan. 25 debut, cuts back from a mile for his second start. Joe Catanese-trained Mr. Binks, who just missed following a race-long duel last time out, should benefit from an outside post.

In Race 7, Blueberry Hill, a beaten odds-on favorite on the stretch-out around two turns, returns to the seven-furlong distance over which he scored a dominating debut victory in his previous start for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The daughter of Munnings is favored on the morning-line at 9-5 in a field of seven 3-year-old fillies assembled for the entry-level optional claiming allowance.

A full field of 12 fillies and mares are scheduled to clash in Race 8, a five-furlong first-level optional claiming allowance on turf that has the look of a popular ‘spread’ leg.

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.

Notes: Royal Palm Meet leading jockey Edgard Zayas registered a hat trick Saturday with Rumours Have It ($7.40) in Race 4, Antiquarian ($3.40) in Race 10 and Candytown ($4.80) in Race 11 … Emisael Jaramillo doubled aboard Vibe ($5.20) in Race 6 and Moment’s Notice ($4.20) in Race 8 … Vibe, Antiquarian and Candytown are all trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

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