Gulfstream: Elliott Visits Winner’s Circle Twice in Day Trip to Gulfstream

By David Joseph —-

Elliott Visits Winner’s Circle Twice in Day Trip to Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Christopher Elliott made the best of a day trip to Gulfstream Park, where the up-and-coming apprentice jockey visited the winner’s circle twice from four mounts on Thursday’s nine-race program.

The 19-year-old son of Stewart Elliott, who rode Smarty Jones for victories in the 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1), won aboard Special Act ($12.40) for trainer Kathleen O’Connell in Race 5, a 6 ½-furlong maiden test for fillies and mares; and Amador Sanchez-trained Solomons Gold ($4.60) in Race 7, a bottom-level claiming race for older horses.

Elliott is currently the leading apprentice at Aqueduct.

“I’ve been based at Aqueduct, at the NYRA meet. I rode there all winter. They weren’t running today, so I decided to come down here. I had a couple opportunities, and it worked out great,” Elliott said.

Elliott began his career last year at Lone Star Park, where his father is currently riding, and went on to enjoy success at Monmouth Park and Parx before moving on to Aqueduct.

One Special Act chased favored pacesetter Shancelicious into the stretch, where Elliott deftly shifted his mount to the inside of the tiring pacesetter to prevail by a half-length. Solomons Gold registered a dominating front-running score.

Elliott, who is represented by Jose Santos Jr., has ridden 63 winners this year and is in the hunt for the Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice. He is scheduled to make another visit to Gulfstream next week.

Earlier on Thursday’s program, Tululo ($29) made an eye-catching debut in Race 2, a five-furlong maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies on turf. The Amaty Racing Stables’ homebred daughter of Girvin made a nine-wide sweep into the stretch from far back in the 11-horse field, to catch 4-5 favorite Emerald Ember by a nose under Emisael Jaramillo. Amador Sanchez saddled Tululo, who had breezed on turf at Palm Meadows in preparation for her debut. The debuting Emerald Ember, a daughter of Leinster who had also breezed on turf before firing a bullet on dirt at Palm Meadows, is trained by Patrick Biancone, who saddled Lennilu for a victory in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and Squire for a runner-up finish in the Royal Palm Juvenile, both offspring of very promising first-crop sire Leinster.

Mandatory 20-cent Rainbow 6 Payout Set for Sunday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved at Gulfstream Park Thursday on the first racing day following Sunday’s jackpot hit for $185,237.30.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated at $75,000.

The sequence for the popular multi-race wager Friday will span Races 4-9, featuring Gustavo Delgado-trained Easy Answer’s return to action in Race 6 following an impressive debut victory. The 3-year-old gelded son of Dak Attack stalked the pace before drawing away to a 6 ½-length victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight race for Florida-breds April 20. Easy Answer is rated second at 3-1 on the morning line for the six-furlong entry-level optional claiming allowance for state-breds. A considerably more experienced Latch the Hatch, who is coming off a solid second-place finish is his sixth start while wearing blinkers for the first time, is favored at 8-5 on the morning line in a field of eight.

A mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is scheduled for Sunday. Should the popular multi-race wager go unsolved until Sunday, the jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $750,000.

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 days, the entire jackpot pool will be disbursed to the bettor or bettors with tickets including the most winners.

Earlier on Friday’s program, a five-furlong maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds on turf is carded as Race 2. Jose D’Angelo-trained Monster, the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of nine, is slated to make his debut on turf in his third start. The son of Leinster finished a troubled fourth in his April 7 debut at Keeneland before fading to sixth after prompting the pace in the May 1 Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs. Arindel’s Monster breezed three-furlongs on turf at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. in a ‘bullet’ 33 seconds.

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