Gulfstream Today 2.8.23: Leonel Reyes Continues to Be Longshot Players’ Favorite

By David Joseph —-

Gulfstream Today

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Jockey Leonel Reyes started off the day at Gulfstream Park seventh in the Championship Meet standings with 14 winners but a runaway leader in the average-win-payoff category.

Reyes’ 14 winners had produced a gaudy $28.50 average win payoff.

The 36-year-old Venezuela native ended his day with an even higher average-win payoff stat after guiding 33-1 longshot Pachanga Loca ($68) to a front-running romp in Race 7 on Wednesday’s program.

“It’s been great having so many longshot winners, but I don’t think about if the horse is a favorite or a longshot. When they open the gate, I think that all the horses I ride have a good chance,” said Reyes after riding his 640 U.S. winner.

The softspoken, low-key rider, who ventured from Venezuela in 2016, is coming off a career year in 2022, during which he rode 168 winners and finished second in the standings at Colonial Downs as well as second in both Royal Palm and Sunshine Meets at Gulfstream.

“Every day, every week, every month, every year is getting better and better,” said Reyes, a two-time national champion in Venezuela, where he rode more than 1400 winners. “I thank my family and my agent [Jose Sanchez].”

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $350,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $350,000 Thursday at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Wednesday for the sixth racing day following a mandatory payout of an $828,941.81 carryover pool that generated a Rainbow 6 handle of $6,265,823.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is 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.

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, including a maiden special weight race for 3-year-old Florida-breds in Race 6. Bell Racing Inc.’s Free Smoke is scheduled to make his debut. The Carlos David trainee is a son of Bucchero, who proved himself as one of Thoroughbred racing’s premier first-crop sires off 2022. Luis Saez has the call on the 9-5 morning-line favorite.

A mile optional claiming starter allowance on turf anchors the sequence in Race 9. Joe Orseno-trained Lamplighter Jack, who has been a force on Gulfstream’s Tapeta course, tops a field of 11 older horses assembled for the mile turf race.

Who’s Hot: Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano doubled on Wednesday’s card on Proverb ($7) in Race 4 and Souper Energizer ($13.20) in Race 8.

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