Program Includes Meet’s First Juvenile Turf Contest
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool guarantee approaching $1 million and the first juvenile turf race of the spring-summer meet are among the highlights as live racing returns to Gulfstream Park Thursday, May 21.
The Rainbow 6 will have its jackpot pool guaranteed at $900,000 for Thursday’s 10-race program, which begins with a first post of 12:45 p.m. The popular multi-race wager has not been solved in five racing days since a mandatory payout of $31,476.56 May 9.
The carryover jackpot 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 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 spans Races 5-11 and includes three races scheduled for the grass which attracted 43 entries, an average of 14.3 horses per race.
The feature comes in Race 9, a $48,000 optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up sprinting 6 ½ furlongs. Admiral Lynch, beaten a neck when third in the 2019 Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico and second by three-quarters of a length after setting the pace last out in the World of Trouble Sprint (G3) Feb. 22 at Gulfstream, is the narrow 3-1 program favorite.
Also prominent in the field of eight holder horses are Wentz, twice stakes-placed in Maryland as a 3-year-old who ran fifth in the Tom Fool (G3) March 7 in his first start in nearly 10 months; Mucho, second in the 2018 Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga and trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, eight wins shy of 5,000 for his career; Jaguar Poz, a 10-time career winner unraced since earning his first stakes victory in the Leematt for Pennsylvania-breds last July at Presque Isle Downs; Extraordinary Jerry, debuting for trainer Dermot Magner in his first race following his FSS Wildcat Heir triumph Sept. 28 at Gulfstream; and stakes winner Fast Pass, seeking his 12th win in his 43rd career start.
Thursday’s Race 2 is a $65,000 maiden special weight scheduled for five furlongs on grass which attracted a group of nine 2-year-old fillies including Lime, the 7-5 program favorite entered for main track only. Her Wesley Ward-trained stablemate, CJ Thoroughbreds’ Flying Aletha is next on the morning line at 9-5 for her debut, coming 10 months after the bay daughter of Tiznow fetched $175,000 as a yearling.
Tiznow is also represented by Three Chimneys Farm’s homebred Royal Approval, also trained by Ward, while Hall of Fame-elect Mark Casse – honored with his 12th Sovereign Award as Canada’s leading trainer on Tuesday – unveils Irish-bred War Front filly Great Warrior and Baby Mo, by Upstart, both for Gary Barber. Whister Dixie, owned and trained by Tim Hamm, is by freshman sire Vancouver, an Australian Group 1-winning millionaire whose first Northern Hemisphere starter, Rock With Robin, was sixth going 4 ½ furlongs on the main track May 14 at Gulfstream.
In that race, where Rock With Robin was disqualified from fifth for interference, the easy 4 ¾-length winner was the Into Mischief filly Dayoutoftheoffice for Hamm, who races as Blazing Meadow Farm.
Jockey Edgar Prado has two mounts, Beau Trace in Race 3 and Shikaka in Race 8, as he looks to break his deadlock with retired fellow Hall of Famer Angel Cordero Jr. at 7,057 career wins.
Press Release
Photo: Lexitonian sneaks up from the middle of the pack to beat Gladiator King and Admiral Lynch (outside) at the wire and win the 2019 Chick Lang Stakes. (NBC Sports)
