Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $300,000; Saez, Irad Ortiz Jr. Enjoy 3-Win Days
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ Grand Ave Girl made a successful transition from Tapeta to turf in Sunday’s featured optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park, where the 4-year-old daughter of Runhappy defeated a quality field of fillies and mare.
Grand Ave Girl, who was coming off a second-place finish in the Jan. 28 Andromeda Handicap on Tapeta, stalked pacesetter Undisturbed around the first turn and along the backstretch before asserting herself on the turn into the stretch. The Kentucky-bred filly moved to a clear lead in the stretch under Emisael Jaramillo and held off the late charge of Market Rumor by a neck, completing the mile over a firm turf in 1:35.80.
“[e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’] Bob [Edwards] and I talked about turf a couple of different times but we dragged our feet because she was running so well on Tapeta,” trainer David Fawkes said. “I’m really glad it stayed on the turf. I figured if it stayed on the turf and it was dry, she’d have a chance to win.”
Grand Ave Girl ($24.80) made two starts on dirt for trainer Chad Brown last year before being transferred to Fawkes’ stable. After finishing third in a six-furlong dirt sprint, she had raced on Gulfstream’s all-weather surface for her next four starts, collecting two wins to go along with a third-place finish and her runner-up finish in the Andromeda.
“The good thing about her is she’ll run on anything,” Fawkes said. “It’s going to be a fun summer.
Ian Wilkes-trained Market Rumor edged stablemate Undisturbed by a neck for second. Multiple graded-stakes-placed New York Girl, the 9-5 favorite, was slow away from the gate and made a mild rally for fourth.
Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $300,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $300,000 Wednesday at Gulfstream Park after going unsolved Sunday for the fifth racing day in a row since the jackpot for a $342,836.75 payoff.
Wednesday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 3-8, including a Race 5 maiden special weight race featuring a debuting full sister to Constitution, the 2014 Florida Derby (G1) winner. Whisper Hill Farm’s homebred I’m Baffled, a daughter of Tapit-Baffled, is scheduled to clash with seven other 3-year-old fillies in the one-turn mile. The Ralph Nicks-trained filly was purchased for $1.1 million at the 2020 Keeneland September sale.
Danny Gargan-trained Missy Greer, a half-sister to Gronkowski, will seek to graduate Wednesday in her fourth start. After racing twice on turf, the daughter of Nyquist-Four Sugars finished a late-fading third on a muddy track Feb. 13. Gronkowski finished second in the 2018 Belmont and second in the 2019 Dubai World Cup.
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.
Who’s Hot: Luis Saez, who rode four winners on Saturday’s program, added another three wins to his Championship Meet-leading total Sunday. He rode back-to-back winners, Golden Indy ($3) in Race 1 and Where’s Joey ($4.20) in Race 2, before scoring aboard Poseidon’s Son ($3.40) in Race 4.
Irad Ortiz Jr., who also had a three-win day Saturday, also tripled Sunday aboard Chanceux in Race 3, Absolute Grit ($6.80) in Race 9 and Sumting Right ($7.20) in Race 10.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had a pair of wins with Chanceux ($4.80) in Race 3 and Six Minus ($18.60) in Race 5.
Gulfstream Park Press Release
Photo of Grand Ave Girl by Lauren King
