Hammond. (Ryan Thompson)
Canton Seeks to Follow Hammond’s Example in Friday’s Maiden
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $150,000
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – C2 Racing Stable LLC, JRM Stables LLC, Mathis Stables LLC and Ken Reimer’s Hammond, a strapping 2-year-old son of Charlatan, put a recent troubled debut trip behind him and came back to graduate with authority Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained colt, who hopped at the start before finishing fifth in his Aug. 9 debut, didn’t graduate in Sunday’s Race 6, a six-furlong maiden special weight run over a sealed muddy track, without the need to overcome a bit of adversity, however.
“He was a little quirky before the race and he was acting up in the gate, but once he broke out of there, he handled everything professionally,” said jockey Edgard Zayas, who rode the $170,000 Keeneland September sale graduate for the first time Sunday. “I had to check a little bit at the 5 ½, but after that he took the dirt, sat in the pocket and shifted outside. He finished up really nice.”
Sent to post as a prohibitive 2-5 favorite, Hammond broke from the No. 1 post and brushed briefly with his next-door neighbor before advancing along the rail to sit behind pacesetter Wootun. Under a strong hold heading into the stretch, Hammond was shifted to the outside and he powered his way to a 2 ½-length victory. He ran six furlongs in 1:11.54 on the off track. Debuting Wootun held gamely to finish second under Luca Panici, 11 ¼ lengths ahead of troubled third-place finisher Hamdoun.
Joseph-trained Canton, a troubled third at 2-5 favoritism in her Aug. 15 debut, will make a bid to follow her stablemate into the Gulfstream winner’s circle in Friday’s Race 6, a six-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies on the main track.
The daughter of Liam’s Map is a full sister to Basin, the 2019 Hopeful (G1) winner and 2020 Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up, and a half-sister to $1.2 million earner Rise Up. Zayas is scheduled to ride Canton for the first time Friday.
Friday’s Race 6 will be featured in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 sequence that will span Races 4-9. Antonio Sano-trained Miss T Bobo, a daughter of Quality Road who was purchased for $260,000 at the 2024 Keeneland January sale, is scheduled to make her debut while going up against Canton.
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool at Gulfstream Park is expected to grow to an estimated $150,000 Friday after going unsolved Sunday for the six racing day following a mandatory payout.
The Rainbow 6 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-payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence.
