Lord Eddard Stark. (Lauren King)
Grade 1 UAE President Cup to Rb Malexis
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $275,000
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – John Rowe’s Lord Eddard Stark caught Utah Beach at the finish line to pull off a 60-1 upset victory in the $115,000 H. Allen Jerkens Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
It took all two miles of the turf handicap for 3-year-olds and up for Lord Eddard Stark to edge the 4-5 favorite, but the 6-year-old gelding earned his way into the winner’s circle under a patient ride by Leonel Reyes.
“We’ve been talking about trying to run him a mile and a half or two miles for a while now and we just didn’t have the opportunity,” trainer Joe Orseno said. “When this came up, I said, ‘We’re going to run him in this two-mile race. You might think I’m crazy, but we have to take a shot.’ Until you try it, you never know.”
Lord Eddard Stark settled comfortable in a pack of horse that allowed Prevent to set a lonesome lead while setting a half-mile fractions of 48.70 (seconds) on his way to a mile clocking of 1:40.55. Prevent continued to show the way in the second circuit of the Gulfstream turf before shortening stride on the far turn. Utah Beach engaged the tiring pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch and appeared on his way to a popular victory in the stretch when Lord Eddard Stark launched a late rally to his outside to prevail by a head.
“I wasn’t so concerned with the horse in front. I was pretty happy with the trip we were getting because he was just sitting on the inside covered up like I wanted him, and then he swung him around when he had to,” said Orseno, who saddled Tell Me Some Lies for a 68-1 upset score last Saturday at Gulfstream. “I was happy he got a galloping trip, because in the morning that’s what the horse does all the time. He just gallops them into the ground. The riders always tell me the horse never gets tired. I couldn’t wait to run him this far.”
Lord Eddard Stark ran two miles over a firm course in 3:20.28 to score his fifth victory in 28 starts. Utah Beach finished 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Six Minus.
Utah Beach assumed the role of highweight (122 pounds) following the Saturday morning scratch of The Grey Wizard, the 2-1 morning-line favorite and 126-pound highweight. The Ignacio Correas IV-trained favorite, who had finished third in the 1 ¼-mile Sycamore at Keeneland in his prior start, conceded five pounds to Lord Eddard Stark.
UAE President Cup to Rb Malexis
Rosebrook Farms LLC’s Rb Malexis overcame a wide trip and a game defending champion in two-time Horse of the Year Diamond Gem AA to win the $130,000 UAE President Cup
Rb Malexis, one of four of the nine starters trained by Jerenesto Torrez, covered the 1 1/16 mile in 1:59.63 under jockey Anardis Rodriguez. Diamond Gem AA was a neck behind in second while WMA Smoke Signal, ridden by Luca Panici, finished third.
The UAE President Cup marked the first time in 20 years that an Arabian race was contested in Florida.
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $275,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool is expected to grow to an estimated $275,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the seventh racing day following a Nov. 24 mandatory payout.
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, featuring a five-furlong optional claiming allowance on Tapeta in Race 10. If Not for Luck, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, will seek his fourth victory in five starts. The versatile Carlos Perez-trained 5-year-old has won on dirt, turf and Tapeta during his 10-race career.
A mile maiden special weight race on turf in Race 7 attracted a full field of well-bred 2-year-old fillies, including Mark Casse-trained Smudge, a $525,000 daughter of Quality Road who came up less than a length short of pulling off a debut victory; Chad Brown-train Forward Deployed, an $800,000 daughter of War Front scheduled to make her third start in her Gulfstream debut; Todd Pletcher-trained Tam I Am, a $350,000 daughter of Authentic, who will try two turns after finishing second in turf sprints in his last two, and Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Brisa Velez, a $450,000 daughter of Munnings who is slated to make her debut.
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.
Who’s Hot ~ ~ ~
European jockey David Egan rode back-to-back winners on Saturday’s program, Cool Intentions ($11.40) in Race 9 and Chaplin ($18.20) in Race 10.
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano doubled aboard Personify ($5.60) in Race 2 and English Law ($22) in Race 5.
Edwin Gonzalez, fresh of winning the Sunshine Meet title, rode a pair of winners – Winooski ($13.40) in Race 4 and Mati Gol ($4.80) in Race 6.
