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Behold the King. (Lauren King)
Jackpot Pool Expected to Grow to Estimated $1 Million
> Behold the King Lives Up to 4-5 Favoritism in Armed Forces
> Souper Forces Stays Unbeaten with Showing Up Upset
Jockey Micah Husbands Rides Four Winners Saturday
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is set for Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the eighth racing day following an Oct. 12 mandatory payout.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot pool, which begins with a carryover of $111,271.38 from Saturday, is expected to grow to an estimated $1 million.
The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, headlined by the $70,000 Empire Builder overnight handicap, a mile turf race for 3-year-old and up, in Race 10.
The sequence will be kicked off by a 1 1/16-mile $25,000 claiming race on turf in Race 6. Dime Papi is scheduled to make his first start off the claim by trainer Carlos David, who has impressive stats with off-the-claim starters. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Corta Fuego, who was beaten by less than a length as favorite at Sunday’s level, and Murabeh, a winner for $25,000 prior to three on-the-board finishes in starter allowances, are also prominent in the field of 11.
A 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies follows in Race 7. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by first-time starter Zany, a daughter of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah who was purchased by Repole Stable for $350,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton August sale. Jose D’Angelo-trained Curly Sue returns following a second-place finish in her debut at seven furlongs, in which she set the early pace. Stablemate Sovereign Gold, who finished third behind Curly Sue in her debut, also returns. Joseph-trained Once and Floral, a daughter of McKinsie, debuts following a steady series of breezes at Palm Meadows.
World Traveler, beaten by a length last time out, figures to benefit from picking up Edgard Zayas for Sunday’s Race 8, a 1 1/16-mile $20,000 claimer for fillies and mares on turf. Drum Roll and Lady Emily Kathryn will make their first starts for successful off-the-claim trainers.
Dan Hurtak-trained Lou the Body, who came up just short of victory following an extremely wide trip last time out, is the 9-5 morning line favorite in a field of seven assembled for Race 9, a 6 ½-furlong starter allowance. Uranium, a veteran gelding who has nine wins and 12 places in 43 career starts, makes his first start for solid off-the-claim trainer Amador Sanchez.
The Empire Builder, which drew a balanced field of 12, may very well be identified as a ‘spread’ race for many Rainbow 6 bettors. Joseph-trained Divin Propos, a multiple graded stakes-placed gelding, will carry highweight of 124 pounds, between two and eight pounds more than his rivals. Divin Propos will race without blinkers for the first time following a seventh-place finish in the Turf Cup (G2) at Kentucky Downs Sept. 6.
The Rainbow 6 sequence will be closed out by a mile-and-70-yard $12,500 maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up on Tapeta. Joseph-trained Abuelo, who drops from a pair of even maiden special weight efforts on turf at Kentucky Downs, may prove to be a popular ‘single’ with Rainbow 6 bettors.
Behold the King Lives Up to 4-5 Favoritism in Armed Forces
BG Stables’ Behold the King made a winning stakes debut in Saturday’s $75,000 Armed Forces at Gulfstream Park, living up to the expectations of the betting public that sent him to post in the mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds as the 4-5 favorite.
Trainer by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the son of Not This Time closely stalked a moderate pace set by Skipping Stars, who showed the way for a half-mile in 47.75 seconds while pressed by 7-5 second choice Teleport. Behold the King made a three-wide move entering the stretch under Edwin Gonzalez and continued on to win by a half length.
“I didn’t have too many instructions. They said if he passes a little bit early he starts waiting on horses. So I was patient with him and when he picked it up he kept going,” Gonzalez said. “I had a really perfect trip inside and at the quarter pole I had to take him outside. It worked out perfect.”
Skipping Stars held second, a half length ahead of late-closing My Rich Uncle.
Behold the King, who finished no worse than second in his first four starts, was coming off a narrow maiden special weight victory at Aqueduct.
Souper Forces Stays Unbeaten with Showing Up Upset
Live Oak Plantation’s 3-year-old homebred gelding Souper Forces swept past leader Layabout in mid-stretch and edged clear to keep his perfect record intact with an 18-1 upset victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Showing Up.
Ridden by Cipriano Gil for trainer Michael Trombetta, Souper Forces ($38.60) completed 1 1/16 miles over a firm turf course in 1:38.37 to capture his stakes debut and improve to 3-0 this year after going unraced as a juvenile.
Breaking from the rail post, X Y Prime took the field of 11 through an opening quarter-mile in 22.59 seconds and was still in front after a half in 45.43, pressed all the way to his outside by Assertiveness with Layabout settled in the clear in third. Layabout passed X Y Prime approaching the stretch and straightened for home with a clear lead until Souper Forces came flying on the far outside to reel in the front-runner.
Layabout held second, with Win With Faith third, narrow 3-1 favorite Candytown fourth and late-running Versus fifth.
Bred in Florida, Souper Forces is a bay son of Laoban that debuted with a six-furlong maiden triumph over older horses on the all-weather surface at Presque Isle Downs Aug. 5. From there, he stretched out to a mile and captured an open allowance by 1 ¾ lengths Sept. 3 on the Colonial Downs turf.
Notes …
Jockey Micah Husbands and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. teamed up for three winners Saturday – La Cantera ($3.40) in Race 1, Bull by the Horns ($4.80) in Race 5 and Solitude Dude ($9) in Race 7. Husbands added a fourth winner with Bella Jak ($12.80) in Race 2 …
Jockey Rajiv Maragh doubled aboard Game Energy ($7.60) in Race 4 and One of One ($3.60) in Race 8, moving him within six of 2,000 career wins.
