Coolmore Fountain of Youth winner Sovereignty. (Coglianese)
• Gulfstream Handicapper Nicoletti Hits Jackpot with $129 Ticket
• Pegasus Hero White Abarrio Enjoys Breeze for G3 Ghostzapper
• Sovereignty ‘In Great Shape’ after G2 Fountain of Youth Win
• Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Earns 997th and 998th Gulfstream Wins
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool yielded multiple payoffs of $1,209.24 Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
The popular multi-race wager had gone unsolved for 10 consecutive racing days since the last mandatory payout of $164,292.76 Feb. 15.
A total of $3,606,081 was wagered into the Rainbow 6 Sunday on top of a $447,538.05 carryover from Saturday’s spectacular Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) program highlighted by Sovereignty’s dramatic victory over previously unbeaten River Thames in Gulfstream’s final prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 29.
Bulldoze ($5), the 3-2 favorite, captured Sunday’s Race 11 finale to complete the winning 6-9-4-1-7-9 combination. Other winners in the sequence were Tiffany’s Gold ($4.40) in Race 6, Bringer of Rain ($10.80) in Race 7, Table Flirt($9.60) in Race 8, Dilger ($4) in Race 9 and Corruption ($16.80) in Race 10.
Gulfstream Park handicapper Ron Nicoletti solved the Rainbow 6 with a $129.60 ticket (2-3-6/4-9-10/2-4/1-2-7/7-8-11-13/5-9-12).
In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot 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 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, however, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.
The Rainbow 6 begins anew when the Championship Meet resumes Wednesday with a nine-race program starting at 12:50 p.m.
Wednesday’s sequence spans Races 4-9. Race 5 is an optional claiming allowance scheduled for 7 ½ furlongs on the grass that drew eight older horses including Grade 3 winner Ice Chocolat and Grade 3-placed Classic Mo Town and Johnny Podres. Older horses will sprint 5 ½ furlongs on the all-weather Tapeta course in Race 8, an optional claiming allowance led by 2024 Bob Umphrey Sprint runner-up Takecareofbusiness and Air Force Cruising, a winner of two straight since being moved to the synthetic.
Pegasus Hero White Abarrio Enjoys Breeze for G3 Ghostzapper
White Abarrio wins the Pegasus World Cup. pic.twitter.com/rcZYRUIezT
— Spa Infield Goose (@SaratogaGoose) January 25, 2025
C2 Racing Stable LLC, King Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Anthony Pagnano’s White Abarrio worked sharply during a half-mile breeze in 47.85 seconds Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park.
The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 6-year-old star was credited with the fifth-fastest of 70 workouts recorded at the distance for his second work since capturing the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 25.
“He had a very good work. We didn’t let him run much. We just wanted him to enjoy it, and he did,” Joseph said.
White Abarrio, who captured the 2023 Curlin Florida Derby (G1), is being pointed to the $165,000 Ghostzapper (G3) on the March 29 Curlin Florida Derby undercard.
Work of the Day from @GulfstreamPark—White Abarrio (Outside), 47.86, and Focusyn, 48.06, worked 4 Furlongs on March 2nd, 2025, for trainer @SaffieJosephJr. pic.twitter.com/uzuT72mBo0
— 1/ST TV (@Watch1ST) March 2, 2025
In addition to saddling The Queens M G for a victory in the $215,000 Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale (G2) Saturday at Gulfstream, Joseph notched his first success in Saturday’s Sandy Lane Gold Cup (G1) in his native Barbados. Averill Racing LLC’s Harrow, who finished fifth in the McKnight (G3) on the Pegasus World Cup undercard, captured the island nation’s most prestigious race.
“Growing up as a kid, that was the race always wanted to win. My brother finally won it, which was kind of rewarding when I was 11 years old. I ran in it only once before I left, but I’ve taken horses back the last couple years. Last year, we got beat by a head by Chad Brown and Coolmore the year before. It was a meaningful race Saturday.”
Joseph earned his 997th and 998th career victories at Gulfstream with 3-year-old filly Luvumorgan ($11.80) in Sunday’s opener and 4-year-old colt Dilger ($4) in Race 9.
Sovereignty ‘In Great Shape’ after G2 Fountain of Youth Win
Godolphin’s Sovereignty, who surged from last to first to capture Saturday’s $415,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park, met his connections’ expectations and then some while emerging as an exciting Triple Crown prospect in the first start of his 3-year-old season.
“We were sort of hoping that was the way the race would pan out,” Godolphin USA’s director of bloodstock Michael Banahan said Sunday. “We didn’t really know if he’d have enough ground to actually catch the horses on the lead with his running style, especially with the way the track seems to play for speed at Gulfstream. We were really just looking for a good run. To actually have as good a run as we had and win the race was fantastic.”
Sovereignty, who was unraced since breaking his maiden in the Oct. 27 Street Sense (G3) at Churchill Downs, picked up 50 qualifying points for the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1) with his neck decision over previously undefeated River Thames. The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth served as a final prep for the 1 1/8-mile $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), which will offer 100 Derby points to the winner March 29 at Gulfstream.
“[The Florida Derby] will certainly be in the mix. It will probably suit him a little bit better with the configuration of the track for the longer distance race, as well,” Banahan said. “It will certainly come into play, for sure. It’s a while away, but it will come up quickly.”
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Sovereignty, who is in a three-way tie for the top spot in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings with 60 points, already locked up a berth in the Run for the Roses with his impressive Fountain of Youth effort.
“We’re hopeful he can stay healthy and well and we can roll on to the next race down the road,” said Banahan, who said the son of Into Mischief ‘looked to be in great shape’ following his eye-opening performance.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday that WinStar Farm LLC and CHC Inc.’s River Thames exited the Fountain of Youth in good order.
The son of Maclean’s Music, the 2-1 second betting choice ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez chased pacesetter Neoequos before taking command in mid-stretch, only to be caught late by Sovereignty.
“We’re happy with the trip he got. I thought Johnny made a good decision when he took him outside of [Neoequos],” Pletcher said Sunday. “The only thing is we felt like late in the race, he kind of lost focus a little bit. He pricked his ears. I don’t know if he was looking at the big screen or footprints on the track or exactly what made him lose focus for a minute, but he ran a really good race.
River Thames was making his stakes debut in the Fountain of Youth after making a winning debut Jan. 11 and coming back to easily win an optional claiming allowance Feb. 1 during the Championship Meet.
“When you put things into perspective, seven weeks ago he was an un-started maiden,” Pletcher said. “He’s come a long way in a short time.”
Pletcher said he and WinStar’s Elliot Walden ‘will play it by ear’ concerning River Thames’ next start.
Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC’s Burnham Square was never a factor as the 9-5 favorite in the Fountain of Youth, in which he raced evenly to finish fourth, a neck behind Neoequos. Trainer Ian Wilkes reported by text that the son of Liam’s Map was ‘good’ Sunday.
Burnham Square was seeking his third straight victory of the Championship Meet, during which he broke his maiden by nine lengths Dec. 28 and captured the Feb. 1 Holy Bull (G3) by 1 ¾ lengths.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Sunday he was pleased with Neoequos’ third-place finish in his first start around two turns in the Fountain of Youth.
“It was a good run. Distance was a question mark going in, and it probably is a question mark, but he did get a really good Beyer. He got a 94 Beyer. Originally, I was going to cut him back, but I might give him one more try. It’s the Florida Derby. It’s home. Why not? I might give him one more try but I want to see how he does the next couple weeks”
Joseph was also pleased with how C2 Racing Stable LLC and Mathis Stable LLC’s The Queens M G exited her 2 ¾-length triumph in Saturday’s $215,000 Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream.
“She bounced out well and all being well she’s going to go to the Gulfstream Oaks,” said Joseph, whose trainee earned 50 qualifying points for the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Should The Queens M G run in the $265,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) on the Curlin Florida Derby undercard, the daughter of Thousand Words would make her first start around two turns.
“Two turns for her I don’t think is a problem. Although she’s won those 4 ½-furlong races and sprints early on, she’s always a filly who, when she works, is very steady. I think that will work to her favor,” Joseph said. “I don’t think distance is a problem for her.”
Who’s Hot ~ ~ ~
Jockey Emisael Jaramillo rode back-to-back winners Sunday, Tiffany Gold ($4.40) in Race 6 and Bringer of Rain ($10.80) in Race 7 …
Tyler Gaffalione also doubled with Rolando ($5.20) in Race 4 and Dilger ($4) in Race 9 …
Dilger and Luvumorgan ($11.80) in Race 1 are trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.
