Prevent. (Nicole Thomas)
Implementation Checks One Off Bucket List in Smile Sprint
4YO Completes Stakes Sweep for Jockey Edgard Zayas; Apprentice Yolber Torres Registers Saturday Hat Trick
Saturday’s Late Pick 5 Attracts $689,458 in New Money; Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $100,000
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Jockey Edgard Zayas put the finishing touches on a three-win Saturday at Gulfstream Park by guiding BC Racing’s Prevent to a front-running victory in the $75,000 Soldier’s Dancer and give the Royal Palm Meet’s leading rider a sweep of the afternoon stakes.
Racing with blinkers following an 11th place finish in the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida (G2) March 1 on the Gulfstream turf, Prevent ($14.40) completed one mile and 70 yards on the all-weather Tapeta course in 1:39.31 to register his fifth career win. It came four races after Zayas rallied Implementation to the wire first in the $75,000 Smile Sprint.
“It’s been a great day,” said Zayas, who tops all Gulfstream riders with 74 wins. “I’ve been getting on some good horses and getting pretty good support from all the trainers and owners. It’s been really good.”
Prevent broke alertly from Post 5 in a field of eight and went the opening quarter-mile in 23.63 seconds, given closest chase by turf stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Tocayo in second with Spy Novel saving ground in third inside 24-1 long shot I Know I Know. The half went in 46.58 with no change in the top two and Prevent straightened for home with a lead he held through the lane despite getting leg weary late.
“He was drifting out a little bit late but he’s the type of horse if you start fighting with him, he gets to messing around,” Zayas said. “He drifted out but there was no one to the outside and he was running pretty well so I let him go.
“I feel like he’s a really tough horse to deal with and he can get a little rank,” he added. “There was some speed in the race so I was trying to let him go and see if he could settle a little bit, but he didn’t. He just took the lead and just kind of let him run and do his thing and he held on.”
Kalik, sent off at 17-1, emerged from a tight pack in second, with I Know I Know third, 3-2 favorite Just a Photo fourth and Tocayo fifth. Grand Mo the First, the 9-5 program favorite, was scratched.
Implementation Checks One Off Bucket List in Smile Sprint
Ken Ramsey’s Implementation brought an impressive resume into Saturday’s $75,000 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park, having established himself as a multiple graded stakes-placed stakes winner who has won on turf, dirt and all-weather surfaces.
Yet, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was asking the 6-year-old gelding to do something he has never done before in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up – win a six-furlong race.
Implementation, who had only run twice at six furlongs on dirt in his 25 previous races, checked another career achievement of his bucket list with a thoroughly professional two-length victory under Edgard Zayas. Over a muddy, sealed track.
“That was actually my only worry,” Zayas said. “He had a couple months off, and he was nice and fresh. I think that was why he broke so sharp. It worked out good.”
Implementation, a drop-back, late-running son of Constitution, broke cleanly from his rail post position and advanced along the rail to track front-running Air Combat, who set fractions of 22.30 and 44.60 seconds for the first half-mile. Zayas eased his veteran mount off the rail entering the stretch, and Implementation went on to overtake a tiring Air Combat and easily withstand a rail challenge from El Principito to win with authority.
“The plan was to let him break out of there and let him get into his own comfortable stride. I didn’t expect him to be so close,” Zayas said. “I just let him do his thing. I think he’s a much better horse than this field and he showed it.”
Implementation ($6.40) ran six furlongs in 1:09.95 to prevail over Principito, who was slightly favored at 2-1. Shaq Diesel, who captured the seven-furlong Big Drama by four lengths last time out, closed mildly to finish third, another 1 ½ lengths back.
Implementation ran his career earnings over $590,000 with his eighth career victory.
Saturday’s Late Pick 5 Attracts $689,458 in New Money
The 50-cent Late Pick 5, bolstered by a $78,259.82 carryover from Friday’s program, saw its pool swell to $767,718 and returned $1,145.70 to multiple ticketholders with all five winners Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
A total of $689,458 was bet into the Late Pick 5 which saw Reverend Moon ($8.20) capture the Race 11 finale to complete the winning 4-1-6-5-10 combination. Other winners in the sequence were Boundfortrouble ($7.20) in Race 7, Bird Wildcat ($8.80) in Race 8, Mr. Peeks ($4.40) in Race 9 and Prevent ($14.40) in the $75,000 Soldier’s Dancer.
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated at $100,000 for Sunday’s 10-race program that wraps up Independence Day weekend festivities. First race post time is 12:50 p.m.
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 sequence spans Races 5-10, highlighted by the $70,000 Successful Native overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the all-weather Tapeta course in Race 9. Extendo, six-for-10 lifetime on the synthetic, had a two-race win streak snapped last out when facing Grade 1 company in the June 8 Jaipur at Saratoga.
Stakes winner Sosua Summer races first off a $25,000 claim for trainer Victor Barboza Jr., who connects at 32 percent with the move. Grade 3-placed Biz Biz Buzz, third in the March 8 Silks Run on the Gulfstream turf, chases his first win in four starts since being taken for $62,500 Feb. 28 by trainer Jose D’Angelo.
As part of the holiday weekend, Gulfstream is offering food and drink specials with $3 hot dogs, pretzels and 3 Sons Lite Crispy Draft beer.
Notes … … ….. ……
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse swept Saturday’s early double with Chucky’s Ride ($4.20) in Race 1 and Threedots Andadash ($4.40) in Race 2 …
Threedots Andadash was ridden by seven-pound apprentice Yolber Torres, who also won Race 5 aboard Just a Philly ($8.40) and completed a hat trick with Boundfortrouble ($7.20) in Race 7 …
Miguel Vasquez bookended the card with wins on Chucky’s Ride in Race 1 and Reverend Moon ($8.20) in Race 11.
