Sand and Sea (Lauren King)
Wednesday’s Rainbow 6 Pool Estimated at $400,000
Jockey Jorge Ruiz Released from Hospital with Stitches
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – James Karp’s Sand and Sea broke alertly from the gate, set a moderate pace and had plenty in reserve to open up through the stretch and defend her title in Sunday’s $100,000 Key West overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park.
Sand and Sea ($4.80) continued to show her affinity for the all-weather Tapeta course, registering her fourth win from five tries over the Gulfstream surface including the 2023 Orange Blossom overnight handicap.
“It’s a no-brainer. Obviously, we like the handicap program they have here,” winning trainer Riley Mott said. “It’s suited her well and suited our stable well. It’s been fun to have her at Gulfstream.”
Jockey Junior Alvarado was able to relax Sand and Sea on the front end through fractions of 26.61 seconds for the opening quarter-mile tracked by 13-1 longshot Chick’s Shadow and 51.40 for the half, when Lucky Combination took up closest chase. Alvarado got down to business once straightened for home and the 6-year-old mare responded in kind, holding off a late run from Sun Bee to win by 2 ¼ lengths.
“I asked Junior, ‘Did you have any idea you went 26 and 3’ and he said, ‘I thought we were going pretty slow,’” Mott said. “She certainly was out there comfortably with her ears pricked. She likes it out there on the front end, and she finished up well. It looked like [Sun Bee] was finishing up well behind her turning for home and I’m glad we could get the win.”
Sun Bee edged Lucky Combination by a half-length for second. Literate, Chick’s Shadow, Thirty Thou Kelvin and Maryquitecontrary completed the order of finish.
Sand and Sea now owns eight wins from 26 career starts, including the Peony Handicap for Indiana-breds on the turf in August at Horseshoe Indiana. She has run twice in open company stakes this year, finishing sixth in the Keertana on turf at Churchill Downs and eighth in the Ontario Matron (G3) over Woodbine’s all-weather surface.
“Don’t fix what’s not broken,” Mott said. “There’s another handicap on Pegasus Day. She won an Indiana-bred stake on the turf this past summer, but open company stakes it’s tough company. There was a couple OK fillies in here, so it’s something to think about, anyway.”
Wednesday’s Rainbow 6 Pool Estimated at $400,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will have an estimated pool of $400,000 when racing resumes Wednesday at Gulfstream Park.
Wednesday’s New Year’s Day holiday program marks the return of five-day racing for the duration of the 2024-2025 Championship Meet, which runs through March 30.
The Rainbow 6 sequence spans Races 5-10 Wednesday and includes each of the two stakes – the $165,000 Fasig-Tipton Cash Run for 3-year-old fillies going one mile on the main track in Race 8, and $165,000 Dania Beach for 3-year-olds scheduled for one mile on the grass in Race 9.
Paradise City, a debut winner Sept. 6 at Gulfstream, heads the Cash Run after running fourth facing the boys in an optional claiming allowance Dec. 7. Among her six rivals is stablemate Andrea, winner of the one-mile Hallandale Beach Sept. 14 that is 2-0 lifetime at Gulfstream.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will send out the pair of Dream On, third in the Sept. 14 Summer (G1) at Woodbine and most recently fifth after setting the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), and Mi Bago, front-running winner of Gulfstream’s 7 ½-furlong Pulpit Nov. 29.
The Rainbow 6 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.
Jockey Jorge Ruiz Released from Hospital with Stitches
Jockey Jorge Ruiz, released from the Aventura Hospital Saturday night after receiving stitches above his left eye following a Race 1 spill, visited Gulfstream Park Sunday.
Ruiz, a 39-year-old native of Argentina, was hurt after being thrown to the turf course when his mount, 3-year-old filly Roscoe Village, stumbled and fell shortly after the start of Saturday’s opener. Roscoe Village was uninjured.
The track safety siren and lights were activated as Ruiz was being helped off track, causing several riders to pull up and resulting in the race being declared a no contest.
Ruiz ranked in the top 10 in both wins (eight) and purse earnings ($282,235) during the 2024-2025 Championship Meet, which began Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.
Replaced on his four mounts Sunday, Ruiz said he expects to return to riding Wednesday when he is named in five races at Gulfstream.
Who’s Hot ~ ~ ~
Three jockeys registered riding doubles Sunday: Luis Saez on Get Ready to Rock ($8.80) in Race 1 and Decadent ($9.80) in Race 6, Junior Alvarado with Then ($9.40) in Race 3 and Sand and Sea ($4.90) in the $100,000 Key West, and Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard Talbingo ($4.80) in Race 8 and King d’Oro ($3.20) in Race 10.
