Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $300,000
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Monarch Stables Inc.’s Last Leaf, who captured the Hollywood Beach Stakes of turf in her most recent start, will make her debut over Gulfstream’s Tapeta racing surface in Sunday’s featured Race 7 optional claiming allowance.
The 5 ½-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies will be highlighted in the Rainbow 6 sequence, which will span Races 4-9. The jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $300,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the 11th racing day following a $461,035.47 jackpot payoff Oct. 9.
Last Leaf has an experience edge over her five rivals, having won three of six starts while demonstrating the versatility to win on both dirt and turf. The daughter of Not This Time, who broke her maiden on a fast main track in her second career start, will seek her third straight victory Sunday. She ran away with a six-furlong optional claiming allowance by 10 ¾ lengths over a sealed sloppy track Sept. 4 before scoring a narrow victory in the five-furlong Hollywood Beach on turf three weeks later.
“I asked for this race,” Spatz said. “It will be fun to find out if she can win on four different surfaces. She’s won on dirt, a sloppy track and turf.”
Miguel Vasquez has the return mount.
“She’s a nice little filly. She’s got little feet; she’s blocky; and she runs hard,” Spatz said. “She’s a good little sprinter.”
Trainer Michael Stidham, who will maintain a division at Gulfstream for the first time during the Championship Meet, will be represented by Godolphin’s Kit Keller, who is coming off a debut victory in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on turf at Laurel Sept. 9.
Edgard Zayas has the call on the homebred daughter of Ghostzapper.
Sister Lou Ann Dazzles in Gulfstream Maiden Score
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Sister Lou Ann graduated in style Saturday at Gulfstream, scoring an impressive 7 ¾-length victory in her second career start. The homebred 2-year-old daughter of Frosted, who finished second after setting the pace in her debut in an off-the-turf race, was in full control under Edgard Zayas in the maiden special weight race on the Tapeta surface.
“She trained like a good filly before she ran. I ran her on off-the-turf the first time. I thought she trained well enough on dirt to at least give it a try. She got beat that day. As good as she trained, I was a little bit disappoint that she got beat,” Joseph said. “I think after today, I think her preference may be Tapeta or turf. Today, she won like how she trained.”
Sister Lou Ann ran a mile and 70 yards in 1:43.83, the fastest clocking at the distance on the all-weather surface thus far before Lemieux won the $60,000 Brethren Juvenile Fillies three races later on Saturday’s card.
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Gulfstream Park Press Release
Photo: Last Leaf ( Ryan Thompson)
