Mandatory Payout of Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Sunday, Spans Races 5-10
• Steal Sunshine Blazes Through Saturday Work for Dubai Trip
• Stall Applications Due March 21 for Spring-Summer Meet
• Jockey Junior Alvarado Enjoys Four-Win Afternoon Saturday
Gulfstream Today
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Two maiden special weight events, one each on dirt and turf, and the 11th running of the $115,000 Any Limit for 3-year-old fillies highlight a 20-cent Rainbow 6 sequence that will offer a mandatory payout Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
Post time for the first of 10 races is 12:50 p.m.
Solved Thursday for a $298,604.24 payout, the Rainbow 6 pool is estimated to reach $1 million. The sequence opens in Race 5, a six-furlong main track sprint for 3-year-old filly maidens that drew a field of eight, five of which brought six figures at auction including offspring of Gun Runner, Nyquist, Union Rags and More Than Ready. In the Stars, a $300,000 daughter of Into Mischief, returns after finishing ninth in her debut last fall at Churchill Downs, one of two horses to have raced previously.
.@Brian_J_Nadeau and @samanthagperry preview Sunday's Mandatory Payout Rainbow Pick6 sequence with an estimated $1,000,000 pool! #GulfstreamPark #ChampionshipMeet
— Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) March 15, 2025
https://t.co/awXJC0VQPF pic.twitter.com/y2smxMgpUm
Race 6 is a claiming event for 4-year-olds and up scheduled for one mile on the grass. Ocean Atlantique, a stakes winner of $561,635 in purse earnings, races first off a $35,000 claim for trainer Mike Maker, beaten a neck going 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream turf Feb. 14. Victory Dash and O Captain each exit a win at the course and distance, the latter taken out of his race for $25,000 by trainer Carlos Narvaez.
Eleven 3-year-old maidens will line up in Race 7, a 1 1/16-mile claiming event on the all-weather Tapeta course. Ayman drops in class, stretches out and adds blinkers off a $17,500 claim by Narvaez after running second in a 5 ½-furlong sprint Jan. 24. Trainer Jose D’Angelo sends out the pair of first-time starter Big Bob and Skull Honor, second or third in four of seven starts, and Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. counters with the duo of Aussie Bound, going turf to Tapeta, and Maktub, unraced since late November.
Older claiming horses are scheduled to go a mile on the turf in Race 8, where Smart Spending chases a third straight win after back-to-back scores on the Tapeta. Floribunda, unraced since mid-October, returns looking for a fourth consecutive victory, a streak that started with a one-mile turf win last March at Gulfstream.
Sunday’s feature comes in Race 9, the Any Limit sprinting six furlongs on the main track. Rojo Rita, a 16 ¼-length debut winner at the course and distance Nov. 15, looks to rebound off a troubled run in the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G3). She is one of three Joseph-trained starters along with 2024 Florida Sire Desert Vixen winner R Morning Brew and last-out maiden winner Luvumorgan. Magnolia Prime captured her Feb. 9 unveiling in front-running fashion.
The Rainbow 6 wraps up in Race 10, a maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for five furlongs on the grass. Snitch Dorada, a distant second to Rojo Rita in her lone start; Mae Town, beaten a half-length when rallying for third in a similar spot Feb. 15; My Anticipation, second in each of her races, one apiece on turf and Tapeta; and first-time starters Majustify, Blue Moon Tide, Timeless Wonder and Emoji are among the overflow field of 13.
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.
However, on mandatory payout days the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence. This will be the fifth mandatory payout of the 2024-2025 Championship Meet dating back to Jan. 5.
There will also be a carryover of $11,110.19 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 10).
Steal Sunshine Blazes Through Saturday Work for Dubai Trip
Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, Carrie Brogden, Kevin Pollard, Ed Gorry and David Menard’s Grade 2 winner Steal Sunshine blazed through a half-mile work Saturday at Gulfstream Park ahead of his next scheduled start in the $1 million Godolphin Mile (G2) April 2 at Meydan Racecourse.
STEAL SUNSHINE possible for the G2 Godolphin Mile off his 2nd in the G2 Gulfstream Park Mile to Mindframe. Bred and co-owned by @MachmerHall, he also won that race last year and would be a serious player @RacingDubai on April 5. #DWC25 (Gulfstream Park) pic.twitter.com/R1KjogYy5z
— Michael Adolphson (@AdolphsonRacing) March 8, 2025
Regular rider and breeze partner Paco Lopez was up for the move, which went in 46.84 seconds over the main track – fastest of 111 horses at the distance. It was Steal Sunshine’s first work since finishing second to Mindframe after a troubled trip in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) March 1.
“He doesn’t usually work like that, and Paco doesn’t work like that, but he’s doing really good,” Dibona said. “It was a little uncharacteristic. I figured he’d go in 49 [seconds] this morning, but it’s all good. Paco loves him, he’s doing great and we’re ready.”
Steal Sunshine has been third or better in 17 of 26 career starts with seven wins and $700,430 in purse earnings. Twenty of his races have come at Gulfstream, and Lopez has been aboard in eight of 10 since last January including a win in the Gulfstream Park Mile and seconds in the Ghostzapper (G3) and Fred Hooper (G3) last winter.
Lopez will be in Dubai to ride Steal Sunshine in the Godolphin Mile. The 6-year-old son of Constitution is set to leave South Florida March 22, with Dibona making the trip March 31.
Among the other horses invited to the Godolphin Mile is speed-loving Grade 1 winner Book’em Danno, who beat two rivals to win the Boston Handicap Friday at Colonial Downs with Lopez aboard.
“It would be big for my career,” Dibona said of a win in Dubai. “I love my colt. I know we need an honest pace to come at. We’ve got a long stretch and I think you’re going to see an honest pace.”
Stall Applications Due March 21 for Spring-Summer Meet
Stall applications are due Friday, March 21 for Gulfstream Park’s 2025 spring-summer meet which begins Thursday, April 3.
To apply for stalls, visit https://www.gulfstreampark.com/racing-office/#downloads
Who’s Hot ~ ~ ~
Jockey Junior Alvarado enjoyed a four-win day Saturday, scoring with Tiger Twenty Four ($3.60) in Race 1, Absolutely Hot ($4.20) in Race 3, Lawler ($4.20) in Race 5 and Solidaria ($3.60) in Race 6 …
Tyler Gaffalione registered a hat trick with Miss San Gabriel ($8.60) in Race 2, Rolando ($4.40) in the $115,000 Hutcheson and Chill the J ($8.20) in Race 12 …
Hall of Famer Joel Rosario doubled aboard Epona’s Hope ($6.80) in the $115,000 Captiva Island and Pleasant Embrace ($3.40) in Race 11 …
Both Movin’ On Up ($8.40) in Race 10 and Chill the J are trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.
