Video: Nicoletti, Perry Handicap the Rainbow 6
Van Dyke Guides Bluefield to Victory in $100,000 Musical Romance
Sibelius Tops Field of 8 Entered for Saturday’s Smile Sprint
First Training Victory for Edisley Soler
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be held Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the fourth consecutive racing day following last Saturday’s mandatory payout.
There will be a carryover jackpot pool of $58,471.73, heading into Sunday’s nine-race program on which the Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9.
Gulfstream hosts and analysts Ron Nicoletti and Samantha Perry handicap Sunday’s 20-cent Rainbow 6.
Video: Click here to view
The Rainbow 6 will be kicked off by a mile $35,000 maiden claiming race for 3-year-olds and up in which all but one of the seven entrants will be dropping from maiden special weight company. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Blast Radius, who came up short in his recent return from a five-month layoff, has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in a very challenging racing.
Nine 2-year-olds will converge in Race 5, a five-furlong maiden special weight event. Lou, an Arindel homebred finished second in his two career starts, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Arindel will also be represented by Oleg, a debuting some of Brethren. I’mbiggerthanilook returns from a heavily backed second-place finish in his debut. Antonio Sano-trained Strengthnguidance moves to the outside post after turning in a creditable effort after breaking from the often-tricky rail post position in his debut.
A well-balanced mile-and-70-yard optional claiming allowance on Tapeta for 3-year-olds and up awaits Rainbow 6 bettors in Race 6. Joseph is represented by a pair of entrants in a seven-horse field – Caspian Sea, who is seeking his third straight win while facing better, and Shankar, who will be making his first start off the claim. Steady-running Globes is rated as the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
A field of 11 fillies and mares has been assembled for Race 7, a six-furlong $12,500 maiden claimer. Red hot trainer Victor Barboza Jr. will send out Sand Wedge, the 2-1 morning-line favorite who finished second last time out. Verina will race without blinkers for her first start for Barboza in a race that many bettors will regard as a ‘spread’ leg.
David Fawkes-trained Rum Saint Esprit, Rohan Crichton-trained Rolling On and Jose D’Angelo-trained Embrace the Dream figure to engage in a dogfight in Race 8, a 5 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance on Tapeta for Florida-bred 3-year-olds and up.
The Rainbow 6 sequence will be closed out in Race 0, a 1 1/16-mile bottom claimers for 3-year-olds on Tapeta that may be the most popular ‘spread’ race of the day.
On mandatory-payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence. The carryover jackpot is usually 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 usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
Van Dyke Guides Bluefield to Victory in $100,000 Musical Romance
Edward Selzer’s Bluefield, the 4-5 favorite in a field of six, rallied in the stretch to claim a 3 ½-length victory in the $100,000 Musical Romance at Gulfstream Park, providing jockey Drayden Van Dyke his third winner on Saturday’s 11-race program.
Van Dyke has now won eight races since switching his tack from Southern California to Gulfstream Park two weeks ago.
“I’m loving it. The biggest thing for me is to get adjusted to the heat, the humidity part of it. I’m used to heat in California, but not the humidity,” Van Dyke said. “Overall, I’m really enjoying myself. There’s so much fun stuff to do outside of the track. Just the vibe around the track is so uplifting and the racing’s good, so I’m happy.”
Van Dyke, who earlier scored aboard Amen and Amen ($16.40) in Race 1 and Private Thoughts ($4.40) in Race 9, settled in third behind dueling pacesetters Mojave Desert and Hihellohowareyou past fractions of 22.45 and 45.51 seconds for the first half mile of the 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares. Turning for home, Van Dyke swung Bluefield off the rail to make a wide sweep to the lead, and the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 8-year-old mare went on to win by a comfortable margin.
“I spoke with Saffie this morning. He told me to ride her with a little bit of finesse and get a good tactical spot and not to be on the lead. That’s where I found myself,” Van Dyke said. “He told me to work my way out if I could. I couldn’t work my out until late, but it worked out really well. She came home with a nice kick.”
Bluefield ran the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.50 to win her 10th career start. Cousin Kristi finished second, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Hihellohowareyou.
First Training Victory for Edisley Soler
Edisley Soler celebrated his first training victory with family and friends when he saddled Millennium Condo ($36.60) to victory in Saturday’s 11th race.
Soler has been around horses most of his life, as has his family, and he just recently took out his license.
“It feels good. My family is here supporting me, supporting everything.,” he said. “This horse raced at Tampa, finished second [in April]. We prepared him. He’s a good horse, with a good heart. We have a couple horses, and a couple of 2-year-olds.
“It’s not for the money, it’s for the glory. We’ve own horses for three years. My mom and dad were trainers, we learned a lot. Now I have my license. I love horses. They’re beautiful.”
Sibelius Tops Field of 8 Entered for Saturday’s Smile Sprint
Grade 1 winner Sibelius is scheduled for a return to action in Saturday’s $120,000 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park. The Jeremiah O’Dwyer-trained 6-year-old gelding tops a field of eight 3-year-olds and up entered Saturday for next Saturday’s six-furlong stakes.
Sibelius, who captured the 2023 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), won the Mr. Prospector (G3) during the Championship Meet before finishing off the board in the March 30 Dubai Golden Shaheen.
Jose D’Angelo-trained Run Classic, who finished seventh in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, will also return in the Smile Sprint. He captured the Gulfstream Park Sprint prior to shipping to Dubai.
Juan Alvarado-trained Octane will bring graded-stakes credentials into the Smile Sprint. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. entered Mish, Swirvin and Comedy Town. Rohan Crichton-trained Legacy Isle and Ron Spatz-trained Loco Abarrio round out the field.
