Pimlico: Friday’s Rainbow 6 Carryover Approaching $900,000

Unsolved during a special Memorial Day holiday program, when the total pool surpassed the $1 million mark, the 20-cent Rainbow 6 had its Maryland state record carryover jackpot approach $900,000 for the return of live racing Friday at historic Pimlico Race Course.

The Rainbow 6 pool is expected to top $1 million for the second straight racing day, building on a carryover of $895,264.82 from Monday's program. Friday's sequence begins with 2-year-old fillies on the dirt and features full fields in a pair of races scheduled for the grass.

Introduced in Maryland April 2, 2015 on opening day of Pimlico's spring meet, the Rainbow 6 had its previous state record carryover reach $345,898.33 spanning 31 racing programs before being solved by one lucky bettor for a life-changing $399,545.94 payout April 15, 2018 at Laurel Park. The winning ticket was purchased through Maine off-track betting.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Post time for the first of eight races Friday is 12:40 p.m. The Rainbow 6 begins in Race 3, a waiver maiden claimer for juvenile fillies sprinting five furlongs that attracted a field of seven including the Kevin Boniface-trained entry of homebreds Evangeline Allons and Sommer Velvet. Sommer Velvet is one of three horses not in for a tag, along with R. Larry Johnson-bred and owned Clouds of White and Magic in Me, both first-time starters for trainer Mike Trombetta.

Race 4 is a six-furlong starter allowance for 3-year-olds and up led by 7-5 program favorite To the Front, a six-figure earner that has finished in the top three in 14 of 19 career starts but is racing first time for trainer Derrick Goetz. Trainer Anthony Aguirre counters from outside Post 6 with Unequivocal, cutting back after running third by less than a length in a similar spot going 1 1/16 miles May 21 at Pimlico.

Nine horses 3 and up were entered in Race 5, an open, entry-level allowance carded at one mile on the grass. Dig Charlie Dig, trained and co-owned by Jamie Ness, is the 9-5 morning-line favorite from Post 1, looking to break a nine-race winless streak dating back to last fall. The 7-year-old gelding has earned nearly $250,000 in purses from 46 starts with five wins and 14 seconds, four of them coming during the recent drought. He has two seconds and two thirds from nine previous tries on turf. Uncle Andrew is unraced since rallying to be fourth in the 5 ½-furlong Punch Line for Virginia-breds last October at Laurel Park.

Marshall E. Dowell's Speightster Red, an $85,000 son of champion sprinter Speightstown, is favored to graduate in his fifth career start in Race 6, a six-furlong maiden claimer for horses 3, 4 and 5. Plissken drops in off a seventh in maiden special weight company April 9 at Laurel for trainer Brittany Russell. Dialing Dixie, a 3-year-old Maryland homebred son of Grade 1 winner Dialed In, is entered to make his debut from outside Post 6.

James Wolf's 4-year-old gelding Titan's Will seeks his fourth consecutive win for a fourth different trainer in Race 7, a 1 1/16-mile starter-optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up. Titan's Will began his streak March 21 with a 5 ¾-length triumph going one mile at Laurel, and was claimed away from Brittany Russell. He won April 25 for Andres Garibay Sr. and was claimed again, then scored in a similar spot May 9 for Anthony Farrior, both times at Pimlico. He will be racing first time for Derrick Goetz.

Among the competition are Glengar, coming back seven days off a front-running three-quarter-length triumph at Pimlico for trainer Joel Maldonado; Other Things Equal, beaten by Titan's Will in each of his last two starts; and Jamie Ness-trained entrymate Bellarmine Hall.

The Rainbow 6 wraps up in Race 8, a claiming event for maidens aged 3, 4 and 5 scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the grass, which also serves as the opening leg of the weekly national Stronach 5 wager that continues with races from Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields.

Narrowly favored at 4-1 in the program is Marshall E. Dowell's Tipyourhattothat, a 3-year-old Congrats gelding that has run second three times in six previous starts but will be trying turf for the first time. Rip It LLC's eponymous 3-year-old Tapit colt, bred by Juddmonte Farms, also has six prior races having most recently finished second against older horses in a one-mile maiden claimer on the Pimlico turf May 13.

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June 4 Insights

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PRICEY & WELL-BRED FIRSTERS LINE UP AT BELMONT

4th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, 2:24p.m.

A trio of well-bred colts meet in this loaded maiden event at Big Sandy on Belmont S. eve. Hall of Famer Bill Mott unveils the latest Godolphin blue-blood in Cody's Wish (Tapit). The homebred is a daughter of Grade I winner Dance Card (Tapit), who is also the dam of GSP Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro) and SP Bocephus (Medaglia d'Oro). Todd Beatie ships in from Penn National with a $600,000 KEESEP purchase making his debut in The Honorable One (Honor Code). Out of SW It Tiz (Tiznow), the dark bay is a half-sister to Grade I winner It Tiz Well (Arch). Todd Pletcher sends out an expensive colt making his second start in Shadwell Stable's Mahaamel (Into Mischief). The $700,000 KEESEP buy checked in a close second to First Captain (Curlin) in his debut over track and trip Apr. 24. That foe came back to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors with an impressive allowance win in Elmont May 29.The son of GSW Hot Stones (Bustin Stones) adds blinkers for this second attempt. TJCIS PPs

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Jonathan Thomas Seeking Firm Turf For Corelli In Monmouth Stakes

Five starts after getting Corelli, trainer Jonathan Thomas believes he has finally found the key to success for the 6-year-old gelding. At least he hopes he has.

A winner in his 2021 comeback race on April 24 at Pimlico Race Course, Corelli will step up to graded stakes company again when the grass specialist goes in the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes, the headliner on Saturday's 12-race card at Monmouth Park.

The 13th running of the $150,000 Monmouth Stakes, scheduled for 1 and 1/8th miles on the grass, has attracted a field of 10 plus two alternates.

“We're really pleased with his comeback race,” said Thomas. “We think we've figured him out. We were probably running him too long last year.

“We've tried to kind of re-invent him and encourage him to show a little more turn of foot while also relaxing early on in races.”

After racing in England for his first 10 career starts, Corelli came into Thomas' care last year. Though winless in four starts in 2020, the son of Point of Entry-Vignette by Diesis did manage to get third in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park at a mile and three-eighths. But that was the extent of his success, with two of his races last year at a mile and three-eighths and one at a mile and a half in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer. All were on the turf.

“I thought he ran well in the United Nations,” said Thomas. “He looked like he was running a winning race and then at the eighth pole he was kind of coming up for air a little bit.

“That's not to say we won't run him back in the United Nations at that distance but I get the feeling he is best suited for a mile and an eighth.”

Cut back to a mile and a sixteenth for his first start this year, Corelli rallied to win by a nose in the $100,000 Henry Clark over a firm turf course.

Thomas also found out something else about the Augustin Stable-owned Corelli from the Sword Dancer: He wants nothing to do with a soft turf course. In his last start in England over a soft grass course Corelli finished 15th. In the Sword Dancer he was fifth in the seven-horse field, beaten 18 lengths.

“The turf was very soft for the Sword Dancer that day,” said Thomas. “We learned with this horse that he is not a soft turf horse. He's a big horse. He does not like the soft ground.”

It's something Thomas will keep in mind for today and tomorrow, since rain is in the forecast for both days, though Saturday's is expected to be sunny with temperatures in the 80s.

“We're keeping he weather in the front of our minds,” Thomas said. “We'll have a much better idea on Friday as to what we're doing.”

The field of 10 for the Monmouth Stakes features three horses trained by Chad Brown (Devamani, Serve the King and Tribhuvan) as well as the Todd Pletcher-trainer Winters Back.

First race post time on Saturday is 12:15 p.m. Full card simulcasting of the Belmont Stakes day program will also be available.

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