If Bodexpress had never left the confines of Gulfstream Park West, might Thoroughbred racing's most popular bad boy be undefeated?
The ultra-talented but often-erratic 4-year-old colt turned in a thoroughly professional performance Saturday, scoring his third win in as many starts at Gulfstream Park West in Miami Gardens, Fla., while missing the track record for 1 1/16 miles by .01 seconds. The son of Bodemeister registered a front-running 11 1/4 -length victory in 1:42.53, just off Mr. Jordan's Nov. 12, 2016, track record of 1:42.52, in the featured Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up.
Owned by Global Thoroughbreds LLC, Top Racing LLC and trainer Gustavo Delgado's GDS Racing Stable, Bodexpress is stabled at Gulfstream Park West when he's not traveling to stakes engagements. He broke his maiden in his eighth career start Oct. 14, 2019, and came right back to capture an allowance five weeks later, setting a track record for a mile. He would likely have set a track record for 1 1/16 miles had Emisael Jaramillo put any pressure at all on the Kentucky-bred colt.
'We kind of expected a race like that, actually, because he was training so good,” said Delgado's son and assistant trainer, Gustavo Delgado Jr.
Bodexpress, the 2-5 favorite, went right to the front and set fractions of 24.56 and 48.02 seconds for the first half-mile before completing six furlongs in 1:11.75 and finishing with plenty of energy.
“He's been behaving himself lately. I say, 'Lately,'' Delgado Jr. said. “You can see the change. He's more mature. I'm not even worried about it. Today, I said, 'Do your thing, I don't even care.' He behaved like a pro.”
Bodexpress has provided some anxious moments for his connections while away from Gulfstream Park West while also showing flashes of unfulfilled potential with a few graded-stakes placings. Bodexpress finished second as a maiden behind Maximum Security in the 2019 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream to earn a start in the Kentucky Derby (G1), in which he finished 14th after a rough journey. In the Preakness Stakes (G1), he unseated jockey John Velazquez when he reared in the starting gate and led the outrider on a merry chase during the race.
“We'll keep him happy and healthy. He'll win one of the big ones,” Gustavo Jr. said.
Bodexpress will be pointed to stakes during Gulfstream's 2020-2021 Championship Meet, including the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 23. Another trip to Churchill Downs before then for the Clark (G1) Nov. 27 is a possibility.
”We have a lot of options. We won't dismiss the race at Churchill, because we know he likes Churchill,” Delgado Jr. said.
Identifier, who upset Bodemeister at 60-1 in the Hal's Hope, finished second while never a factor. Glory of Florida finished another 2 3/4 lengths back in third.
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $275,000 on Sunday's program at Gulfstream Park West.
Sunday's Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $275,000
The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the 11th straight racing day of the Fall Turf Festival Meet Saturday, when multiple tickets were each worth $2,667.48.
There will also be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $5,230.90.
The carryover jackpot 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.
Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, featuring a mile optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds scheduled for the turf in Race 7. Michael Maker-trained Fulmini is rated as the 7-5 morning-line favorite. The son of Overdriven most recently finished second in the off-the-turf Armed Forces at Gulfstream, where he broke his maiden in his second lifetime start at five furlongs on turf and finished finishing a troubled fourth in the Proud Man Stakes at a mile on turf. Edgard Zayas has the return mount.
In Race 6, Royal Squeeze, a multiple-stakes winner with more than $600,000 earnings, drops back into claiming company for the six-furlong sprint for $40,000 claimers. The Elizabeth Dobles-trained 9-year-old gelding, who captured the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit at the start of the 2019-2020 Championship Meet at Gulfstream, has been racing competitively in stakes and optional claiming in recent years.
Earlier on the program, Miss Auramet is rated as the 6-5 morning-line favorite for her return to South Florida in Race 3, an optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares scheduled for five-furlongs on turf. Trained by Eddie Plesa Jr. for wife, Laurie, Leon Ellman and David Melin, the 4-year-old daughter of uncaptured has had a very productive summer in the Mid-Atlantic under the care of trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. Miss Auramet is coming off back-to-back allowance wins at Laurel Park and Delaware Park. Prior to her summer adventure up north, Plesa saddled Miss Auramet for three victories in a row at Gulfstream two on turf and the other on the main track. Zayas has the call.
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