Edgard Zayas | Horse Racing Free Tips

Drain The Clock Rebounds With 7 1/2-Length Limehouse Stakes Score

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock made a triumphant return to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Saturday, putting an unfortunate trip out of town behind him with a dazzling 7 ½-length victory in the $75,000 Limehouse Stakes.

The Limehouse, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, was one of five stakes on Saturday's 11-race program that was headlined by the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man, a mile stakes for 3-year-olds that was the first stop on the Road to the Florida Derby (G1).

Drain the Clock registered the first stakes victory of his career that he launched with back-to-back victories at Gulfstream before making an unfortunate trip to Delta Downs for the Jean Lafitte Stakes, in which the rider was unseated due to a broken iron.

“It was really impressive. He impressed me today,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He was always highly thought of. He was impressive in his debut. His second win was more workmanlike than impressive. Last time, it was a bit of a mishap. We got him back today and he showed up.”

Drain the Clock, the 9-5 favorite, was rated just off the pace set by Warrior's Pride, who posted fractions of 21.78 and 44.83 seconds while showing the way for the first half-mile. Edgard Zayas sent Drain the Clock after the pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch, and the son of Maclean's Music produced a powerful kick to pull away from the field.

“It was a pretty smooth trip. He broke sharp out of the gate. My only worry was that he was moving a little bit in the gate, but everything worked out really well,” Zayas said. “I was just trying to keep him in the clear and he did it all.”

Drain the Clock ran six furlongs in 1:10.11. Tiger finished second under Luis Saez, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Runway Magic and jockey Julien Leparoux.

Competitive Speed Gives Trainer 1st U.S. Stakes Win in Glitter Woman
John Minchello's Competitive Speed scored a 9-1 upset in Saturday's $75,000 Glitter Woman at Gulfstream Park, providing trainer Javier Gonzalez his first stakes success in the U. S.

“It's my first stakes here. We started the year on the right step. It seems to me that we will have some good things happen this year,” said Gonzalez, who has saddled multiple graded-stakes winners in Puerto Rico.

Hit the Woah, the 3-5 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., broke poorly from the starting gate and was never a factor while finishing fourth.

Competitive Speed ($20) collected her third straight victory with an off-the-pace performance in the 6 ½-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies. Shop Girl broke alertly, unlike her stablemate in the Christophe Clement barn, to show the way along the backstretch and around the far turn while setting fractions of 22.49 and 45.49 seconds for the first half mile. Competitive Speed launched a three-wide drive on the far turn under Leonel Reyes and set her sights on the pacesetter on the turn into the stretch. The daughter of Competitive Edge overtook Shop Girl approaching the 1/8-pole to capture her stakes debut by three lengths, completing the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:17.08.

Shop Girl, ridden by Luis Saez, finished second, 6 ½ lengths ahead of Gone to Cabo.

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Joseph Eyes Florida Derby Preps After Allowance Win By Moonlite Strike

Sonata Stable's Moonlite Strike is likely to embark on the Road to the Florida Derby (G1) following his gutsy victory in Thursday's featured optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Moonlite Strike ($4.80) withstood race-long outside pressure before prevailing by a head over Peachtree Stable's Kiger, a stablemate in trainer Saffie Joseph Jr's. barn, in the mile optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds carded as Race 8 on a 10-race program.

“All races are under consideration. Kiger didn't win so he'll probably go back in one of those [optional claiming allowances] again, just because we have the option to develop him more. There are only stakes for Moonlite Strike,” Joseph said. “The Mucho Macho Man will be under consideration in about three weeks again. There is also the Holy Bull (G3) if we want to give him more time.”

The mile $100,000 Mucho Macho Man is scheduled to kick off Gulfstream's Road to the Florida Derby on Jan. 2. The 1 1/16-mile $200,000 Holy Bull (G3) is scheduled for Jan. 30.

Moonlite Strike, who graduated by two lengths over a sloppy Gulfstream Park West in his second career start Nov. 14, broke cleanly from his No. 1 post position but was immediately confronted on the outside by Advance Cash and Real Talk. Jockey Edgard Zayas let the son of Liam's Map settle into stride while racing inside of the early leaders before sending him to the lead on the far turn. Real Talk continued to press him into the stretch before tiring while Moonlite Strike forged ahead to open a clear lead in mid-stretch.

Kiger, who was rated behind the early speeders by Emisael Jaramillo, made a steady run through the stretch but was unable to get the better of his stablemate. Hercules finished third 5 ¼ lengths farther back.

“Moonlite Strike had kind of a tough trip and did it the hard way,” Joseph said. “Kiger got the run of the race, basically. Both ran well. Kiger didn't switch leads. He's a bit of a weird horse. There's a lot more talent there, but he just waits, waits, waits. He got a good education today.”

Moonlite Strike, who ran a mile in 1:38.96, was sold at the 2019 Keeneland September sale for $120,000.

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Talented Tatweej Prepared For ‘Coming Out Party’ In Saturday’s Harlan’s Holiday

Alshareef Hazzaa Shaker Alabdali's Tatweej is scheduled to make his stakes debut in Saturday's $100,000 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream Park, where the 4-year-old son of Tapit will put a streak of three commanding victories on the line.

The Harlan's Holiday, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, is one of four graded stakes on Saturday's card, headlined by the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a key prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Jan. 23.

The late-developing Tatweej, who was purchased for $2.5 million at the 2017 Keeneland September sale, has run four times, all at Gulfstream Park, where he finished third in his June 21 debut. The Todd Pletcher-trained colt, who obviously benefited from the experience, went on to win his next three starts at Gulfstream, all going away at the one-turn mile distance under Edgard Zayas.

“He's a very well-bred horse and always showed some talent. It took a little while to kind of get to the races, but he's been ultra-consistent since he has,” Pletcher said. “This is kind of his coming out party, so to speak, if he's able to handle this step up.”

Tatweej broke his maiden by 3 ¾ lengths on a fast track before winning a first-level optional claiming allowance by 2 ½ lengths over a good track and capturing a second-level optional claiming allowance by 2 ¾ lengths over a sloppy surface.

“He seems to like Gulfstream,” Pletcher said. “It will be an opportunity to get him stretched out around two turns and see how he can handle that and the step up in the class.”

Zayas has the return call aboard Tatweej, who will be taking on six rivals with vastly more stakes experience.

Phat Man, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing LLC and Two Rivers Racing Stable LLC, will seek to improve on a second-place finish in last year's Harlan's Holiday, in which he finished between victorious war horse, War Story, and bad-boy-turned-Grade-1-winner Bodexpress.

The son of Munnings went on to capture the Fred Hooper (G3) to give trainer Kent Sweezey his first graded-stakes success and finish second in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

“A couple of guys who know the sheets always said he was running really good numbers at a one-turn mile,” Sweezey said. “But I thought he ran a great race going two turns in this same race last year.”

Phat Man didn't see action again until returning from an eight-month layoff in the Nov. 7 Lafayette at Keeneland, where he raced extremely wide from his far-outside post position before finishing sixth, four lengths behind victorious Sleepy Eyes Todd.

“He was hung out wide.” Sweezey said. “He's huge. He's the biggest horse I've been around. He's massive. I thought he got a little tired which goes to show you he needed one under his belt.”

Irad Ortiz Jr., who was aboard in last year's Harlan's Holiday and Hooper, returns to the saddle Saturday.

John Fanelli and partners' Math Wizard will seek to win his first race in six starts since capturing the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 4-year-old colt's best performance this year was a second-place finish behind Global Campaign in the Monmouth Cup (G3) in July.

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride the son of Algorithms for the first time.

Tax, a multiple graded-stakes winner for R. A Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch and Corms Racing Stable, is scheduled to return from a seven-month layoff Saturday. The 4-year-old gelding has raced only once since finishing a troubled ninth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream last January, finishing fifth in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) May 2.

Tax won the Withers (G3) and finished second in the Wood Memorial (G2) last year before finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The son of Arch went on to win the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga a few months later.

Luis Saez, who rode six winners on last Saturday's Claiming Crown program, has the call aboard Tax.

Roseland Farm Stable's Royal Urn will seek his first stakes victory in open company for trainer Kelly Breen. The 4-year-old son of Kantharos, though, is in career form, having captured three stakes for New Jersey-bred horses at Monmouth Park this year.

Joe Bravo, who was aboard for one of those stakes triumphs, has the call Saturday.

Trainer Steve Budhoo's Eye of a Jedi, who finished off the board in last year's Harlan's Holiday, enters this year's race off back-to-back victories. The son of Eye of the Leopard closed strongly to defeated multiple grades-stakes winner Diamond Oops in the mile Coaltown Handicap June 13 before stretching-out to 1 1/16 miles to win the Sea of Tranquility Stakes a month later.

Marcos Meneses, who was aboard for the Coaltown Handicap score, has the call aboard the Kentucky-bred 5-year-old gelding.

Gelfenstein Farm Inc.'s Identifier, who registered a 60-1 upset victory in last season's Hal's Hope (G3), is coming off a distant second-place finish behind next-out Grade 1 stakes winner Bodexpress in a Gulfstream Park West optional claiming allowance.

Jose Ortiz is scheduled to ride the 4-year-old son of Creative Cause for the first time Saturday.

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Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Pays $218,767 On Meet’s Closing Day

A mandatory payout on closing day of the Spring/Summer Meet at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., yielded multiple payoffs of $218,767.70 Sunday.

The popular multi-race wager had gone unsolved for 15 consecutive racing days heading into the mandatory payout. A carryover pool of $745,396.50 helped to generate a Rainbow 6 handle of $3,922,471 Sunday.

The Rainbow 6 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. However, on mandatory payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.

The Late Pick-5 produced a $21,513 payoff.

Apprentice-on-the-rise Alberto Burgos finished up the Spring/Summer Meet with an impressive four-win day, winning both ends of the early double with Inedatequila ($9.80) in Race 1 and Grace's Drama ($5.80) in Race 2. He added victories aboard Vuyelwa ($13) in Race 4 and Yodel E. A. Who ($5.40) in Race 10.

Jockey Edgard Zayas successfully defended his Spring/Summer Meet title with 137 wins, 10 more than runner-up Miguel Vasquez. Zayas also was first in purses-won with more than $4.15 million.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. led all trainers with 59 victories, while Ralph Nicks topped all trainers with more than $1.5 in purses-won.

Stonehedge LLC was tops among owners with 24 wins and $1,190,720 in purses.

South Florida Thoroughbred racing action will move to Gulfstream Park West Saturday, for the Fall Turf Festival Meet, which will offer 41 programs through Nov. 26. Racing will be conducted five days a week at Gulfstream Park West on a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule with one exception. A special Columbus Day program will be conducted on Monday, Oct. 12 instead of Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Due to Covid-19 protocols, racing will be conducted without spectators. Owners will be allowed to attend the races only on the days their horses are scheduled to run. The Gulfstream Park West races will be streamed on gulfstreampark.com, 1/STbet.com and Xpressbet.com.

Live racing will return to Gulfstream Park for the 2020-2021 Championship Meet in December.

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