Tag: gulfstream park

Favorites Dominate Stronach 5; 144 Winners Each Get $717

With favorites winning three of the five races, Friday's Stronach 5 returned $717.70. There were 144 winning tickets.

The Stronach 5 featured races from Laurel Park, Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields as well as an industry-low 12-percent takeout.

Shane's Jewel, an even-money favorite ridden by Sheldon Russell, began the Stronach 5 by winning Laurel's eighth race, a seven-furlong starter optional claimer. Gulfstream's eighth race, a mile turf event, served as the second leg of the sequence, and it was won by the stakes winner and graded stakes placed Kelsey's Cross ($11), ridden by Chantal Sutherland.

Laurel's ninth race, a waiver maiden claimer for 3-year-olds, was the third leg of the Stronach 5 sequence, and it was won by favored Portal One for trainer Hugh McMahon. The Stronach 5 returned to Gulfstream for Race 9, an optional claimer at 7 ½ furlongs on the turf. Serenade a Kitten ($9.60), trained by Mary Eppler, was game winner for jockey Edwin Gonzalez. The Stronach 5 concluded with Golden Gate's third race, a claiming event for fillies and mares at 5 ½ furlongs, won by the 6-5 favorite Real Keeper ($4.60).

Friday's races and sequence

  • Leg One –Laurel Park 8th Race: Shane's Jewel $4
  • Leg Two – Gulfstream Park 8th Race: Kelsey's Cross $11
  • Leg Three –Laurel Park 9th Race: Portal One $5.80
  • Leg Four –Gulfstream Park 9th Race: Serenade a Kitten $9.60
  • Leg Five –Golden Gate Fields 3rd Race: Real Keeper $4.60

 Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1st.com/bet as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com and GoldenGateFields.com.

The Stronach 5 In the Money podcast, hosted by Jonathan Kinchen and Peter Thomas Fornatale, will be posted by 2 p.m. Thursday atInTheMoneyPodcast.com and will be available on iTunes and other major podcast distributors

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

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$500,000 Rainbow 6 Jackpot Guarantee At Gulfstream Park On Friday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $500,000 for Friday's program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Thursday for the sixth consecutive racing day since a March 27 mandatory payout. Tickets with all six winners were each worth $4,574.18.

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.

There will also be a carryover of $2,695.50 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Friday's opener.

Notes: Jockey Miguel Vasquez registered a two-win day Thursday aboard Holy Meister ($4.20) in Race 1 and Por Que No ($5.80) in Race 4. It was the fourth consecutive win for Fano Racing's 3-year-old filly Por Que No, trained by J. Kent Sweezey. Sweezey also sent out Kahiko ($5) to win Race 8 … Meet-leading rider Edgard Zayas also doubled on Perfect Enough ($30.80) in Race 5 and Uncle Fun ($12.80) in Race 7.

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‘He’s Like A Son To Me’: Agent Moran Reflects As Paco Lopez Approaches 3,000th Win

Popular and personable jockey Paco Lopez, an Eclipse Award winner and twice the leading rider during Gulfstream Park's prestigious Championship Meet, is on the verge of reaching a career milestone.

Lopez, 35, captured the eighth-race finale aboard Kahiko ($5), his lone victory from six mounts, as live racing returned to Gulfstream Thursday. He enters Friday's nine-race program (1 p.m. post time) with 2,998 career Thoroughbred wins according to Equibase statistics, which also noted one quarter horse win in 2009 at Hialeah. Lopez is named in six races Friday and 10 of 11 races Saturday.

“Just the thought of winning 3,000 races and being with him from the start is pretty phenomenal,” Lopez's agent, Cory Moran, said. “We've been together through this and it's been amazing.

“There's riders that get to 3,000, but I just think it's amazing we did it together. I'm grateful and blessed through this journey,” he added. “The journey has had its ups and downs but Paco's a good guy and a good rider, and I think we appreciate each other.”

Lopez is one of six children that grew up in poverty in Veracruz, Mexico, leaving home at age 12 to live with one of his sisters. He was shining shoes and working in a car wash for $30 a week when a customer offered him a ranch job. Soon he was riding in quarter horse races at bush tracks with incredible success, including winning all 13 races over a single weekend.

In 2006, Lopez relocated to South Florida to further his dream of becoming a jockey, working on a ranch in West Palm Beach and riding unsanctioned quarter horse races. He began exercising Thoroughbreds at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, and launched his professional career in June 2007 at the former Calder Race Course.

“Since the first time I met him, I just thought there was something special in him. He just had those hungry eyes,” Moran said. “He was like a little boy standing there. Bill White introduced me to him. He was the leading trainer at the time and he loved him.

“He introduced us and I decided to take him the day I met him,” he added. “It's been a constant win machine from that day. He's been like a whirlwind, and it's not slowing down. He's done a lot of remarkable things.”

Lopez rode his first winner July 13, 2007, at Calder and finished with 20 for the calendar year. He won 229 races, nearly $4 million in purse earnings, a Calder meet title and the Eclipse Award as champion apprentice in his first full season of 2008.

Overall, Lopez has won 200 or more races nine times ranked in the top 10 in North America in wins five times, including third in 2019 with a career-best 283. That year he also reached a personal high of $10.9 million in purses earned.

Lopez won back-to-back Championship Meet riding titles in 2010 and 2011, and is one of only four jockeys (Javier Castellano, Irad Ortiz Jr., Luis Saez) to win 100 or more races at Gulfstream's elite winter stand. He also won the 2019 Gulfstream Park West crown and owns 11 riding championships in New Jersey, eight of them at Monmouth Park where he spends the summer and early fall.

“In the early years, when he was having success at Monmouth and he won the Championship Meet twice, there were other agents trying to get him. But, Paco stayed loyal,” Moran said. “He believed in me and I believed in him. There's been riders that have been available and I don't even call them. He's such a good rider. I don't even think about it.”

Three times in his career, Lopez has won seven races on a single card. He did it twice in 2014 at Monmouth and again March 21, 2020, at Gulfstream, each time sharing the track record. Lopez earned his 2,000th career win Dec. 4, 2016 at Gulfstream.

Overall, Lopez has won 89 career graded-stakes, eight of them Grade 1, including his first with South Florida-based Itsmyluckyday in the 2014 Woodward as well as the 2018 Breeders' Cup Sprint aboard Roy H. Last winter, he piloted Swiss Skydiver to victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2); Swiss Skydiver would go on to beat males in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and be named champion 3-year-old filly.

“I've seen riders win seven [races] in a day here and there, but he's done it three times,” Moran said. “We've just had phenomenal success. He won a Breeders' Cup. He's won so many stakes from coast to coast. It's been like a whirlwind with him and his success.

“I'm just very fortunate to run into a rider like that and he turned out to be that way,” he added. “I've been an agent for a long time and I've had leading riders and stuff like that, but this is a long run with Paco. He's like family. He's like a son to me. It's been a good run.”

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New Face, Familiar One Find Gulfstream Park Winner’s Circle On Sunday

A rising star in Panama, jockey Jose Morelos notched his first victory in the United States Sunday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 20-year-old jockey, who had ridden 503 winners in Panama after launching his career at the age of 16, guided Wild Cat West ($12.40) to victory in Race 5, a mile maiden race for $12,500 claimers.

“I'm very grateful to the trainer for giving me the opportunity,” Morelos said through an interpreter. “I'm looking forward to a lot of better things to come in the future.”

Morelos saved ground aboard the Luis Ramirez trainee while rating behind a contested pace into the homestretch turn. Wildcat Cat West, who lacked room entering the stretch, was taken four wide for the stretch drive, and the son of Mineshaft kicked in through the stretch to graduate by a neck.

Morelos' victory came on his 10th mount since his U.S. debut April 1. Jay Rushing is his agent.

Sutherland Guides Mona Stella to Gulfstream Feature Win
Chantal Sutherland reacquainted herself with the Gulfstream Park winner's circle after riding Mona Stella to a comfortable victory in Sunday's Race 6 feature, a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance on turf for 3-year-old Florida-bred fillies.

Sutherland connected for her first victory on her fifth mount since relocating to Gulfstream for the Spring/Summer Meet.

“I've gotten a lot of positive energy from people and I'm grateful to the people who are supporting me,” said Sutherland, who rode at Gulfstream in 2006 before going on to achieve considerable success in Southern California. “There's no more beautiful place to ride than here.”

Mona Stella ($6.60) is owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Andie Biancone and trainer Patrick Biancone.

Sutherland , who saved ground aboard Mona Stella while racing directly behind pacesetter Big Band Luzzian into the stretch, eased the daughter of Will Take Charge off the rail for the stretch drive. Mona Stella, who had graduated in her second career start on Sept. 29 before going to the sidelines to have a chip removed, kicked in through the stretch to score by 2 ¾ lengths.

“I think this is a nice filly,” Sutherland said. “She only won a maiden race [before Sunday] but this was really impressive.”

Sutherland has won 1084 races, including multiple Grade 1 victories aboard Game On Dude in 2001.

Thursday's Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $500,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $500,000 for Thursday's program at Gulfstream Park.

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.

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