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Basin Sharp After Layoff, Wins Sir Shackleton For Pletcher

Multiple Grade 1 winner Basin made a triumphant return to action off a six-month layoff Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla, scoring an off-the-pace victory in the $100,000 Sir Shackleton.

The Sir Shackleton, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, was one of 10 stakes on a 14-race card that was headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Basin, a Liam's Map colt who won the 2019 Hopeful (G1) and was awarded the victory in the 2020 Arkansas Derby (G1) via the subsequent disqualification of the first-place finisher while being trained by Steve Asmussen, was making his first start since finishing second in the Aug. 29 Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga in his first start for Todd Pletcher.

Basin broke well but was allowed to settle off a contested pace set by Shivaree and pressed by Frosted Grace, who dueled for the lead during a :22.55 first quarter of a mile. Frosted Grace eased away from Shivaree to take the lead under Edwin Gonzalez while completing the first half-mile in :45.03. Frosted Grace took the lead into the stretch and responded to urging but was unable to hold off Basin, who launched a sustained stretch drive under Jose Ortiz.

Basin, the 3-2 favorite, prevailed by a half-length over Frosted Grace while completing the seven furlongs in 1:23.19. Frosted Grace held off Town Classic by another half-length.

Sir Shackleton Quotes

Winning Trainer Todd Pletcher (Basin): “I got a little anxious. It looked like he backed up on the turn, but he kept grinding it out. Irad (Ortiz Jr., aboard Town Classic) came up outside of him and that kind of encouraged him a little bit. He got in a good stretch duel and he was very game at the end.

“He's a quality horse He trains really well. We felt like he was just ready. We didn't want to go over the top for the first one back. We cut it close, but we had him ready to get the job done today. I think he'll move forward from the race.”

Winning Jockey Jose Ortiz (Basin): “He broke well, but they went a little bit fast and I felt like I was rushing him off his feet so I decided to relax a little bit at the five-eighths pole and sit behind Cool Arrow. It worked out nice. I had to grind it out. But when the horse came to his outside, he dug in. Close to the wire the horse inside came out, too, and that helped him find another gear. He was very game. It was a very game performance.”

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Gray’s Fable Controls Pace, Gives Hall Of Famer Attfield His First Appleton Victory

Steve Goldfine, Kari Provost and Jeff Zlonis' gelding Gray's Fable, racing for the first time in 197 days, became a stakes winner in his second try with a front-running 2 ¼-length triumph in Saturday's $100,000 Kitten's Joy Appleton (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 69^th running of the one-mile Appleton for 4-year-olds and up on turf was the fourth of 10 stakes, and first of six graded, worth $1.85 million on a blockbuster 14-race program anchored by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa, one of the country's premier Triple Crown preps.

Also bred by Zlonis, Gray's Fable completed the distance in 1:32.64 over a firm course to give jockey Junior Alvarado his second win of the day and both he and Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield their first Appleton triumph.

Breaking from the rail in a field of eight, Gray's Fable quickly established position up front after a quarter-mile in 23.61 seconds and a half in 46.55, tracked in second by Ever Dangerous. Gray's Fable remained in control after going six furlongs in 1:09.38 and extended his advantage once straightened for home.

Renaisance Frolic got up to edge Ever Dangerous for second, followed by Perfect Speighty, 2-1 favorite Seismic Wave, Forever Mo, Little Menace and Frostmourne.

Gray's Fable was making his first start since capturing a one-mile optional claimer on the Woodbine turf last Sept. 12. In his only other stakes attempt, the son of two-time turf champion Gio Ponti was sixth in the Connaught Cup (G2) last June, also at Woodbine.

$100,000 Kitten's Joy Appleton (G3) Quotes

Winning jockey Junior Alvarado (Gray's Fable): “He's a horse that in the post parade he was kind of full of himself. He was showing he's kind of like an attitude horse, he wants to do things his way. He doesn't want you to get in his way. When we left the gate he broke very good so I kind of smooched him a little bit and let him do his own thing. I was pretty sure that he knew what he was going to do.”

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Twirling Candy Firster Flies Home in GP Opener

1st-Gulfstream, $45,000, Msw, 3-27, 3yo, 1mT, 1:34.82, fm,

3 3/4 lengths.

COLTON'S COMMAND (c, 3, Twirling Candy–Baublette, by Unbridled's Song), well liked at 7-2 in this unveiling, raced straight past even-money fourth-timer Shaftesbury (Uncle Mo) inside the final eighth of a mile and sprinted away to graduate smartly at first asking. Settled in about midpack as the debuting Fortified (American Pharoah) cut out a moderate pace from Shaftesbury and War Bomber (Ire) (War Front), Colton's Command improved a few spots while making eye-catching progress on the turn. Shifted out for the drive under a full head of steam, the $75,000 Keeneland September graduate flew home to score by 3 3/4 lengths over Shaftesbury. Colton's Command is bred on the same cross responsible for 'TDN Rising Star' and Lane's End stallion Gift Box. Sales history: $75,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $27,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

O-NK Racing; B-Merriebelle Stable, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott.

The post Twirling Candy Firster Flies Home in GP Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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$951,991 Carries Over Into Mandatory Payout Florida Derby Day For Rainbow 6 Jackpot At Gulfstream Park

A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 is scheduled at Gulfstream Park for Saturday's 14-race blockbuster program in Hallandale Beach, Fla., headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

The Rainbow 6 went unsolved Friday for the 14th racing day in a row since a March 6 mandatory payout. Multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $246.28 Friday.

A pool of $951,991.13 will be carried over to Saturday, when the mandatory pool is likely to swell well into the multi-millions.

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 and the Late Pick 4 will have guaranteed pools of $750,000 Saturday. The Late Pick 5 (Races 10-14) and Late Pick 4 (Races 11-14) will both offer all-stakes sequences. The Curlin Florida Derby will anchor the sequences for the Late Pick 5, Late Pick 4 and the Rainbow 6 (Races 9-14).

The Rainbow 6 sequence will be kicked off by a mile optional claiming allowance on turf for older horses in Race 9. Todd Pletcher-trained duo of Summer to Remember, who finished third in the Tropical Park Derby in December, and Sayyaaf, who is coming off a front-running optional claiming allowance victory Feb. 27, are scheduled to clash with former stablemate Noble Indy, who has joined the barn of Saffie Joseph Jr. after being claimed for $35,000 out of a winning effort last time out.

Good old Sadler's Joy, a multiple Grade 1 winner with more than $2.6 million in purse earnings, is a slight morning-line favorite in the $200,000 Pan American (G2), a 1 ½-mile turf stakes for older horses carded as Race 10. The 8-year-old son of Kitten's Joy, who son the 2017 Pan American, will clash with the Michael Maker-trained duo of Cross Border, who was second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), and Temple, who finished ahead of Sadler's Joy while finishing second in the McKnight (G3) two starts back.

Bill Mott-trained Annex will seek to stay undefeated when he goes to post in Race 11, the $100,000 Cutler Bay, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds. Annex, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, broke his maiden at first asking at Gulfstream Jan. 16 and came right back to win the Palm Beach. Both victories were achieved by powerful late surges. Pletcher-trained Hyperfocus is coming off an optional claiming allowance win in his 2021 debut that was also his turf debut. Barclay Tagg-trained Step Dancer is set to make his 2021 debut Saturday after concluding his juvenile campaign with a victory in the Oct. 31 Awad Stakes at Belmont.

Trainer Kenny McPeek will saddle Crazy Beautiful for the $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies carded as Race 12. McPeek saddled Swiss Skydiver for a victory in last year's Oaks on her way to a victory against the boys in the Preakness Stakes (G1). Crazy Beautiful, who finished second in the Davona Dale (G2) last time out, will clash with Pletcher-trained Con Lima, a stakes winner on turf who will return to Gulfstream's main track, over which she broke her maiden.

Always Shopping, an impressive three-length winner of the La Prevoyante Jan. 23, appears to be one of the likeliest 'singles' for budget-conscious Rainbow 6 bettors. The Pletcher trainee is the is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the $100,000 Orchid (G3), a 1 3/8-mile turf stakes for fillies and mares carded as Race 13. Christophe Clement Sorrell is slated to make her U. S. debut Saturday after winning three straight stakes in Great Britain to finish off her 2020 campaign.

Shug McGaughey-trained Greatest Honour, the winner of the Holy Bull (G3) and Fountain of Youth (G2), should prove very popular with Rainbow 6 bettors in the Florida Derby. Greatest Honour is listed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in a deep field of 11 3-year-olds. Bob Baffert-trained Spielberg, who finished second behind Eclipse champion Essential Quality in the Southwest (G3), is rated second at 4-1. Known Agenda, Pletcher's hope for a sixth Florida Derby success, is coming off an impressive 11-length victory in a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance.

WHO'S HOT: Paco Lopez rode four winners on Friday's card, scoring back-to-back on Mamba On Three ($5.60) in Race 1 and Romario ($11.40) in Race 2 before going back-to-back again aboard Simple Story ($8.40) in Race 5 and Free to Fly ($5.40) in Race 6.

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