Gulfstream | Horse Racing Free Tips

Flashy 2-Year-Old Drain The Clock Making ‘Next Move Forward’ In Wednesday Allowance

Slam Dunk Racing's Drain the Clock is set to make a greatly anticipated return to action Wednesday at Gulfstream Park West, where the son of Maclean's Music will likely be a heavy favorite in the featured optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds.

The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained colt debuted in a Sept. 12 off-the-turf maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park, where he sprinted to the lead from his rail post position, shook off mild pressure and drew away to score by six lengths. The son of Maclean's Music ran five furlongs in slop in 58.73 seconds as the 8-5 favorite.

“He's a horse who, early on, showed a lot of promise. We thought we'd get him started on the turf. He trained well enough on dirt also, but we thought the turf would be easier fitness-wise to get him started in,” Joseph said. “He won nicely that day on the slop and we decided to keep him on the dirt and see where he stacks up. It's a nice spot, hopefully, to make a next move forward.”

Omaha City, who finished third, went on to graduate next time out in the Hollywood Beach Stakes on turf.

“Our horses, we don't press them to win first time out. If they win first time out, like him, that means they're just much better than the competition,” Joseph said. “You'd expect him to improve off that run. He's trained well. He had a nice five-eighths workout last week. He's going an extra furlong, but it doesn't seem like it should be an issue.”

Samy Camacho picks up the mount from leading rider Edgard Zayas, whose wife is scheduled to give birth to their second daughter Wednesday.

Joseph is also scheduled to saddle Don and Rebecca Ming's Worlds On High, another recent debut winner, in Wednesday's feature. The son of Shanghai Bobby captured a $50,000 maiden claiming race by 2 ¼ lengths under returning Alberto Burgos.

“He won nicely that day. Ideally, I would have liked to run him in a starter allowance, but there hasn't been one,” Joseph said. “I don't think he has the class of Drain the Clock, but again, you would think he'd improve second time out. It'll be interesting to see how he fits this time.”

Kathleen O'Connell-trained The Distractor, who also graduated against $50,000 claiming maidens while winning his debut by 7 ½ lengths at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 11, is also entered in the field of six juveniles.

Wednesday's feature is carded as Race 6 and will be included in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 sequence, which will span Races 4-9. The Rainbow 6 will have a guaranteed pool of $125,000.

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Gulfstream West: Rainbow 6 Pool Guaranteed At $100,000, Half-Brother To Tapit Debuts Saturday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $100,000 for Saturday's program at Gulfstream Park West.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the third racing day since one lucky ticketholder hit for a $249,204 jackpot Sunday.

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.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, kicked off by a full field of $12,500 claimers in Race 5, slated to be run at five furlongs on turf.

A half-brother to Tapit, North America's premier stallion, is scheduled to make his debut in Race 6, a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds and up. Kidtapit, a 4-year-old son of Super Saver, is the last registered foal of Tap Your Heels, a daughter of Unbridled. Kidtapit is owned and trained by Steven Dwoskin, who is also scheduled to saddle Follow Q T R, a 3-year-old first-time starter by Honor Code. Moonlander, a debuting son of Malibu Moon trained by Todd Pletcher; is also prominent in the eight-horse field.

Jorge Delgado-trained Just Kidding, who finished third in the $150,000 FSS Wildcat Heir last time out, drops back to optional claiming allowance company in Race 7. A pair of recent claims from the Michael Maker barn are among 13 fillies and mares entered in Race 8, scheduled to be contested at 7 ½ furlongs on turf. Act Like Artie, who beat $25,000 claiming maidens last time out, debuts for trainer Darien Rodriguez, while All About Kathern, a daughter of Bodemeister who was claimed for $12,500, is set to make her first start for owner/trainer Mary Eppler. Amador Sanchez-trained La Rusia is the 7-2 morning-line favorite after finishing second to non-winners-of-two $25,000 claimers last time out.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will be closed out by a six-furlong optional claiming allowance for 2-year-old fillies in Race 9 and a six-furlong sprint for a full field of $6,500 claimers. Maker-trained Artie's Rose, who graduated in her second career start and first dirt race at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 10, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in Race 9, which attracted three other last-out maiden winners. Colossal Storm, who broke his maiden by 15 ½ lengths at Louisiana Downs for trainer Steve Asmussen, will make his first start for owner/trainer Peter Walder in Race 10.

Rohan Crichton in a Zone with Three-Win Day

Trainer Rohan Crichton remained in a zone at Gulfstream Park West, saddling three winners from as many starters on Friday's program.

Crichton visited the winner's circle with Great Sister Diane ($4) in Race 3, Trisomia ($6.60) in Race 4 and Septemberten ($7.40) in Race 8.

The native of Jamaica has saddled nine winners from 21 starters at the Gulfstream Park West meet.

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Pegasus Series Races To Offer Guaranteed Spots In Saudi Cup Day Events

The winners of four Graded races in the USA and Japan will be guaranteed spots in three Saudi Cup Day races, following an announcement made Friday by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA).

The Grade 1 $3m Pegasus World Cup, set to be run on dirt at Florida's Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23, 2021, once again offers its winner a confirmed place in the $20m Saudi Cup starting gate.

In 2020 the Pegasus top spot was taken by Saudi owner HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Al Saud's Mucho Gusto, trained by US Hall of Famer, Bob Baffert. A popular competitor among the home crowds at King Abdulaziz Racecourse during Saudi Cup week a month later, Mucho Gusto finished fourth in the big race under US-based jockey, Irad Ortiz, earning $1.5m for connections.

Taking the Saudi Cup's association with Gulfstream Park and the prestigious Pegasus Series one step further in 2021 is the addition of the Grade 1 $1m Pegasus World Cup Turf as a qualifying race for the $1m Middle Distance Turf Handicap on Saudi Cup Day.

In 2020 this became the first turf race to be staged in Saudi history and took place on the purpose-built grass track. The win went to Port Lions trained in Bahrain by Fawzi Nass and ridden by Dutchman, Adrie de Vries.

Tom Ryan, the JCSA's Director of Strategy and International Racing said: “The Pegasus races have consistently attracted the best horses in the USA since they were established in 2017 and this is exactly the caliber of runner we want to continue to welcome to Riyadh for Saudi Cup on both the dirt and turf tracks.

“Nurturing an ongoing alliance between the Saudi Cup and established races with global followings such as the Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus World Cup Turf is key to our continued growth and development on the international racing stage.”

Craig Fravel, CEO of Racing Operations, The Stronach Group, the company behind the Pegasus World Cup said: “The Stronach Group is delighted that the winners of the 2021 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series races will be invited to participate in Saudi Cup Day.

“In four short years, the Pegasus World Cup has become one of sport's most exciting experiences and one of Thoroughbred racing's most pivotal events, bringing together the world's best racehorses. Races like the Pegasus World Cup and Saudi Cup encourage international competition and promote our sport to fans across the globe.”

The JCSA has also worked with the Japan Racing Association (JRA) to establish the Grade 1 $1.96m Champions Cup held over 1800m on dirt at Chukyo Racecourse on December 6, as a second qualifying race for the Saudi Cup.

In addition, the 1200m Grade 3 Capella Stakes, on December 13 at Nakayama Racecourse, which carries a purse of $703,000, has been announced as a qualifying race for the $1.5m Riyadh Dirt Sprint over the same distance on Saudi Cup Day.

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Prominent Japanese trainer, Hideyuki Mori, who campaigned Full Flat to victory in the 2020 Saudi Derby on Saudi Cup Day welcomed the news: “It is exciting news to hear that Champions Cup and Capella Stakes are appointed as qualifying races for the Saudi Cup and the Riyadh Sprint,” he said. “It is the tendency that the rating of Japanese dirt horses are lower than turf horses and therefore we need these kind of races in Japan.

“I have just decided to withdraw Matera Sky from Breeders Cup to save him for the Riyadh Dirt Sprint and look forward to visiting Saudi again in February.”

Ryan said: “We are very excited to be able to announce these two high quality Japanese races as providing a guaranteed place to the Saudi Cup starting gate and the Riyadh Dirt Sprint respectively.

“The first two finishers in the 2019 Champions Cup, Chrysoberyl and Gold Dream came to Saudi Cup in 2020 proving an already established route for top class runners between the two races and the two jurisdictions.

“We are keen to encourage more international runners across all our races, not just the marquee Saudi Cup event, and so feel our association with this strong sprint in Japan is an important step for us as we build on the successes of year one.”

Adding to the international flavour across Saudi Cup weekend is the introduction of the $500,000 Saudi International Handicap, a race for horses from Part II and Part III racing countries as designated by the IFHA's Blue Book.

The Handicap will be held on Friday February 19, 2021, the day before Saudi Cup for horses rated 85-110.

“We are keen to provide as much interest and excitement across Saudi Cup weekend as possible for all our connections and also race fans,” said Ryan. “We had a good start in year one but we will continue looking at ways to evolve our race days and support worldwide horse racing. With the Saudi International Handicap we wanted to offer a global stage, to horses and connections that may not normally have this access, backed up by attractive prize money.”

The second renewal of Saudi Cup weekend will take place on Friday February 19 and Saturday February 20 2021 and the JCSA will announce any decisions regarding access to the event relating to Covid-19 restrictions at the earliest possible stage.

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Gulfstream West: Bodexpress Poses A ‘Single’ Question To Rainbow 6 Bettors On Saturday

A quick glance at the past performance lines for Saturday's Race 9 feature at Gulfstream Park West is all that is needed to figure out that Bodexpress will be a rather imposing horse to beat.

Bodexpress is rated as the 4-5 morning-line favorite against five rivals in the 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance for good reason, having placed in multiple graded stakes, including the 2019 Florida Derby (G1), in which he finished second to Maximum Security, at Gulfstream Park.

So, naturally, the Gustavo Delgado-trained 4-year-old colt is a no-brainer Rainbow 6 'single,' right? …Right?? …Right???

OK, so maybe Bodexpress hasn't always been the most reliable betting proposition during his career; OK, so maybe he became a fan favorite as much through his sometimes erratic bad-boy behavior as his abundant talent; OK, so maybe the son of Bodemeister did rear up and unseat Hall of Famer John Velazquez leaving the starting gate in last year's Preakness Stakes (G1) and led the outrider on a merry chase around the Pimlico racetrack during the race.

But … if bettors take a stand that Bodexpress will behave himself Saturday, a 'single' in Race 9 will offer them better opportunities to 'spread' in the other five legs in the Rainbow 6, which will offer a jackpot pool guarantee of $250,000 after going unsolved for the first 10 days of the Fall Turf Festival Meet. After all, Bodexpress has made himself right at home at Gulfstream Park West, where he is based when he isn't on the road for stakes engagements.

The Kentucky-bred colt is undefeated in two starts at Gulfstream Park West. He broke his maiden in his eighth career race last October in his comeback race from his Preakness disaster. He came right back to break the track record for a mile while scoring by 6 ¾ lengths a month later, registering a career-best speed figure that towers over the best numbers put up by his Saturday foes.

Can't bring yourself to 'single' him? How about taking a stab with the only horse in the field to beat Bodexpress? Identifier scored a 60-1 upset over third-place finisher Bodexpress in the March 28 Hal's Hope (G3) at Gulfstream but has gone winless in three subsequent starts. How about Blewitt? The namesake of Gulfstream analyst Jason Blewitt returns to Gulfstream, where he scored an optional claiming allowance April 9 before losing four straight in New York.

Of course, there are five other competitive Rainbow 6 legs to review before deciding whether to 'single' Bodexpress, include a 'saver' or 'toss' him in Race 9.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 sequence will span Race 5-10 Saturday, kicking off with a 1 1/16-mile turf race for $12,500 claimers that have gone winless since April 17. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Keep Quiet, who lost by a neck as a beaten favorite last time out, is the 8-5 favorite in a field of 10. Trainer Jenna Antonucci, who is 2-for-4 at the GPW meet, will be represented by Basha, who finished third against better at Kentucky Downs last time out. Can't Trump Kitten drops down after racing competitively in starter optional claiming company.

Race 6, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for $16,000 claiming maidens, drew a field of 10, including first-time starters trained by David Fawkes and Kathleen O'Connell. Fawkes-trained Include the Beast is daughter of The Big Beast, while O'Connell-trained Hot Babe is a daughter of Fury Kapcori. Leading jockey Edgard Zayas returns aboard Piper, who produced an improved third-place effort in her second career start while dropping to the $16,000 claiming level. Antonio Sano-trained Pink Fizz, who most recently finished a spot behind Piper after experiencing trouble at the start while making her debut.

Sandra Matier-trained Fast Fraction has been installed as a strong 7-5 morning-line favorite for Race 7, a mile-and-70-yard 6,250 claiming race for fillies and mares. The 3-year-old daughter of Algorithms, who finished second as the beaten favorite in her last two starts at a one-turn mile, will stretch out around two turns Saturday. Inedatequila, who romped to a front-running maiden victory in her first start for trainer Kent Sweezey last time out at a one-turn mile, also stretches out Saturday.

Race 8, a co-featured optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares at a mile on turf, could well prove to be a 'spread' race with several horses appearing to have win potential, including Laura Cazares-trained Zodiac Princess, who returns to turf after her three-race winning streak was snapped in an off-the-turf race last time out. Meadow Beauty, who drops down from a troubled stakes outing, and Pardon My Heart, who returns from a five-month layoff since breaking her maiden during the Championship Meet, are scheduled to represent Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

Race 9, win or lose, will be all about Bodexpress.

The Rainbow 6 sequence is scheduled conclude in Race 10 with a 7 ½-furlong maiden special weight race on turf that attracted a full field of 2-year-old fillies, including first-time starters trained by Casse, Sweezey, Michael Maker, Saffie Joseph Jr. and Carlos David, as well as a second-time starter trained by Kenny McPeek. Did we hear someone say, 'Spread?'

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