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Gulfstream: Friday’s Rainbow 6 Guaranteed At $900,000, Mandatory Payout Sunday

A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool is scheduled for Sunday's closing-day program of the Spring/Summer Meet at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race program went unsolved for the 13th consecutive racing day Thursday, when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $2,967.68. The carryover jackpot pool grew to $636,676.56. However, there will be a jackpot pool guarantee of $900,000 for Friday's Rainbow 6.

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.

Should the Rainbow 6 go unsolved Friday and Saturday, the pool is expected to build into the millions.

Friday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, including a second-level optional claiming allowance featuring Tatweej's quest for three wins in a row.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the late-developing 4-year-old, who brought a bid of $2.5 million at the 2017 Keeneland September sale, has scored dominating back-to-back victories at Friday's distance of a mile. The son of Tapit, who finished third in his June 21 debut at Gulfstream, broke his maiden in front-running style by 3 ¾ lengths July 25. The Kentucky-bred colt, who is out of Grade 1-stakes winner Tiz Miz Sue, came right back to score by 2 ½ lengths Aug. 22. Edgard Zayas has the return mount Friday, when Tatweej will take on five rivals, including Brewmeister, who will also be seeking his third straight victory at Gulfstream.

Formerly trained by Chad Brown, Brewmeister finished third June 13 in his first start for Lisa Lewis, before graduating at 6 ½ furlongs July 4 and coming right back to rally from far back to score by a half-length. Ron Allen Jr. has the return call on the 3-year-old gelded son of Point of Entry.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 sequence will be highlighted by six juvenile stakes, including the $400,000 In Reality and the $400,000 My Dear Girl, the final legs of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida.

The $150,000 FSS Wildcat Heir, a mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, will kick off the sequence in Race 6, followed by the $75,000 Hollywood Beach, a five-furlong turf sprint; the My Dear Girl, the 1 1/16-mile final for fillies; the $75,000 Armed Forces, a mile turf stakes; the In Reality, the 1 1/16-mile open-division final; and the $75,000 Our Dear Peggy, a mile turf race for fillies.

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Australia: Rothfire Ready To Fire In Group 1 Golden Rose

The Sydney “Spring Carnival” hits full stride this Friday night, with the $1,000,000 Golden Rose showcasing an exciting field of newly-turned 3-year-olds. The Golden Rose is the first 3-year-old Group 1 race of the Australian season, which began in August. The seven furlong contest at Rosehill is a ringing endorsement of stud potential but, more imminently, is a worthy guide to The Everest three weeks later, at Randwick.

Last year's Golden Rose runner-up, Yes Yes Yes, went on to win The Everest, the world's richest turf race which was inaugurated a mere three years ago. And last year's Golden Rose winner, Bivouac, is prominent in Everest future-book wagering after a promising 4-year-old debut last weekend. The Everest might include two Golden Rose winners, as this Friday's hot favorite, Rothfire, has already booked an Everest starting berth (under the race's slot-purchase format).

Rothfire comes from humble beginnings in my home state of Queensland. He was bred in the small town of Chinchilla – known as the melon capital of Australia – and early attempts to sell the yearling bore no fruit. He was eventually offered for $10,000 to leading Brisbane trainer Rob Heathcote, who accepted, but the money was irretrievably lost to Nigeria in an online “phishing” scam, forcing a double payment. Even at $20,000, Heathcote has a bargain buy that quickly drew comparisons with his topline sprinter Buffering, winner of the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night four years ago. Indeed, Heathcote has stated that Rothfire “can take me around the world.”

The gelding boasts seven wins from eight starts. In the first five victories, he was on the pace throughout. However, in his two most recent and significant wins – a season-ending G1 in Brisbane at his only seven furlong test, and the traditional lead-up to the Golden Rose in his seasonal and Sydney debut – Rothfire showed he's not just a spitfire by coming from behind the leader. His regular rider, Jim Byrne, is a veteran of Queensland racing (Byrne and Heathcote have won five Brisbane riding and training titles, respectively). Due to coronavirus quarantine protocols, Byrne is basing himself in Sydney for the duration of Rothfire's campaign. He is doubtless sacrificing numerous hometown winners, which will be more than compensated for should Rothfire (even-money favorite) triumph in Friday's Golden Rose then ascend to The Everest.

Rothfire's main competition on Friday is expected to come from horses who finished behind him last start, but who will appreciate the step up to seven furlongs and have been trained to peak for the Golden Rose. Ole Kirk (8-1), named for the inventor of Lego, can use his seasonal debut placing as a building block. His dam is a full sister to Black Caviar, and Ole Kirk shares some common ownership with the superstar mare who retired undefeated in 25 starts. Stablemate North Pacific (9-2) had two impressive wins – albeit on “heavy” tracks – before finishing third behind Rothfire and Ole Kirk. It is a testament to the remarkable democracy of horse racing that these $675,000 and $800,000 colts are likely to again play second fiddle to a $10,000 gelding nicknamed the “Thrilla from Chinchilla.”

If trying to beat Rothfire, I recommend considering a pair at double-digit odds: Mamaragan (13-1) has the rare distinction of placing in the world's richest 2-year-old race, the Golden Slipper, at just his second career start. King's Legacy (15-1) is a Group One winner at seven furlongs in Sydney and is 2-for-2 when second up. Both longshots have license to improve sharply off their latest unplaced efforts behind Rothfire.

The Rosehill card also includes the Shannon Stakes (G2) and Pendant (G2) which will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 10:25 p.m. ET / 8:25 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Kembla Grange, Toowoomba and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, AmWager, and BetAmerica. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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Equibase Analysis: Notable Exception Could Post The Upset In American Pharoah Stakes

The Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes is a “Win and You're In” for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile the first full weekend in November at Keeneland Race Course. Of the eight entrants, only one (Waspirant) has won a route race of a mile or more, doing so last month to break his maiden in his second career start, and only one (Weston) has won a stakes race, having proven victorious in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at seven furlongs in August. However, the other six all have the potential to take that leap forward and run well enough to win, such as Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity runner-up Spielberg, who is still a maiden as he finished second in his only other race to date.

Get Her Number led from the start in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes just 19 days ago and settled for fourth at the end but was beaten just a pair of noses for the runner-up spot. Dyn O Mite was much further back in fifth in the Del Mar Futurity while Rombauer was sixth in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf and both hope to be more competitive. Notable Exception is a truly unknown quantity as he is the only horse not to have run locally as he broke his maiden in his debut 22 days ago at Arlington Park in Illinois. Touchdown Brown rounds out the field and enters the race off a half-length defeat in the I'm Smokin Stakes (restricted to California bred horses) around one turn three weeks ago.

In spite of only having run once and not having run around two turns, Notable Exception is my top choice to win this year's American Pharoah Stakes. In his debut on September 4, Noble Exception demonstrated a lot of physical and mental quality as he battled for the lead from the start then relinquished it briefly before a half-mile had been run. Reasserting himself on the turn, Notable Exception drew off to a three length lead with an eighth of a mile to go before extending the lead to five and one-quarter lengths at the end. Since that time, Notable Exception returned to trainer Jack Sisterson's base at Keeneland and put in a strong :59.8 five furlong workout to signal he's getting stronger every day as a two year old should be at this time of year. The 64 Equibase Speed Figure was unremarkable compared to some of the others in this race, but 2-year-olds have been known to improve markedly from one race to the next and that is what I am expecting of this colt. Most of all, Notable Exception has a pedigree which tells me he will run very well in this mile and one-sixteenth race. Using STATS Race Lens to look at what other foals of sire Street Sense have done, I note that thirteen sons and daughters of the sire have run in stakes races for two year olds, with four individual horses having emerged victorious. Perhaps as telling is the fact that Notable Exception has a half-brother (same dam) who won three of his first four races in 2017 and 2018 including the Shared Belief Stakes. As Notable Exception was particularly impressive winning his only race and with no doubts about his ability to stretch out to this distance and run well, I think he can win this race.

Waspirant finished fourth in his debut, in a sprint, at 30 to 1 odds on August 8 then returned just 21 days later at a mile and was an entirely different horse. In that second career start, Waspirant stalked the pacesetter by a half-length through the opening half-mile, was second with an eighth of a mile to go then got up late to win by three-quarters of a length. That was a pretty professional effort for a horse making only the second start of his career. Improving to an 81 figure, Waspirant now adds blinkers, likely as a result of a suggestion by jockey Umberto Rispoli, who missed winning the riding title at the recently concluded Del Mar meeting by one win (behind Flavien Prat). The blinkers should help Waspirant keep down distractions and so he should improve. That improvement, coupled with the fact he is the only horse in the field with a win around two-turns on dirt, Waspirant should be a strong contender down to the wire in the American Pharoah Stakes.

Touchdown Brown won impressively in his debut in June, at four and one-half furlongs, earning a phenomenal 96 figure which was stakes quality. Entering the Graduation Stakes for his next start, Touchdown Brown finished last of seven while never threatening as the six to five betting favorite. Blinkers were added for his following race on September 4 in the I'm Smokin Stakes and the colt responded with a very game effort when beaten only a half-length, rebounding to a 95 figure while four lengths clear of the next horse. Interestingly enough, blinkers come off for the American Pharoah but that's likely a method to curtail the colt's early speed and get him to relax as he may have other company near the front. Still, Touchdown Brown may not be a need-the-lead type as he rallied from third in his debut win without blinkers. As a son of Cairo Prince, there's little doubt Touchdown Brown will run even better at this longer distance as per STATS Race Lens the sire has produced five dirt route stakes winners from 13 individual horses which have competed at this level. With the ground saving rail and a potential pace battle on the front end, Touchdown Brown could be rallying strongly to win.

Spielberg and Get Her Number are notable for a couple of reasons but I feel they don't have the same probability to win compared to Notable Exception, Waspirant or Touchdown Brown. Both fit as proven competitive in stakes but both wear blinkers and appear to have the same need-the-lead style which means they could run faster than average in the early stages and be vulnerable to being passed late. Spielberg finished second in his debut with an 85 figure then second again in the Del Mar Futurity. In both races he was beaten by Dr. Schivel, whose connections recently announced is getting the rest of the year off to prepare for the Road to the Kentucky Derby in 2021. Get Her Number won his debut at five furlongs on turf in August with an 86 figure then stretched out to a mile, also on grass, in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes three weeks ago. In that race Get Her Number led easily in the early stages then had to fight head-and-head starting with a quarter mile to go, eventually settling for fourth but beaten by a pair of noses for the runner-up spot. Also worth mentioning is Weston, who won at four and one-half furlongs in his debut in June with a 93 figure, but then in spite of winning the Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs regressed to an 84 figure then again to 77 when third and nearly four lengths behind runner-up Spielberg in the Del Mar Futurity earlier this month.

The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Dyn O Mite (84) and Rombauer (85).

Win Contenders:
Notable Exception
Waspirant
Touchdown Brown

American Pharoah Stakes – Grade 1
Race 8 at Santa Anita
Saturday, September 26 – Post Time 7 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Sixteenth
Two Year Olds
Purse: $300,000

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NYRA Partners With Churchill Downs For Saturday Cross Country Pick 5

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will partner with Churchill Downs for Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, a unique offering highlighted by three graded stakes.

Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/cross-country-wagers.

The sequence begins at beautiful Belmont Park in Race 7 at 4:08 p.m. Eastern with a six-furlong allowance optional-claiming sprint. The 10-horse field includes Liam's Pride, winner of the Gold Fever on a sloppy Belmont strip in July; popular 11-time winner T Loves a Fight; and the talented Hidden Scroll returning to the main track following off-the-board efforts on turf for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Action then shifts to historic Churchill Downs for the second leg [Race 8, 4:21 p.m. Eastern] where a field of 10 allowance optional-claiming fillies and mares will travel a one-turn mile on the main track. Joy Epifora, a Group 1 winner in her native Argentina, returns to the main track for trainer Ignacio Correas, IV to face a talented group that includes multiple graded-stakes placed Gold Standard for trainer Brad Cox; and half-million earner Talk Veuve to Me, a graded stakes winner trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

A trio of graded stakes to complete the wager begins in Race 8 at Belmont Park at 4:42 p.m. Eastern with the Grade 3 Noble Damsel, a one-mile turf event for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward. Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out the talented troika of Viadera, Blowout and Noor Sahara to square off against the improving Feel Glorious, who searches for her first graded stakes win for conditioner Christophe Clement.

The penultimate leg from Churchill Downs [Race 9, 4:53 p.m.], the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack, will see a field of 13 traverse a one-turn mile on the main track. Leading the charge is $1.3 million earner Mr. Money, a 4-year-old son of Goldencents trained by Bret Calhoun sporting a record of three wins from five starts at the Louisville oval. Steep opposition will be provided by Calumet Farm's Everfast, runner-up in last year's Grade 1 Preakness; and Grade 3 Razorback champ Warrior's Charge, a five-time winner for trainer Brad Cox who was elevated to first last out in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth Park.

The sequence concludes at Belmont Park in Race 9 at 5:14 p.m. with the Grade 2, $150,000 Vosburgh, a six-furlong sprint led by six-time graded-stakes winning millionaire Firenze Fire for trainer Kelly Breen. Opposition in the six-horse field is led by the John Terranova-trained pair of Funny Guy and Stan the Man.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, September 26:
Leg A: Belmont-Race 7 (4:08 pm)
Leg B: Churchill-Race 8 (4:21 pm)
Leg C: Belmont-Race 8 – Grade 3 Noble Damsel (4:42 pm)
Leg D: Churchill-Race 9 – Grade 3 Ack Ack (4:53 pm)
Leg E: Belmont-Race 9 – Grade 2 Vosburgh (5:14 pm)

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