Junior Alvarado | Horse Racing Free Tips

Get Smokin Sharp Off Layoff, Wins Tampa Bay Stakes

Making his first start since late November, Mary Abeel Sulllivan Revocable Trust's Get Smokin sat just off the lead for the first six furlongs, took command on the turn for home, then drew off comfortably to win Saturday's Grade 3, $175,000 Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.

Ridden by Junior Alvarado, the Thomas Bush-trained 4-year-old gelded son of Get Stormy covered 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:40.75. He returned $10 for the win, his third in 12 starts and second graded stakes triumph.

Eons checked in second, three-quarters of a length behind the winner, with a fast closing Admission Office a neck back in third, Talk or Listen fourth and 5-2 favorite Greyes Creek fifth in the field of 12 older runners.

Usually a front-runner, including his last start when fourth in the G1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar, Get Smokin settled into second when longshot Proven Strategies forged to an early lead. The latter went an opening quarter mile in :22.75, a half in :46.39 and six furlongs in 1:10.65.

Alvarado sent Get Smokin after the pacesetter into the far turn and the gelding spurted away from the field with a strong move at the top of the stretch. He hit the mile marker in 1:34.44 en route to his final clocking.

“I had to get out of there running,” said Alvarado. “He's a fast horse and he likes to be on the lead, but I knew (Proven Strategies) has a lot of speed too, so it wasn't necessary for me to keep going after him and go head-to-head. So I took a hold and my horse came back to me beautifully and relaxed so well. I knew the whole way around I had plenty of horse under me and by the three-eighths pole, when I put him outside and started picking it up, I had plenty of horse left. Turning for home, I was just a passenger and keeping him happy and he started picking it up on his own without me asking, so I knew I was in good shape.”

“We're thrilled,” Bush said. “We were worried about the speed in there and I knew that one horse (pace-setter Proven Strategies) would be a little bit of a thorn in our side today, but (Get Smokin) was ready today. We were pretty confident. (Junior Alvarado) rode a beauty for sure. Our horse was coming into it great, we gave him a little freshening after California and he has really responded since he got to Florida. He's been in the feed tub and we were really hoping he would run this race and he did. We're probably going to hold off on him and hopefully he will be ready for Keeneland. (Owner Mary Abeel Sullivan) lives in Vero Beach and just watched it on TV and she just called and is very excited. She will be 92 on Monday and is thrilled.”

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Gulfstream Park: Lake Avenue Regains Winning Ways; Thursday Rainbow 6 Jackpot Guaranteed at $750,000

Godolphin LLC's Lake Avenue came through with a winning 2021 debut in Wednesday's stakes-quality featured race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., scoring her first victory since capturing the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct in December 2019.

Winless in four start last year, the 4-year-old daughter of Tapit closed from far off the pace under Junior Alvarado to catch 35-1 pacesetter Dance d'Oro in mid-stretch on her way to a 4 ½-length triumph in the seven-furlong optional claiming allowance for older fillies and mares.

“She didn't break well at all and in these kinds of races you want to at least break good so you can move forward. But I just think she was much the best. Even with breaking a little slow like that, making my move a little bit wide, having the best horse just helps. She just kept going to the wire. She ran a pretty impressive race,” Alvarado said. “When we passed the half-mile pole, I was hoping that she wasn't just fooling me there because the way she was moving was like how I know she moved when she's on her game. She just proved it today. She kept going, kept moving along pretty good, and had a very strong, nice finish.”

Trained by Bill Mott, Lake Avenue ($8.20) was undefeated as a 2-year-old with Junior Alvarado aboard. She finished third behind future Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver in last year's Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) during her four-race 3-year-old campaign.

Dance d'Oro and jockey Emisael Jaramillo held second, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Crumb Bun and jockey Luca Panici. Hopeful Growth, the 6-5 favorite who captured the Monmouth Oaks (G3) last year, finished fourth under Irad Ortiz Jr., in her first start since finishing third in the Oct. 3 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at Pimlico.

Lake Avenue, a Godolphin homebred, ran seven furlongs in 1:23.46.

Thursday's Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $750,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $750,000 Thursday.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the six straight racing day Wednesday, when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $6,886.32.

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.

Thursday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10.

WHO'S HOT: Edgard Zayas notched his second straight four-win day Wednesday at Gulfstream Park. Fresh off a Sunday Grand Slam, the 27-year-old Zayas made four more visits to the winner's circle Wednesday following victories aboard Kantstaros ($13.80) in Race 1, Infatuating ($3.40) in Race 3, Codrington ($4.80) in Race 7 and R Adios Jersey ($3.40) in Race 8.

Zayas has ridden 54 winners during his breakthrough Championship Meet.

Saffie Joseph Jr. saddled his 29^th and 30^th winners of the Championship Meet, scoring with Infatuating ($3.40) in Race 3 and Nitro Time ($3.80) in Race 4. Antonio Sano also saddled a pair of winners, Leyenda ($26.80) in Race 6 Codrington ($4.80) in Race 7.

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Gulfstream Park: Zayas Holds Hot Hand; Rainbow 6 To Have $700,000 Guarantee Wednesday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $700,000 Wednesday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the fifth straight racing day Sunday when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $2,718.50.

WHO'S HOT: Edgard Zayas continued to make the most of his opportunities during the 2020-'21 Championship Meet Sunday. Fresh off his winning ride aboard Drain the Clock in Saturday's Swale (G3), Zayas notched four wins on Sunday's program, scoring aboard Blessed Journey ($5.20) in Race 5, Aycapote ($8.20) in Race 7, El Pillo ($7.80) in Race 8, and Summer Kid ($13.20) in Race 9.

Summer Kid was Zayas' 50^th win of the meet.

Leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. had a three-win day, scoring aboard Topo Grigio ($3.20) in Race 2, No Decaf ($5.60) in Race 3, and War Stopper ($3.80) in Race 10.

Junior Alvarado notched back- to-back wins aboard Blessed Journey ($5.20) in Race 5 and Crew Dragon ($8) in Race 6.

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‘Everything Fell Into Place’: Alvarado Back At Gulfstream Full Time

A year-round force on the New York racing circuit for the past several years, jockey Junior Alvarado has returned to south Florida for the winter months to compete at Gulfstream Park, where he rode his first winner in the U.S. in 2007.

“It's around 12 years since I've ridden full time here. I'm pretty happy to be here again. I love Florida. You can't beat this nice weather in the wintertime,” Alvarado said. “I'm glad things worked out this year. It's very important to start off on the right foot.”

On his first day of riding during the 2020-2021 championship meet, Alvarado guided Barclay Tagg-trained Niko's Dream to victory in the $75,000 My Charmer and finished second aboard Tagg-trained Doswell in the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (Grade 2).

Alvarado's move from Aqueduct to Gulfstream for the winter is hardly a case of needing a change of scenery. The 36-year-old journeyman has been extremely successful during the winter months at Aqueduct where he has won at rates of 27 percent, 24 percent and 23 percent the past three years.

“It was always on my mind, but sometimes you have to measure the right time. Things have to fall into place. I think this year with the COVID, having two kids being able to do school on the computer makes it easy for me to bring them here with me,” said Alvarado, who has three children, sons Adrian and Axel, and daughter Adalyn, with his wife, Kelly. “This year, everything fell into place.”

Alvarado, a son of a jockey, rode his first winner in Venezuela in 2005 before venturing to south Florida in 2007. He rode in his first race in the U.S. at Gulfstream Feb. 2, 2007 and registered his first win aboard Satira in a maiden claiming race at Gulfstream two weeks later. Alvarado moved on the Chicago circuit in 2008, winning the riding title at Arlington Park in 2009 before venturing to New York in 2010. He has become so well-established that he became Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott's year-round go-to jockey in New York.

While he has remained behind in New York in past winters, Alvarado has followed Mott to south Florida this year.

“That was one of the main reasons. Riding a lot of good horses for Bill Mott definitely pushes you to move your tack down here,” said Alvarado, who has ridden 1,760 winners during his career in the U.S.

Although he hasn't ridden regularly in south Florida for several years, Alvarado ventured to Gulfstream in 2016 to ride Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Mohaymen to victory in the Holy Bull (G2) and Fountain of Youth (G2), After a subpar showing in the Florida Derby (G1), Mohaymen finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) while providing Alvarado with his first Triple Crown mount.

Through past experience and close observation of racing at Gulfstream, Alvarado was prepared for the switch from New York to south Florida.

“It's definitely something you have to adjust to. You can't leave a horse with too much to do, because you'll never get there,” he said. “I've been watching races to be able to translate that. Sometimes you need to adjust. That's what I've been trying to do with the first horses I've been riding – to make sure to put them in the right spot, close enough so they don't have too much to do.”

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