Diamond Oops Gives Geroux Fifth Win On Oaks Day In Twin Spires Turf Sprint

Breaking from the No. 1 post position and saving ground throughout, Diamond Oops rallied from last to win Friday's Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., giving jockey Florent Geroux his fifth win of the afternoon on the Kentucky Oaks day card.

Owned by Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC, Amy E. Dunne, D P Racing LLC and Patrick L. Biancone Racing LLC, the 5-year-old gelding by Lookin At Lucky is trained by Biancone. He covered 5 1/2 furlongs on turf rated good in 1:04.18 and paid $10 as the 4-1 second choice in the wagering.

Extravagant Kid, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, finished second as the 2-1 favorite, beaten a neck, with Just Might a length back in third and Chaps fourth in the field of 12 older turf sprinters.

The win was the first on grass for Diamond Oops, who was bred in Kentucky by Kin Hui Racing Stables and produced from the Whywhywhy mare, Patriotic Viva. His best previous turf performance in three starts came last fall at Keeneland when second, beaten three-quarters of a length by Bowies Hero, in the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile while battling on the front end throughout.

Diamond Oops was shuffled back to the back of the field after the break as Wellable led the field through an opening quarter mile in :22.58 under pressure from Just Might. The latter took command on the turn, the half mile clocked in :45.85, but Extravagant Kid quickly emerged on the scene and appeared to be headed to victory.

Geroux and Diamond Oops began passing horses on the turn after trailing early, following Extravagant Kid on the inside. He came off the rail to pass Wellabled in midstretch, then closed strongly for the win.

“He ran big. He's an amazing horse,” said Geroux. “Patrick (Biancone) always told me this horse has a little bit of some kind of physical problems, but he has the heart of a champion. He'll run on any kind of surface, any distance, from six furlongs to a mile. We saw him last year when he almost pulled it off in the (Grade1) Shadwell Turf Mile. I have no idea what's next for him, because he runs turf, he runs dirt, he does everything.”

Winner of two G3 races in 2019 at Gulfstream Park, the Smile Sprint and Mr. Prospector, Diamond Oops finished fourth behind Mucho Gusto in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 25. Given 4 1/2 months off, Diamond Oops then ran second in an overnight handicap at Gulfstream in June and trained up to the Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Palm Meadows in South Florida.

The victory in the $250,000 race was worth $144,150, upping his earnings to $938,590. He's won six of 15 career starts.

Brendan Walsh, who trained runner-up Extravagant Kid, said: “He ran well. Looked like he had the race won. He did that the one time he got beat here at Churchill, he made the front a little too soon. But in fairness to (jockey) Tyler (Gaffalione), he thought he had everybody covered. You can't just sit on him. He had to go with it, and we got caught out. But hat's off to the winner. They won the race. But he showed up again. We can't ask for much more than that. It would have been nice to win, but there you go.”

Geroux's five wins came in race 5 aboard Travel Column, a 2-year-old filly from the first crop of Frosted who was impressive breaking her maiden in her debut; in race 7 with Flabbergasted in an allowance race; in race 11, the G1 La Troienne aboard Monomoy Girl; and race 12 aboard Shedaresthedevil in the G1 Kentucky Oaks.

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‘This Is The Time’: Sole Volante Sharp In Five-Furlong Turf Breeze Ahead Of Kentucky Derby

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Andie Biancone's Sole Volante turned in a sharp five-furlong workout on turf Friday morning at Palm Meadows Training Facility in preparation for a scheduled start in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby (G1).

The Patrick Biancone-trained son of Karakontie, who was ridden by jockey Luca Panici, was timed in 57.80 seconds, the fastest of four recorded at the distance on turf at Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“He worked really well. We did a shorter work today to get a little speed into him,” said the trainer's daughter and assistant Andie Biancone. “He worked very well and came back great.”

Sole Volante is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs Saturday at 6 p.m.

Sole Volante captured the Pulpit Stakes, in which he defeated Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner King Guillermo on turf, and finished third in the Mucho Macho Man during Gulfstream's Championship Meet. He went on to win the Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs and finish second behind King Guillermo in the Tampa Bay Derby. He won a stakes-quality handicap at Gulfstream June 10 before sustaining his first out-of-the-money finish in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Panici, who has worked closely with the Biancones in the development of Sole Volante, will ride in his first Kentucky Derby Saturday.

“I'm excited to be there. I'm thankful to the connections for giving me this opportunity with a good horse. I'm very, very happy to be a part of this team,” Panici said. “I'm very, very proud and proud of the people who work with me.”

The son of a jockey, Panici grew up playing soccer with Frankie Dettori across the street from the racetrack in Milan, Italy, Dettori, four years his senior, inspired Panici with his immediate success as a jockey at the age of 16, as well as the subsequent fame and fortune he earned in England and across the world. Panici went on to enjoy success while riding more than 500 winners in Italy, but racing in the U.S. first caught his attention in 1996, when he spent a winter in South Florida galloping for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott for free in exchange for one mount (fifth-place finisher Yokama in a Feb. 19, 1996 allowance at Gulfstream).

Panici, who returned to South Florida the following winter to gallop from trainer Gary Sciacca, moved permanently to the U.S. in 2009. He has won nearly 700 races in the U.S., none more important than Sole Volante's Sam F. Davis score that put him on the Triple Crown trail.

“When you work with a baby, you think always maybe they can take you to the Derby,” said the 46-year-old Panici, who will travel to Louisville following Sunday's Gulfstream program. “Finally, this is the time.”

Biancone also sent multiple graded-stakes winner Diamond Oops to the Palm Meadows turf course Friday morning to prepare for a start in the $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) at Churchill Sept. 4. The 5-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky, who is Grade 1 stakes-placed on turf and dirt, was timed in 45.90 seconds, the fastest four-furlong turf work of 19 recorded.

Diamond Oops captured the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector (G3) before stretching out to finish a strong fourth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) during Gulfstream's Championship Meet. He finished second in his first start back in a June 13 overnight handicap in his return off a layoff. Diamond Oops finished second back-to-back in last year's seven-furlong Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga and Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland before getting eliminated at the start of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.

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Sole Volante Breezes On Grass In Advance Of Kentucky Derby

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Andie Biancone's Sole Volante breezed a mile Sunday morning on the turf at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Florida, in preparation for a scheduled start in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby (G1).

The Patrick Biancone-trained son of Karakontie was timed in 1:40 in his first breeze since finishing off the board in the June 20 Belmont Stakes (G1).

Sole Volante breezed in company, sitting off stablemate Shrewdness into the stretch before drawing clear without encouragement from Luca Panici.

“He worked really well,” said Andie Biancone, her father's assistant trainer. “He's doing great.”

Sole Volante captured the Pulpit Stakes, in which he defeated Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner King Guillermo on turf, and finished third in the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park before capturing the Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. He went on to finish second behind King Guillermo in the Tampa Bay Derby and win a stakes-quality allowance at Gulfstream before sustaining his first out-of-the-money finish in the Belmont.

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Gulfstream Park: $1.2 Million Jackpot Guaranteed For Sunday’s Rainbow 6

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $1.2 million Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the 18th consecutive racing program Saturday.

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.

Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, including the $60,000 Opening Lead, a six-furlong overnight stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

Patrick Biancone-trained Diamond Oops is scheduled to prep in the Opening Lead for a start in the Sept. 5 Smile Sprint (G3). The 5-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky, who is a multiple graded-stakes winner who has been Grade 1 stakes-placed twice, captured last year's Smile.

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