Saffie Joseph Jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

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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Mischevious Alex, Ny Traffic Breeze Toward Stakes Engagements

Multiple graded-stakes winner Mischevious Alex breezed five furlongs in 1:00.35 Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., accompanied by Grade 1 stakes-placed Ny Traffic.

Mischevious Alex, who came off a five-month layoff to capture a Jan. 10 optional claiming allowance in his first start for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., is likely to race next Feb. 13 in either the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) or the $250,000 General George (G3) at Laurel Park with an eye toward the April 3 Carter (G1) at Aqueduct.

“Today was a very good breeze and he galloped out strong,” Joseph said. “He finished his last quarter in 23 (seconds) and change, so we're very happy.”

Sunday's workout was the first since Mischevious Alex won his 2021 debut by 3 ¾ lengths while running six furlongs in 1:09.67.

Mischevious Alex, who is owned by Cash is King LL and LC Racing LLC, launched his 2020 campaign with a 9 ¾ length victory in the Swale (G3) at Gulfstream and a two-length score in the Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct before finishing fourth in the Woody Stephens (G1) at Belmont and sixth in the H. Allen Jerkens (G1) at Saratoga.

Ny Traffic, who was also timed in 1:00.35, has been out of action since finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and ninth in the Preakness (G1) at Pimlico.

“The work was really more for Mischevious Alex. It was Ny Traffic's first five-eighths and we let him go easy. Alex was going to gallop out.,” Joseph said. “I thought he got enough out of it. Next week, we'll start picking it up do a little more with him. We'll work him to more times and then make a plan for him.”

Ny Traffic, who is owned by John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman and team Hanley, finished second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds, the Matt Winn (G2) at Churchill Downs, and the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park. The son of Cross Traffic lost the Haskell by just a nose to Authentic, who went on to win the Kentucky Derby.

Joseph reported the Drain the Clock came out of his dominating victory in Saturday's $100,000 Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park in good order.

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Drain The Clock Overcomes Recent Colic, Dominates Swale Stakes At Gulfstream

Drain the Clock kept on ticking in Saturday's $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park, running his South Florida record to 4-for-4 with a dominating 6 ¼-length triumph.

The Swale, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, was featured on a 12-race program with five graded stakes, headlined by the $200,000 Holy Bull (G3).

Drain the Clock, whose only loss in five career starts came at Delta Downs when his rider was unseated after a rein broke, was particularly impressive Saturday when it was revealed that the son of Maclean's Music was treated for a case of colic less than two weeks earlier.

“He made it easy today, but 12 days ago he colicked really bad and went to the clinic. Thank God, he got there, and he was good,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “To see him win like that today – he's a good horse. We had to make the call after he breezed on Tuesday. There was no pressure to run. He worked good Tuesday and didn't give us any reason to say, 'no.'”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Racing Stables LLC, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig, Drain the Clock was sent to post as the even-money favorite in a field of six on the strength of his 7 ½-length victory in the six-furlong Limehouse Stakes Jan. 2 at Gulfstream. The Kentucky-bred colt broke alertly from the starting gate to rate outside pacesetter Poppy's Pride, who set fractions of 22.48 and 45.27 seconds for the first half-mile. Drain the Clock moved effortless to the lead under Edgar Zayas on the turn into the stretch and continued on to score a comfortable victory.

Drain the Clock ran seven furlongs in 1:23.29 after being taken under wraps approaching the finish.

“I'm very impressed. He's just improving every race. He's such an easy horse to ride. He breaks out of the gate like a rocket and positions himself in a perfect spot, and when it's time to run he kicks on. He's a really nice horse,” Zayas said. “I think he's maturing a lot. He's running way more straight and more focused into the race. Sometimes inside the gate he was a little nervous but today he was awesome. I think he's improving; hopefully he can stretch out his speed a little bit more.”

King's Ovation and Ultimate Badger, the longest and second-longest shots on the board, finishes second and third for trainer Dale Romans.

Drain the Clock won his Sept. 12 debut in a five-furlong off-the-turf race at Gulfstream by six lengths and came right back to win a first-level optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West. Favored in the Nov. 30 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs, Drain the Clock lost his rider after a rein broke during the race, but has rebounded nicely with back-to-back scores in the Limehouse and Swale.

The $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park will be taken into consideration for Drain the Clock's next start, Joseph said.

“Everything will be under consideration. We'll talk to the owners, obviously, but there's no pressure to push that route. If everything goes good, I'm sure we'll try it,” Joseph said. “He looks like he'll get further.”

The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth is the major prep for the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n Dale at Xalapa.

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Who Do You ‘Like’ in the Swale?

A last out runaway stakes winner will meet a pair of promising maiden winners in Saturday's GIII Claiborne Farm Swale S. going seven furlongs at Gulfstream.

Save a forgettable trip to the post losing his rider at the start in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta last November, Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) has done no wrong in three other attempts, headed by a runaway, front-running tally in Gulfstream's six-furlong Limehouse S. Jan. 2.

“The Swale is a good opportunity to stretch him out an eighth of a mile more. We feel like it's a race that's his for the taking,” trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “His last race was a breakthrough race. We always thought a lot of him.”

The rail-drawn Likeable (Frosted) earned a trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile following an 8 1/4-length maiden breaker at Belmont going a mile second out Sept. 19. The bay, however, could do no better than 13th after pressing a hot pace while making his two turn debut at the Championships in Lexington most recently Nov. 6.

“We kind of threw him to the wolves in the Breeders' Cup. He went too fast early on,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We've regrouped since then and he's been training well. We feel like backing up to seven furlongs will be a good distance for him.”

By George (Into Mischief) impressively handled his business on debut for Christophe Clement over sharp next out winner Too Boss (El Padrino) at Aqueduct Dec. 19. Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call on the 2-1 morning-line favorite.

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