Todd Pletcher | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gulfstream Park: $900,000 Guaranteed Jackpot In Wednesday’s Rainbow 6; Maker Scores Four Bagger On Sunday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $900,000 Wednesday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the 10th day of the Championship Meet Sunday, when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $1,206.26.

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.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, including four optional claiming allowances and two maiden races on turf.

Multiple graded-stakes winner Social Paranoia headlines Race 9, the 7 ½-furlong turf feature for 3-year-olds and up. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old son of Street Sense hasn't seen action since winning the Poker (G3) at Belmont July 20. Social Paranoia has won twice in three starts over the Gulfstream turf course, including a maiden-breaking score in 2019 and a triumph in the Appleton (G3) on this year's Florida Derby (G1) undercard. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call.

Mark Casse-trained Olympic Runner, a multiple graded stakes-placed son of Gio Ponti, is also entered in Wednesday's feature. The 4-year-old gelding will make his first start since shipping from Woodbine, where he was twice stakes-placed this year. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount.

There will be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $13,956.76 heading into Wednesday's card.

WHO'S HOT: Trainer Michael Maker sent out four winners on Sunday's program, scoring with Can't Buy Love ($5.20) in Race 4, Chess's Dream ($3.20) in Race 6, Morocco ($7.20) in Race 10 and Phantom Vision ($5.40) in Race 11.

Paco Lopez and Irad Ortiz Jr. each tripled. Lopez scored aboard Foster Hope ($29.60) in Race 3. R Adios Jersey ($3.80) in Race 5 and Lenzi's Lucky Lady ($18.20) in Race 8. Ortiz won aboard Gone to Cabo ($4.60) in Race 2, Chess's Dream ($3.20) in Race 6 and Morocco ($7.20) in Race 10.

The post Gulfstream Park: $900,000 Guaranteed Jackpot In Wednesday’s Rainbow 6; Maker Scores Four Bagger On Sunday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Largent Helps Pletcher Bag Fourth Win Of Day In Ft. Lauderdale

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Largent put an exclamation point on a four-win afternoon for trainer Todd Pletcher, punching his ticket to next month's $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) with a come-from-behind victory in Saturday's $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 64th running of the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale for 3-year-olds and up on the grass was the headliner on an 11-race program featuring five stakes, four graded, worth $575,000 in purses including the $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), a prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 23, won by Tax.

With Paco Lopez aboard for the first time, Largent ($35.80) swept to the lead on the far outside approaching the stretch and outran fellow longshots Breaking the Rules and Doswell late to win by two lengths in 1:46.16 over turf course rated good.

Since the Pegasus Turf was inaugurated in 2019, the Fort Lauderdale was moved from early January to mid-December to serve as the local stepping-stone to the Pegasus Day event. Eight of the 10 horses in Saturday's field were stakes winners, six of them in graded company led by millionaire favorite Factor This.

“Very salty field, indeed, and very fast fractions,” Pletcher said. “[Largent] is a horse that's generally laying up close. I just told Paco, 'It looks like there's a lot of pace, just try to sit in the pocket,' and he delivered a very good ride.”

“One thing is, he's always loved Gulfstream. He's always run very well here and we just felt like it was the right time to step up,” he added. “He'd been training great and it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot.”

It was the third career stakes win and first in graded company for Largent, who captured a pair of Virginia-bred stakes earlier this year at Colonial Downs and Laurel Park. The 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding has now won four of his five starts at Gulfstream, with one second.

“He's always run well here and he's a horse that has shown some talent. This was definitely his toughest task to date but he showed that he likes it here and delivered a big performance,” Pletcher said. “I think he certainly ran well enough today to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we'd love to do.”

Lopez settled Largent in mid-pack as his Pletcher-trained stablemate, Grade 1 winner Halladay, and Factor This battled dueled on the front end through fractions of 23.22 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.34 for the half, going six furlongs in 1:09.62. Lopez tipped outside after saving ground early and powered through the stretch to cruise past the tiring leaders.

“[Pletcher] said, 'Paco, there's a lot of speed, four or five horses. Just go behind them and relax. Figure out where you are and ride your race,'” Lopez said. “He broke well, he came back and he was very comfortable. We came around horses at the top of the stretch and went on.”

Doswell, a winner of his previous two races, came up the rail to edge Breaking the Rules for second. They were followed by graded winners Spooky Channel and Channel Cat, Tide of the Sea, Halladay, Factor This, multiple graded-stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown and French Group 3 winner Delaware.

“There was a little bit of cut [in the ground] and they were certainly going fast enough. The key was that [Largent] was able to settle and relax early on and that allowed him to deliver a big closing kick,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately for Halladay there was so much pace in today's race. We didn't want to take away his weapon, but at the same time he was probably doing a little too much early on.”

Pletcher was the trainer of Channel Cat when he ran 10th of 12 in the most recent edition of the Pegasus Turf, won in an upset by Zulu Alpha.

“With Largent, I think he certainly earned his way in and with Halladay, we'll assess how he comes out of it,” Pletcher said. “We'll get them home and evaluate both of them but we'll just kind of play it by ear with Halladay.”

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Into Mischief’s Largent High-Steps It in Fort Lauderdale Upset

Sent off at odds of 16-1 as the lesser-fancied of a pair from trainer Todd Pletcher in Saturday’s GII Ft. Lauderdale S., Largent (Into Mischief) settled in the latter half of the field and took advantage of a fast pace up ahead of him to cause the upset and likely earn a spot in the field for the $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf next month.

Largent landed behind midfield as Halladay (War Front) set a searching pace in advance of the fleet-footed Factor This (The Factor) with the equally quick Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) outfooted in third. Racing inside down the backstretch, Largent was full of run, but was patiently handled into the final three furlongs by Paco Lopez. Sensing a chance to get away from the fence when push came to shove, Largent was produced four or five wide into the lane and finished fastest of all for the victory.

Doswell (Giant’s Causeway) tagged Breaking the Rules (War Front) for second.

Largent, a two-time stakes winner in Virginia-bred company earlier this year in Colonial’s Edward P. Evans S. July 29 and Laurel’s Bert Allen S. (non black-type) last time Oct. 9, became the 35th graded winner for his all-conquering sire with the victory Saturday. He sandwiched a runner-up finish in Saratoga’s Lure S. Sept. 7 between those two aforementioned victories. Largent is now four-for-five over the Gulfstream lawn.

“One thing is, he’s always loved Gulfstream,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He’s always run very well here and we just felt like it was the right time to step up. He’d been training great and it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot.”

Pletcher continued, “He’s a horse that has shown some talent. This was definitely his toughest task to date but he showed that he likes it here and delivered a big performance. I think he certainly ran well enough today to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we’d love to do.”

Pedigree Notes:

Another weekend, another stakes winner for Into Mischief. North America’s leading sire has 83 career black-type winners from nine crops, but the truly remarkable statistic is 29 of his runners are stakes winners of 2020. Among his 34 lifetime graded winners are this year’s GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic, GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Gamine, and his newest graded winner, Largent. Largent is the last foal out of the late Life in Seattle, whose three stakes performers also included MSW & GSP Kona Blend (Dixieland Band) and MSP Edgewater (Lion Heart). Life in Seattle won half of her four career starts and was out of the $1.9-million KEENOV broodmare Life At the Top, a MGISW and graded stakes producer. Life At the Top’s dam was a half-sister to Eclipse champion and GI Kentucky Derby winner Bold Forbes (Irish Castle). Largent is bred on the identical cross as Into Mischief’s dual champion Covfefe, as both are out of Unbridled mares. Unbridled’s 87 stakes winners out of his daughters also include Canadian champion Spring in the Air (Spring At Last), Derby winner Orb (Malibu Moon), and GI Preakness winner Shackleford (Forestry). Unbridled’s sire son, Unbridled’s Song, accounts for the dams of three more of Into Mischief’s black-type winners. An additional two of Into Mischief’s stakes winners are by another Unbridled son, Empire Maker.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FORT LAUDERDALE S.-GII, $200,000, Gulfstream, 12-12, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.16, gd.
1–LARGENT, 120, g, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Life in Seattle, by Unbridled
2nd Dam: Life At the Top, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: See You At the Top, by Riva Ridge
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($460,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC & Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Lazy Lane Farms LLC (VA); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-Paco Lopez. $117,800. Lifetime Record: 9-6-3-0, $314,470. *1/2 to Edgewater (Lion Heart), MSP, $250,142; and Kona Blend (Dixieland Band), MSW & GSP, $174,960. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Doswell, 120, g, 5, Giant’s Causeway–Ballet Pacifica, by Minardi. O/B-Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Barclay Tagg. $38,000.
3–Breaking the Rules, 120, h, 5, War Front–Protesting, by A.P. Indy. O/B-Phipps Stable (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III. $19,000.
Margins: 2, NO, 1HF. Odds: 16.90, 15.60, 10.80.
Also Ran: Spooky Channel, Channel Cat, Tide of the Sea, Halladay, Factor This, Somelikeithotbrown, Delaware (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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‘We Have High Hopes For Him’: $900,000 Quality Road Colt Prime Factor Romps In Debut For Pletcher

WinStar Farm LLC and CHC Inc.'s Prime Factor appears ready for prime time following the Todd Pletcher's trainee's sparkling debut Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 2-year-old son of Quality Road crossed the finish line under wraps while scoring by 8 ¾ lengths in the six-furlong maiden special weight race carded as Race 2 on a program that featured the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) and four other stakes.

Bred by Two Hearts Farm LLC and purchased for $900,000 from the Legacy Bloodstock consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September sale, Prime Factor broke alertly from the starting gate to sit alongside pacesetter Dr. Duke along the backstretch and around the far turn before assuming the lead on the turn into the homestretch. The Kentucky-bred colt quickly accelerated at the top of the stretch under mild encouragement from jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. before completing the final eighth of a mile under wraps.

“It was a very professional debut. He broke well and put himself in a good spot. It looked like he was taking Irad wherever he wanted him to go throughout the race,” Pletcher said. “He's been training exceptionally well. We were looking forward to a good debut. Honestly, he exceeded expectations.”

Prime Factor ($6.20), who ran six furlongs in 1:10.38, is out of the Bernardini mare Hailey Brae, a half-sister to Speightster.

“We'll talk to Elliott [Walden] and the guys at WinStar and CHC and come up with a game plan,” Pletcher said. “The good thing about this time of year is there's pretty good options all around. We have high hopes for him.”

Pletcher-trained Bracken, a debuting son of Speightster for Robert and Lawana Low, closed to finish second behind Prime Factor.

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