HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The first mandatory-payout Rainbow 6 of the New Year at Gulfstream Park is on tap Sunday and looms a daunting task for handicappers seeking to garner a share of the jackpot.It’s one that will begin with a carryover of about $300,000 if not hit Friday or Saturday and figures to approach $3 million by the time the final batch of bets from computer-wagering program players hits the pool as the last horse loads into the gate for Leg 1 of the popular gimmick.
Those who like dirt races in these types of wagers need not apply Sunday, as there isn’t one in the sequence that consists of three turf races and three over the Tapeta course. Races 8 and 9 are the afternoon’s co-features. The first is for long-winded older horses at 1 1/2 miles on turf, the second for 3-year-old fillies going a mile and 70 yards over the synthetic track to be decided under entry-level allowance conditions.
The Rainbow 6 kicks off in the fifth race and just getting through the opening leg could be a real challenge, especially for those putting together a ticket on a limited bankroll. The one-mile maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies on the turf lured a full field of 12 and includes five first-time starters along with the European invader Crystalaire, who is probably a must-use after finishing midpack in a race from which the first two finishers, both from the barn of trainer Aidan O’Brien, came back to win at next asking before going on to additional success in Group 2 and 3 races during the fall.
We Sea You, another European import, figures to improve off what may have been a much-needed U.S. debut here six weeks earlier and is hard to ignore. The same is true for Table Flirt, who showed improvement while beaten just three lengths for second money when stretching out and switching to turf for the first time for trainer Bill Mott.
Of the new faces, Tellus Mater has some appeal, the daughter of American Pharoah having held her own in the morning with Illuminatrice, who has finished second against maiden special weight competition in each of her last two starts.
Leg 2, a starter allowance/optional claimer on Tapeta, drew only seven starters, but it’s difficult to separate the leading contenders, which include American Speed on the class drop; Be Like Clint returning to arguably his preferred surface off a series of big turf efforts in New York; and Hot Blooded off the claim and a good-looking turf work for his new trainer, Carlos David.
Maiden claimers on the Tapeta are always a head-scratcher around these parts, and the third leg of the sequence should be no different. The 10-horse lineup features a pair of big class dropdowns from the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher, Chanticleer and Promissione who is adding blinkers off a dull turf debut here last month. Promissione is arguably the more formidable of the pair, having shown some early speed before coming up empty against maiden special weight opposition in his local bow. Big Boy Jak, with Emisael Jaramillo taking the reins, also gets some class relief and could ultimately prove the one to catch.
Another full field, this one going 12 furlongs on the grass, makes Leg 4 another potential spread race for those able to afford such a luxury. Trainer Graham Motion appears to hold a good hand in this one, sending out both The Ginger Wizard and California Sober, the former on the drop and turnback off a strong fourth-place finish despite a poor start in the two-mile Allen Jerkens, his mate back on the turf after catching a wet track in his 2004 finale.
California Sober is one of four members of this field exiting the Be Like Clint race at 1 3/8 miles on Oct. 31 at Aqueduct, taking the worst of the trips amongst that bunch, getting hung wide every step of the way and steadied while in the midst of a potential rally near midstretch. L’Antharis, who missed a neck at even money in that event, is a must-use in here as is Brees for those who can afford it.
Two of the seven entered in the penultimate leg of the sequence, Hello Hello Hello and Smile Po, were entered and expected to scratch from Saturday’s Ginger Brew Stakes for this theoretically easier spot. Hello Hello Hello is probably the more fancied of that duo but is coming off a dull showing without any real visible excuse in the Our Dear Peg. Smile Po, on the other hand, turned in a huge work over the Tapeta for her 3-year-old debut and is hard to leave out of the equation if she goes.
War Signal also cannot be ignored off a big maiden win in her two-turn debut for the red-hot Mark Casse barn. The biggest question mark is La Gioconda, likely to be favored off a one-sided debut victory in October, albeit one that came at six furlongs over a sloppy track. Stretching out and switching to a new surface could potentially make her vulnerable at a short price here.
Another full field on the turf is entered for the finale, although chances are many will be singling Just So Pretty off a couple of near misses versus arguably better before leaving New York. She was beaten just a head last out by Catalyzed, who finished second in a one-other-than allowance race here last week. Fundamentally is probably the next gal up on most tickets, even though Starship Boeing took the worst of the trips, by far, when the pair met and finished a neck apart here a month earlier.
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