By Jim Freer
Gulfstream Park has a 12-race card for Sunday, with a first post of 12:35 p.m.
The big attraction is a carryover of $2,503,517 on the Rainbow 6 on the last six races—starting with the seventh race and scheduled post of 3:35 p.m.
The carryover has grown because Saturday was the 38th straight race day without a jackpot triggering requirement of just one ticket with the winners of all six Rainbow 6 races. It is a 20-cents per combination only bet, with multiple horses permitted in each race.
Tampa Bay Downs will have ten races on Sunday with first post of 12:25 p.m. Three of the races are on turf.
The conditions are fast and firm at both tracks.
Tampa Bay is preparing for next Saturday, March 12, when it will have the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (Grade 2) at 1 1/16 miles on dirt for 3-YOs.
The Tampa Bay Derby offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points of 50, 20, 10 and 5 for the first four finishers. We will have extensive preview and race-day coverage,
Today (Sunday), we will monitor both tracks on our blog.
Gulfstream Sunday Card
On Saturday at Gulfstream, bettors added $551,937 to the Rainbow 6.
Per the bet’s rule, Gulfstream divided 56 percent of the day’s bet among multiple tickets with all six winners. There were eight such tickets, with each receiving $38,629.04.
Gulfstream added 24 percent of Saturdays bet, just over $132,000, to the carryover—growing it to $2,503,517.
Seven of Sunday’s 12 races are on turf. Four of the Rainbow 6 races are on turf.
Bettors should note that on Friday and Saturday the firm and dry turf course was playing very fast.
Also of note—and unusual—was that on both days the majority of turf races were won by horses with early speed.
Saturday’s $150,000 The Very One (Grade 3) stood out.
Olorda won the 1 3/16 mile race in a course record 1:51.54—smashing the previous standard by more than a second.
Dacita and Guapaza, the second and third place finishers, also ran faster than the previous record of 1:53.19. The mare Hellenestic set that record in an allowance/optional claiming race on March 12, 2015.
Chad Brown trains the first three finishers in The Very One, for fillies and mares 4-YO and up.
In Saturday’s other turf stakes, Grand Tito won the $200,000 MacDiarmida (Grade 2) for 4-YOs and up.
The winning time for 1 3/8 miles was 2:12.55, fast but not approaching the course record of 2:10.87 that Stream of Gold set in winning the MacDiarmida on March 16, 2008.
Also on Saturday, Blofeld won the $500,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (Grade 2) at 1 1/8 miles on dirt for 4-YOs and up.
The winning time was 1:35.03—solid but short of the track record of 1:33.13 set by Normandy Invasion on Feb. 22, 2014.
We will have more details on the Saturday stakes in a “Gulfstream Roundup” story later today.
