Gulfstream Friday Preview: Coverage on Our Blog

By Jim Freer and Barry Unterbrink

Friday is Rainbow 6 frenzy day minus one at Gulfstream Park.

On Saturday, Gulfstream will have a mandatory payoff on the full Rainbow 6 pool–all of the carryover and 80 percent of the day’s new Rainbow 6 wagering.

On Friday, Gulfstream has a nine-race card with a “twilight Friday” first post of 2:15 p.m.

The Rainbow 6 has a carryover of $951,477.  It is on the fourth through ninth races  with the sequence scheduled to start at 3:58.p.m.

On the first race there is a carryover of $10,122 on the Super HI-5 (details  below).

On our  blog this afternoon, beginning around 1:30 p.m. we will have coverage of today’s  Gulfstream  races. Our blog may be accessed on the menu bar at the top of this Web site’s home page.

The Rainbow 6 carryover has built up over 32 race days without the jackpot payoff requirement of just one ticket with the winners of  all six Rainbow 6 races.

On Friday, Gulfstream will have that standard rule for  the  Rainbow 6, which is a  20-cent per combination only bet.

If there are multiple tickets with all six winners, Gulfstream will have its 20 percent takeout. It will then divide  56 percent of the day’s new bet among tickets with the most winners (likeky all six races) and add 24  percent  to the carryover.

Saturday will be a mandatory payout day.  Gulfstream will pay out  the full Rainbow 6 pool, even if there are multiple tickets with all six winners.

The carryover on Saturday probably will be  around $1 million.

HorseRacingFLA’s reviews of past Rainbow 6 cycles indicate that $2 million or more could be bet on the  Rainbow  6 on Saturday.

There is a caveat. If there is just one ticket with all  six winners on Friday, it would take down the jackpot. Gulfstream would then begin a new Rainbow 6 pool on Saturday.

For Friday, the dirt track is listed as fast and the turf  course  is listed as firm.  The first, third, fifth and sevenh races  are scheduled for turf.

The Weather Channel forecast is for a  55 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms during racing hours.

As of 10:30 a.m., Gulfstream had not announced  scratches for Friday.  If there are no scratches there will be 52 starters in the Rainbow 6 races.

*Coverage on our blog this afternoon will include a recommended bet on today’s Rainbow 6 and an early look  at  Saturday’s card.

*Fridayâ’s first race is 1 1/16 miles on turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old  and up, with a $16,000 claiming price.

The Super Hi-5 is a $1 minimum bet that requires picking the first five  finishers in correct order. There are no consolation payoffs such as four places out of  five.