Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
RAINBOW 6 POOL SHOULD PASS $20 MILLION; ANALYSES AND SELECTIONS,
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Saturday may be Dubai World Cup and Florida Derby Day, but for horseplayers around the world, the main focus of attention is likely to be the mandatory payout of Gulfstream Park’s Rainbow 6, with a final pool expected to exceed $20 million should the popular wager not be solved either Thursday or Friday, à la the late Dan Borislow’s shocking $6.6 million hit on the eve of a mandatory payout day nearly four years ago.
The Rainbow 6 pool has not been disbursed since the last mandatory payout of a record $19.7 million pool on Jan. 28, a drought that will have covered 43 programs if the pool survives until Saturday. Multiple winning tickets returned $15,566 for a 20-cent wager on Jan. 28.
Saturday’s sequence begins with the ninth event on a 14-race program and concludes with four graded stakes, with the Grade 1 Florida Derby appropriately serving as the finale.
RACE 9
The “all” button may be popular in this race, with a wide-open field of 11 3-year-old maidens going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. There is no shortage of logical contenders, many of whom are coming off an eventful trip.
RHODE ISLAND ran well off a slow pace in his debut, a merry-go-round type of race where the leaders did not change positions. He galloped out with terrific energy. He adds blinkers Saturday, as does LOGIC, who showed marked improvement despite a very wide trip in his two-turn debut, and MR. DISCRETIONARY, who earned high marks despite trouble and was haltered for $50,000 by a high-percentage barn out of his last start.
Cases can also be made for Wisely and Dawood off lessthan-clean trips, as well as Art Collection, among others.
RACE 10
It doesn’t get much easier in this wide-open secondlevel optional-claiming dash. READY FOR RYE won his only start against this type of competition and has a win over the track. WEEKEND HIDEAWAY is training well for his return, ran well off the bench under similar conditions last April, and earned his career-best Beyer Speed Figure over this track a couple of winters back.
SWEETONTHELADIES outran his odds with a huge effort in the Gulfstream Park Sprint, but is pace dependent, while Richard the Great would be dangerous if able to run back to his big sprint tries here last season.
RACE 11
ON LEAVE and STORMY VICTORIA are the two most logical choices in the Honey Fox, although the former must work out a trip as the favorite from the outside post. GRIZZEL could be a sleeper, working nicely off a good try in the Sand Springs, with Res Ipsa also a factor if ready for her top effort off the bench.
RACE 12
A full field of 13 3-year-old fillies makes the Gulfstream Oaks a tricky fourth leg of the sequence and another potential spread race. TAKE CHARGE PAULA will be favored off her big effort in the Davona Dale, but she’s yet to try two turns and could wind up getting involved in a torrid pace scenario.
PRINCESS WARRIOR ran well off a 3 1/2-month layoff while making her turf debut in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride this winter, now returns to dirt, and may have the best closing kick of the key contenders. CACHE is lightly raced but training well and likely to trip out from just off the leaders after breaking near the inside.
RACE 13
SADLER’S JOY is strictly the one to beat in the Pan American off a tremendous last-to-first victory in the Mac Diarmida, but with his running style, he’s probably a little hard to trust as a single.
HI HAPPY looks like a nice alternative for trainer Todd Pletcher off a decent local debut going a mile behind the toughas-nails multiple graded stakes winner Heart to Heart. It looks like the more distance, the better for this multiple Group 1 winner, who should get first run over likely pacesetter One Go All Go.
RACE 14
There are no sure things in the Florida Derby, either, with AUDIBLE the likely favorite but perhaps vulnerable after getting the perfect trip against a lesser group in the Holy Bull, especially breaking near the outside with the relatively short run to the clubhouse turn.
CATHOLIC BOY has made a great appearance here this week and is proven at the distance with his Remsen win. STRIKE POWER likewise is training extremely well, although still a bit suspect going 1 1/8 miles. He should trip out nicely from the rail.
PROMISES FULFILLED can’t be ignored but must not bounce off far and away a career-best effort in the Fountain of Youth, while his stablemate STORM RUNNER is worth tossing in at a big price and continues to train well off just a horrendous trip in the Fountain of Youth.