Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita have a litany of stakes races and intriguing racing Saturday, Dec. 28 and it is a chance for many of us to creep out of the holiday slumber to get a racing fix.
There are plenty of locals to cheer on from Nick Gonzalez, Bill Tharrenos, Gail Cox, Barb Minshall and A & A Stable.
Gulfstream offers some tough betting races including the TROPICAL PARK DERBY, a turf race for 3-year-olds (it used to be a dirt race for 3-year-olds in January!).
Leonard C. Green’s A Thread of Blue will be on a quest to maintain a perfect record over the Gulfstream Park turf course in the Derby.
The son of Hard Spun was undefeated in three starts during the 2018-2019 Championship Meet. The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained colt won an optional claiming allowance by 2 ¾ lengths before capturing the Dania Beach by 3 ½ lengths and the Palm Beach (G3) by three-quarters of a length.
The Tropical Park Derby could well prove to be a prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Jan. 25.
“We were going to Del Mar for the [Nov. 30] Hollywood Derby, but with all the weather and flight issues, we changed up,” McLaughlin said. “We were looking at the Pegasus, then we decided to run here. We still could go to the Pegasus. We’ll see.
“It was either this race or others here and there. Doing this we might be able to do both, because it’s back in four weeks,” he added.
A Thread of Blue, who will be ridden by Luis Saez, has been installed as morning-line favorite at 7-2, a price that likely would have been lower had he not drawn the No. 14 post position.
Harrell Ventures LLC’s Halladay, who is coming off a pair of third-place finishes in New York stakes, and Calumet Farm’s English Bee, who won the Virginia Derby (G3) at Colonial Downs and the Parx Fall Derby in his last two starts, were rated second and third in the morning line at 9-2 and 6-1, respectively. Halladay (No. 12) and English Bee (No. 11) also drew outside post positions. John Velazquez has the call on Halladay, while Chris Landeros is scheduled to ride English Bee.
Patricia Generazio’s Timmy M. drew the No. 1 post position for a quest to win his first stakes race. The homebred son of Morning Line has placed three times in stakes, including a runner-up finish in the Sept. 21 Bear’s Den, in which he recovered from a bumping incident entering the stretch.
“He belongs and it’s the last 3-year-old race of the year,” trainer Joe Orseno said. “He’s pretty honest. He’s had some rough trips. That’s his biggest problem. He’s been beaten by bad luck.”
Paco Lopez has the mount aboard Timmy M.
Arindel’s Scraps, a homebred son of of Brethren who defeated Timmy M. in the Bear’s Den, enters the Tropical Park Derby off a fast closing victory in an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream. Jairo Rendon has the return mount.
Monarch Stables Inc.’s Art G Is Back is a multiple stakes winner who will seek his first stakes victory on turf. The son of Exchange Rate, who finished fourth behind A Thread of Blue in the Palm Beach, has been second or third in four of his six turf starts, including a second-place finish in the English Channel, in which he lost by a nose.
“I think he’s a little better on dirt, but he’s been close on turf,” trainer Ron Spatz said. “It’s the last race for 3-year-olds, so why not?”
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool will be guaranteed at $1.5 million Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the 20th racing day of the 2019-2090 Championship Meet.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot 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.
Multiple winning tickets Friday returned $606.62.
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11 and will include the $75,000 Abundantia in Race 6, the $75,000 Tropical Park Oaks in Race 7, the $75,000 Tropical Park Derby in Race 9, the $75,000 Via Borghese in Race 10 and the $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens in Race 11.
First-race post time for Saturday’s 11-race card is set for 12 noon.
Here are some selections from Canadian Thoroughbred for the Rainbow 6 – this is not a ticket, since it would cost far too much! I will be looking for a key horse somewhere along the way.
Race 6 – Abundantia Stakes – 5 fur. OFF THE TURF
2, 4, 6 – Violent Times, Girl Knows Best, Jean Elizabeth
Race 7
2 Great Sister Diane
4 Our Baby B
5 Devant
7 Balon Rose
Race 8
3 Elusive Knight
6 Basie
11 Gear Jockey
Race 9 – Tropical Park Derby
2 Kadar
7 Scraps
10 Jais’s Solution
11 Armistice Day – trained by Woodbine conditioner Barbara Minshall
13 Halladay
14 A Thread of Blue
Race 10 – Via Borghese Stakes
6 A A’s Azula Arch – owned by A & A Stable in Ontario, new trainer Mark Casse
7 Limari
Race 11 – Allen Jerkens S. – 2 miles, OFF THE TURF
3 American Tattoo –
At SANTA ANITA – all eyes will be on OMAHA BEACH in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes. It is a small field but a good place for this former Kentucky Derby favourite to get going as he heads to the Pegasus next month.
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