HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the 17th straight racing day at Gulfstream Park Saturday producing a carryover jackpot of $427,284.72 for Sunday’s 12-race program. Multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $41,990.48.
Today's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11 and will include the $75.000 Nicole’s Dream, a five-furlong turf stakes for fillies and mares carded as Race 7. Miz Mayhem, who won the Cedar Key Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths last time out, is slated to seek her fourth straight victory. Trained by Eddie Plesa Jr., the 3-year-old daughter of Yesbyjimminy has been rated as the 9-5 favorite in a field of eight.
FIRST DUDE ON TOP - FOR NOW
First Dude has taken the lead again on Florida's general sire list in his ding-dong battle with deceased Wildcat Heir. Dude, a son of Stephen Got Even, is poised to break the $2 million mark - at $1,976,445. Wildcat Heir, who died in 2015 and is currently relying on his 3-year-olds and up, is next at $1,911,065. Last week, First Dude had dropped to second briefly and it could keep changing weekly since First Dude has 112 runners and Wildcat Heir 146.
So far, four Florida stallions have passed the $1 million mark, with recent Journeyman Stud arrival Songandaprayer in third at $1.185 million and pensioned High Cotton (Ocala Stud Farm) fourth at $1,064,285. Get Away Farm's Two Step Salsa is fifth and could reach $1 million next - he's at $839,446, which is remarkable since his top earner this year is Salsalida with just $47,960.
Solid seasons are being turned in by Pleasant Acres' Poseidon's Warrior, Ocala Stud's Prospective and Solera Farm's Field Commission, all over $500,000 and all three with less than 36 runners.
SOLID PICKS - The myriad of TV analysts and handicappers, for the most part, who chimed in with their Belmont selections, got buried in the Belmont Stakes in their eternal quest to beat the favorite.
On TVG, the comments were plentiful on why Justify was not up to the Triple Crown task and a slew of other names popped up as the first choices. One sharpie even went so far as to bet a 5-horse trifecta box for $1 and he left Justify out, as in, not in the top 5. In my own expert analysis, I'm guessing he didn't win that one.