HALLANDALE BEACH - A mandatory payout of the 20-Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is set for today’s 10-race Gulfstream Park program that will be co-headlined by the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.

    Each of the two five-furlong stakes for 2-year-olds on turf will provide its winner with an automatic berth in one of six races for 2-year-olds during the June 20-24 Royal Ascot meeting, as well as a $25,000 equine travel stipend for shipping from the U.S. to England, in addition to the winner’s share of today’s purse.

    The Rainbow 6 has gone unsolved for 19 days following a jackpot hit, producing a $408,800.72 carryover heading into today’s mandatory payout. The Rainbow 6 pool is expected to grow to $1.5 million or higher.

    The Royal Palm Juvenile is carded as Race 6. Wesley Ward, a 12-time Royal Ascot winning trainer, is represented in the field of 10 by Steve Cauthen’s Holding the Line, an unraced Irish-bred son of Soldier’s Call. Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the mount on the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Dew Sweepers’ Blast Furnace, who finished second behind highly regarded Ward-trained Fandom at Keeneland in his debut, is rated second at 3-1 on the morning line. The son of The Factor, who will be equipped with blinkers for the first time, is trained by George Weaver, who is also represented in the field by Bregman Family Racing LLC’s No Nay Mets, a debuting son of No Nay Never. Arindel’s Reaper, who debuted at Gulfstream with an impressive 5 ¾-length score April 21, is scheduled to make his turf debut for trainer Juan Alvarado. comments powered by Disqus