HALLANDALE BEACH - Miguel Vasquez, perhaps the most under-rated rider in North America, notched three victories in consecutive races at Gulfstream Park Thursday, putting the finishing touches on another rock-solid Championship Meet.

    The under-the-radar jockey, who rides year-round at Gulfstream, ran his Championship Meet total to 45 wins while scoring aboard Starship Nugget ($4.60) in Race 4, Amani’s Eagle ($15.60) in Race 5, and Protonic Power ($7.20) in Race 6. Vasquez ranks seventh in wins. The 27-year-old jockey, who ventured from Panama to South Florida in 2014, ranked eighth last season with 46 victories.

    Vasquez inched closer to the 1,000 victory milestone while pushing his U. S. total to 975 with Thursday’s effort.

Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $650,000

    The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $650,000 today after going unsolved for the 11th day since it was hit for a $342,836 payoff.

    Today’s sequence will span Races 4-9, including a highly competitive featured optional claiming allowance in Race 8, a five-furlong turf dash for older horses. Trainer Christophe Clement’s Shekky Shebaz will seek a long overdue victory after a pair of close-up finishes during the Championship Meet. Mark Casse-trained Jack and Noah, a multiple stakes-winner who is rated at 2-1 in the morning line, will return from an eight-month layoff. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Chasing Artie, who has won two stakes in his last three starts, will also return from a long layoff since winning the My Frenchman at Monmouth July 11.

Who’s Hot: Trainer Fausto Gutierrez saddled Amani’s Eagle ($15.60) and Protonic Power ($7.20) for back-to-back victories in Races 5-6. Leading rider Luis Saez doubled aboard Hard to Capture ($17.40) in Race 2 and Brasstown ($5.80) in Race 7. Irad Ortiz Jr. also rode a pair of winners, scoring aboard Dem a Wonder ($4.80) in Race 3 and Winter Princess ($5.60) in Race 8.

comments powered by Disqus