Florida House Committee to Meet Today on Gaming Bill

The Florida House of Representatives' Finance & Tax Committee will meet at 2 p.m. today to review H.R. 7109 on gaming.
  
Issues will include whether to allow any Florida pari-mutuels to decouple--i.e. stop holding live events while still having poker, in-bound simulcasts and (in counties where permitted) casinos with slot machines.

The Legislature will end its  regular session on March 11.
--Jim Freer

Rainbow 6 Approaches $2.2 Million

Gulfstream Park will have a Rainbow 6 carryover of $2,178,642 when it resumes racing on Thursday. 

Gulfstream will be dark this  coming Wednesday. March 2. It will have live racing on Thursday through Sunday.

The carryover is growing  because today was the 35th straight day when there was not just one Rainbow 6 ticket with the winning horses in all six races.


The multiple winners each received $10,143. By our calculation there were 30 of them.

Gulfstream  started the day with a carryover of $2,049,411.

Bettors added $538,556 to the pool.There was a 20 percent takeout and Gulfstream divided 56 percent among the  multiple winners. That left $129,231 to be added to the carryover. The Rainbow 6 is a 20 cents per combination bet, with multiple horses permitted in each race.

Rainbow 6 Coming Up at GP

The Rainbow 6 begins with the seventh at Gulfstream, scheduled post at 3:35 p.m.

Eighth -- The Rusty Arnold trained Quiet Business (1) could be a good longshot if you choose this as  a race to go deep.

Eleventh -- We like the Eddie Plesa-trained Kelly Tough (6), a recent impressive maiden winner, and the Todd Pletcher-trained Azar (8).

Tampa Bay: Fast and Firm Today

Tampa Bay Downs has a ten-race card today with first post time of 12:25 p.m.

 

The main track is listed as fast and the turf course is listed as firm.  The fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth races are on the turf.

Today’s card follows a Saturday that was highlighted by two impressive maiden special weight winners.

Trainer Christophe Clement unveiled a pair of good-looking 3-year-old fillies in the seventh race. Amnicalola split horses approaching the eighth pole and went on to a one-length victory over stablemate Dream Prospect in the 1 1/16  mile race on the turf.

Amnicalola completed the distance in 1:43.31 under a well-judged ride by leading Tampa Bay Downs jockey Antonio Gallardo. The top two finishers in the race were 9-1 and 7-1, respectively, and the $2 exacta combination of 3-2 paid $75.40. Rusty Halo finished third in the nine-horse field.

The eighth race, at 5 ½ furlongs on dirt for 3-year-olds, saw first-time starter Intacto elevated to first after encountering interference from front-running Splash Rules in deep stretch.

Splash Rules drifted in slightly down the lane, but it was enough to impede a rallying Intacto and result in a disqualification. Intacto, an Ohio-bred son of Tiz Wonderful-Surmount, by Speightstown, is owned by St. George Stable and trained by Efren Loza, Jr. Gallardo was the jockey. The final time was 1:04.62.

Gulfstream's $24 Million Handle is Fountain Day Record

Gulfstream Park had all-source handle of  $24,113,490.00 on Saturday, for the  highest total ever on its Fountain of Youth day card.

That wagering was for 13 races.

Gulfstream's previous Fountain of Youth day  record was on Feb. 21, 2015, when it did $20,583,598 for 12 races.

Gulfstream's all-time record single-day handle is 
$27,255,873.  That  was  for 14 races on March 28, 2015, which was Florida Derby  day.
 

Gulfstream Rainbow 6 Carryover Above $2 Millio

Gulfstream Park  has a 12-race card today with a  first post of 12:35 p.m.

Conditions are  fast for the dirt and firm for the turf.

The carryover is $2,049,411 on the Rainbow 6, from the  seventh through 12th races.  The sequence begins at 3:35 p.m.

We will have updates on  this blog.
 

Mohaymen Remains Unbeaten in Fountain of Youth Stakes

Mohaymen held the lead entering the stretch and went on to beat Zulu by 2-1/4 lengths on Saturday in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (Grade 2), at Gulfstream Park.

Mohaymen, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, is now unbeaten in 5 starts and is one of the two early favorites for the May 7th Kentucky Derby.

Nyquist, the other early favorite, could have a showdown with Mohaymen on April 2 in the Florida Derby (Gr.1) at Gulfstream.

The unbeaten Nyquist trains in California and he's eligible for a $1 million bonus if he wins the Florida Derby.
The Fasig-Tipton sales company is offering that bonus to horses such as Nyquist that was sold in last March's Fasig-Tipton sale at Gulfstream.

Nyquist trainer, Doug O'neill said he intends to bring Nyquist to the Florida Derby. When asked if he had any plans to send Mohaymen to a race other than the Florida Derby, McLaughlin, said "This is our home, and we'll be here"        
Mohaymen was ridden by Junior Alvarado and won the 1-1/16 mile dirt race on a track listed as fast in 1:42.84.

Tomorrow morning, we'll have more coverage on the FOY stakes and the other races on Saturday.

Bettors Add $663,000 to Rainbow 6

Heart to Heart, the 4-5 favorite, wired the field to win the Canadian Turf (Grade 3)--the eighth race and the start of the Rainbow 6 at Gulfstream.

Bettors added $663,617 to the Rainbow 6. The carryover coming in was   $1,890,318.

If there is just one ticket with all six winners, the payoff  will be just over $2.4 million.  That factors in the 20 percent on today's bet.

XY Jet Soars Again at Gulfstream

XY Jet continued his amazing flight to fame at Gulfstream, winning the Gulfstream Park Sprint (Grade 3) despite a stumble at the start.

XY Jet recovered, set fast fractions and went on to win the 6 1/2 furlong dirt stakes in 1:15.95.

It was the third straight blazing fast win at Gulfstream for XY Jet, trained by Jorge Navarro.

The fifth race with unbeaten Cathryn Sophia, now at 9-1, is coming up.

Thus far, it is a day for favorites winning.
--Jim Freer 

Rainbow 6 Carryover at $1.9 Million for Fountain Day

 Gulfstream Park will have a carryover of almost $1.9 million on its Rainbow 6 on Saturday, when the multi-race bet could attract an additional $1 million on the Fountain of Youth day card.

A total pool of $3 million would be among the five largest in the six-year history of the Rainbow 6.  It is a 20 cent per combination only bet.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 is on races 8 through 13. Scheduled post for the 8th race is 3:25 p.m.  The Fountain of Youth (Grade 2) is the 12th race with  5:30 p.m. as scheduled post.

The precise carryover for Saturday is $1,890,318.  That number keeps growing because Friday was the 33rd straight day without the "jackpot winning requirement" of  just one ticket with all six Rainbow 6 winners.

Each multiple winner received $409.10. By our calculation (formula below) there were  551 of them.

Gulfstream came into Friday with a Rainbow 6 carryover of $1,793,477.  Bettors added $403,627.

After the 20 percent takeout, Gulfstream divided 56 percent of the day's pool among the winning tickets and added 24 percent ($96,841) to the carryover.

The payout was relatively low (a non-IRS event) because it was a chalky day. All six winners were at 5-1 or lower, and four were lower than 2-1.

All-sources handle for Friday's 11 races was $9,194,266--the highest yet for a Friday in the current  meet.

How It Works

The Rainbow 6 is a 20-cent per combination only bet. with multiple horses permitted in each race. For example, a ticket with two horses in each race has 64 combinations and costs $12.80.

Gulfstream pays out the full Rainbow 6 pool of the day’s bets (minus the 20 percent takeout) plus the carryover only on days when there is just one ticket with all six winners.

On other days Gulfstream divides 70 percent of the day’s bets (minus the takeout) among those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent (minus takeout) is added to the carryover.

The most recent day with a single Rainbow 6 winner was Jan. 13, when it was hit for $76,799.38.

 

Rainbow 6 Opener --Alabama Slim Worth a Good Look

The sixth race and start of the Rainbow 6 is  five minutes away, and the pool as expected is above $2 million.

A lot of people are joining us in liking the 5 horse, Alabama Slim from the hot barn of Rusty Arnold.
--Jim Freer

Underway at Tampa Bay

Holy Day, at 9-2, ran down the leaders  in the final half furlong and won Friday's first race at Tampa Bay Downs.

Holy Day covered 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 1:47.78 in the $5,000 claiming race for fillies and mares 4-YO and up.

Jose Garcia rode the winner for trainer Rasharn Creque.

Skies are clear for the ten-race card. The main track is listed as fast and the turf course is listed as firm.
--Jim Freer

On Thursday, Tampa Bay moved two of its scheduled-for-turf races off that surface.

The fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth races are on the turf.
--Jim Freer

 

Gulfstream Rainbow 6 At $1.8 Million - And How It Got There

By Jim Freer and Barry Unterbrink
The Rainbow 6 carryover will be almost $1.8 million at Gulfstream Park on Friday.

First post is 12:35 p.m. for the 11-race card. The Rainbow 6 wager is on races six to 11, with the sequence starting at around 3:05 p.m.

The precise carryover figure is $1,793,477. Gulfstream pays out the carryover only on days when there is just one ticket with the winning horses in all six Rainbow 6 races.

Thursday was the 32nd straight race day when that didn't happen. 

So, per its formula (details below), Gulfstream paid out $5,987.10 to each of the multiple tickets with all six winners.  By our calculations, there were 32 such tickets on the Rainbow 6. The wager is a minimum 20 cent per combination - only bet in which multiple horses can be used in each race.

Daily Pools
Amid the carryover's growth, Thursday was the 11th straight day when betting on the Rainbow 6 exceeded $300,000. 

The carryover is headed  toward being  one of the largest in the six-years  of the Rainbow 6.

Going into Thursday's card, the carryover was $1,710,957.  Bettors added $343,950 to the Rainbow 6 pool.

Following the 20 percent takeout, Gulfstream divided 56 percent of the day's bet among the winning tickets.  It put the remaining 24 percent, $82,520, into the carryover - growing it to $1,793,477 for Friday.

Field Sizes
On Thursday, there were 50 starters in the six Rainbow 6 races.

Our review of Equibase charts shows that was tied for the fourth lowest number of starters through the 58 race days of the current Gulfstream Championship meet.  Thursday's number was the meet's lowest for a day when all of the Rainbow 6 scheduled-for-turf races stayed on that surface.

Do relatively small fields enhance the chances for  an individual or team, to hit the Rainbow 6?
 
Very often, yes. Thursday's 32 winners was the 12th highest number on the 32 race days without a jackpot winner.

Of yesterday's six winners, only one was at double-digit odds.  That was  Arch Leader (13-1) in the ninth race.

The other five winners were all 5-1 or lower, including two favorites. 

Friday's Rainbow 6 races have a total of 64 entrants, including Main Track Only and Also Eligibles. Four races are claimers, one is an optional claimer and one is a maiden special weight for 4-year-olds and up.

The seventh, eighth and 11th races are scheduled for turf. Clear skies are forecast--meaning they will stay on that surface. Good luck in handicapping.

It is likely that $400,000 or more will be bet on the  Rainbow 6 on Friday. 

Four of the races have ten or more entrants, and will be hard to handicap. So there's a good chance that the carryover will extend into Saturday's card.

Fountain of Youth Then, some real fun will be had and probably with huge wagering.

Saturday is Fountain of Youth day with that Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep and seven other stakes races on the 13-race card.

We expect that all-sources handle will be $20 million or more with as much as $1 million on the Rainbow 6.

The Fountain of Youth is the 12th race, and second last leg of the Rainbow 6. Three other stakes races are in the Rainbow 6.

The Fountain of Youth has just six entrants, headed by Mohaymen who is unbeaten in four starts and was the dominant winner of the Holy Bull (Grade 2) at Gulfstream on Jan. 30.

On most days, most bettors except whale-types would single out Mohaymen (photo on right), who is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin.

But our take is that Saturday will be a day for team bets and going deep.

For many the equivalent of a "single" might be using Mohaymen with the Todd Pletcher-trained Zulu, undefeated in two starts.

Or might the 1-1/16 mile Fountain of Youth be stolen by the speedy Awesome Banner, unbeaten in three starts and trained by Stan Gold?

On Saturday morning, we'll have some thoughts about the Fountain of Youth and the other Rainbow 6 races - even if someone takes down the jackpot and carryover on Friday.


How It Works

The Rainbow 6 is a 20-cent per combination only bet. with multiple horses permitted in each race. For example, a ticket with two horses in each race has 64 combinations and costs $12.80.

Gulfstream pays out the full Rainbow 6 pool of the day’s bets (minus the 20 percent takeout) plus the carryover only on days when there is just one ticket with all six winners.

On other days Gulfstream divides 70 percent of the day’s bets (minus the takeout) among those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent (minus takeout) is added to the carryover.

The most recent day with a single Rainbow 6 winner was Jan. 13, when it was hit for $76,799.38.

Rainbow 6 --Another Carryover

The 11th  and final race  is  coming up at Gulfstream.

There are 130 live tickets in the Rainbow 6, with no singles.

So, there will be another  carryover on Friday.  By our calculation it will be just under $1.8 million

This  is the 32nd consecutive day without a single-ticket jackpot winner in the Rainbow 6.

Rainbow 6: First Leg, Won By 5-1 Shot; $343,000 Bet Today

Running Cat, at 5-1, won the Gulfstream sixth race and first leg of the Rainbow 6.

Bettors added $343,941 to the pool.  The carryover was $1,710,957.

If there is a single winning ticket it will pay just under $2 million. There is a takeout of 20 percent  of today's bet, no matter what happens.

Running Cat was fifth betting choice in the eight-horse field.  It will be interesting to see how many tickets were knocked out--with holders  moving on to the Pick 5.

Running Cat was ridden by Paco Lopez for trainer Marcial Navarro.
-- Jim Freer



 

Rainbow 6 at $1.9 Million

Six minutes until the start of the Rainbow 6, headed  toward $2 million including today's bets.

It is hard to leave out Thundergram (2) and Rough Passage (7) in the sixth (first leg).

Inmyfathersimage (9) could be a bomber in the 11th and finale.
 

Tampa Bay: Races 5 and 7 are Off the Turf

Tampa Bay Downs has moved today's  fifth and seventh races  to the turf.

As of 12:30 p.m. the ninth race is still scheduled  for turf.

GP Carryover at $1.7 Million;Tampa Bay Back on Turf

First posts are coming up at both Florida tracks.

Tampa Bay Downs has a nine-race card with first post of 12:25 p.m.  

Conditions are fast for the dirt and good for the turf.  Races five, seven and nine are on the turf.  

On Wednesday, Tampa Bay took all four scheduled-for turf races off that surface due to rain.

Gulfstream Park has 11 races today, with first post of 12:35 p.m. Conditions are fast and firm.

The carryover on the Rainbow 6 has grown to $1,710,957.  The sequence today begins on the sixth race, with scheduled post of 3:05 p.m.

We are monitoring both tracks.
--Jim Freer