Gulfstream Today: 12 Starter Stakes, and Rainbow 6 Carryover Above $1 Million.

Here's what is happening at Gulfstream Park  today.

*A Presidents' Day card with 12 races and first post of 12:35 p.m.  All 12 are starter stakes with purses of $50,000 or $60,000.

*A Rainbow 6 carryover of $1,046,372.  It is on races seven through 12, with the sequence scheduled to begin at 3:28 p.m

We will be at Gulfstream and reporting on this blog.

The stakes are restricted to horses that have raced at least once in a claiming race at or below a designated claiming price.  For most of the races it is $35,000 or $25,000.

Gulfstream is digging into this season's large handle, on target for a record average around $9 million a day, for today's races where many of the horses are from barns of trainers  who spend most or all of each year in South Florida.

Basically, today is similar to the national Claiming Crown, which is held at Gulfstream early in each December.

"It is great that they are doing this (Presidents' Day card)," said trainer Marcus Vitali.  "It is a good fit for a lot of good horses."

Vitali has horses in four of today's races.  The best known is Quiet Kitten in the second race--the $60,000 Mary Todd at 1 1/16 miles on turf for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up.

Quiet Kitten won at that distance last Dec. 5 in the Claiming Crown Tiara at Gulfstream.

All of today's races are named in honor of U.S. presidents and first families or of the British royal family

Mary Todd was Abraham Lincoln's wife.  The Rail Splitter. the eighth race is named for Lincoln. It is 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt for 4-year-olds and up.
--Jim Freer