Apprentice Felix Vasquez Jr. Gets First Riding Win

Golden Palm Graduates in Style Saturday at Gulfstream
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $100,000
Carryovers in Late Pick 5, Players Place Pick 8 Sunday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Garrett Arscott and Carlton Samuels’ Pretty Geisha, given a veteran trip by Felix Vasquez Jr., slipped through an opening on the inside and rolled home by 1 ¾ lengths to give the 10-pound apprentice his first career riding victory.

Pretty Geisha ($18), a 4-year-old daughter of First Samurai trained by Ascott, covered 1 1/16 miles over the all-weather Tapeta course in 1:45.11 to earn her second win and first in five tries on the synthetic.

“I am so happy,” Vasquez said. “I feel excellent. I don’t believe it. I feel so awesome. I’ve been working hard, [staying] focused and disciplined.”

Vasquez settled Pretty Geisha in fifth along the rail as 91-1 longshot Dream Diamond led the way, going a quarter-mile in 23.73 seconds and a half in 48.77. Vasquez stayed inside around the far turn waiting for room, which came at the top of the stretch. Pretty Geisha accelerated through and opened up, holding off late-running Calling the Shots.

It was the 44th career mount for Vasquez, a 27-year-old native of Venezuela whose younger brother, Wilfred, a multiple stakes winner who also rides professionally at Gulfstream and earned the nickname ‘Wonder Boy’ for his success as an apprentice in Venezuela.

“He’s my best friend and my inspiration,” the elder Vasquez said. ““I appreciate the trainer and the owner and the whole team. Everybody works so hard.”

Felix Vasquez Jr. made his professional debut Sept. 29, 2024 at Gulfstream and rode twice that fall before returning to ride May 9 at Monmouth Park, galloping for leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in between. In addition to Monmouth, Vasquez rode this year at Delaware Park, Parx and Fairmount Park before returning to Gulfstream Oct. 18.

Vasquez’s father, Felix, was also a jockey in Venezuela where he rode for trainer Juan Carlos Avila.

“He’s been working a lot, every day in the mornings,” Felix Vasquez said. “He finally got his first win.”

Golden Palm Graduates in Style Saturday at Gulfstream

Mountmellick Farm and Fergus Galvin’s promising juvenile Golden Palm swept to the lead on the far outside and powered through the stretch to a popular 1 ¼-length victory over 11 other 2-year-old filly maidens Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Leonel Reyes, Golden Palm ($6.20) went one mile around two turns in 1:38.29 over a turf course rated good to turn back Jose D’Angelo-trained stablemate and first-time starter Starship Patriot.

Reyes settled Golden Palm on the inside in third, flanked by 17-1 longshot Persuasive Lady, as Nyght Dancer and Twin Stars raced together through opening splits of 24.42 and 50.66 seconds for a half-mile. Twin Stars took over the top spot leaving the far turn as Reyes tipped off the rail to gain a challenging position, then set Golden Palm down for a drive once straightened for home.

“The plan was to sit behind the speed,” Reyes said. “She had a little trouble in the first turn, but I got in good position on the backstretch and I was just waiting. At the quarter pole, the horse outside of me tried to get the same position but I had a lot of horse. When we turned for home, she was running at the end and the gallop out was strong.”

Purchased for $240,000 as a 2-year-old in training in March, Golden Palm is a bay daughter of Bolt d’Oro out of the Irish-bred Scat Daddy mare West Palm Beach. Her older Midwest-based half-brother, Ocean Pointe, has earned $227,199 in 22 starts.

Based at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, Golden Palm ran eighth in her Aug. 29 debut sprinting 6 ½ furlongs at Kentucky Downs under jockey Florent Geroux.

“She’s a good filly. I think she has a lot of class,” Reyes said. “She’s still a baby and learning a lot race by race, but she liked the grass and finished strong. I think she’s going to a good filly for the future.”

In Saturday’s other maiden special weight, a one-turn test for 2-year-olds on the main track, Saint George Stables’ homebred Teotihuacan ($96.80) rallied up the rail through the stretch to nail Articulated in the shadow of the wire and spring a 45-1 upset in Race 6. The gray or roan son of Tapit had been off the board two prior starts, both at Colonial Downs, one each on dirt and turf.

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $100,000

Unsolved for a fifth consecutive racing day Saturday, the 20-cent Rainbow 6 will have an estimated jackpot pool of $100,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

Post time is 12:20 p.m.

The popular multi-race wager last produced multiple mandatory payouts of $3,501.22 Oct. 11. Sunday’s sequence covers Races 5-10, starting with a 6 ½-furlong claiming event for fillies and mares 3 and up where Show Boat is favored from outermost Post 7 off a 4 1/2-length maiden triumph going one mile Sept. 18.

Sunday’s feature comes in Race 6, a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds scheduled for a two-turn mile on the grass. Remember the Time, a $460,000 son of Not This Time, ran second by a length in his Sept. 9 debut going seven furlongs on the grass at Kentucky Downs. Djokovic is a $220,000 yearling by 2014 Florida Derby (G1) winner Constitution that drops in off a pair of off-the-board finishes at Saratoga and Kentucky Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Trainer Victor Barboza Jr. counters with debut runners King of Legends and Flood Plan. King of Legends, out of the Scat Daddy mare Myhartblongstodady, is a half to 3-year-old Caroline St. Beat, winner of the 1 5/16-mile Nashville Derby (G2) Sept. 5 at Kentucky Downs for trainer Miguel Clement.

Race 8 is a starter optional claimer for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting five furlongs on the all-weather Tapeta course. Hope Town Girl, first or second in five of six career starts, is a perfect 3-for-3 on the synthetic. Amande owns three wins and five seconds from 10 races, including a 9-2-5-0 record on Tapeta.

In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot pool is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Thanks to upsets by Fiveeyesonskystars ($122.60) in the $60,000 Mr. Jordan overnight handicap and Teotihuacan ($96.80) in Race 6, there will be carryovers of $64,318.86 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 6-10) and $8,328.77 in the $1 Players Place Pick 8 (Races 3-10).

Along with the Rainbow 6 and Late Pick 5, Gulfstream will again partner with Santa Anita Park for the $1 Sunset Six and $1 Coast-to-Coast wagers. The Sunset Six starts with Races 8-10 at Gulfstream and ends with Races 7-9 from Santa Anita. The Coast-to-Coast opens with Gulfstream Race 9 and continues with Santa Anita Race 3, Gulfstream Race 10 and Santa Anita Races 4 and 6.

Notes: Jockey Diego Herrera visited the winner’s circle twice Saturday, aboard Vol Du Condor ($17.80) in Race 1 and Scarlett’s Law ($8.40) in Race 7 … Jockey Marcos Meneses also doubled, with Holy Stick ($17.40) in Race 2 and Teotihuacan ($96.80) in Race 6.