Apprentice Jonathan Santos Scores First Career Win

Champagne Brunch, Early Spark Friday Maiden Winners
Four Stakes in Summer Sweep with Kentucky Downs: Video
Rainbow 6 Solved for $29,308 Jackpot Payout Friday
Food & Drink Specials, Prizes During Fan and Family Day

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Apprentice jockey Jonathan Santos added some unscheduled early fireworks to Friday’s opening day of the fall Sunshine Meet at Gulfstream Park.

Chuncho Bravo Stable & Farm’s 3-year-old gelding Bleu Martini, owned and trained by Javier Morzan, took the lead after a half-mile and kept Don’t Go Astray at bay late to win Race 2 and give the 26-year-old native of Puerto Rico his first career riding victory.

Bleu Martini ($32.80) covered a muddy and sealed main track in 1:18.30 to win the claiming event for maidens 3 and up by 1 ½ lengths. Third after an opening quarter-mile in 22.36 seconds, Maryland-bred Bleu Martini wrested the lead away from Cadenced following a 45.35 half and closed strongly to graduate in his 12th start and first with Santos aboard. Ironically, Santos had ridden Don’t Go Astray in his prior race.

“When I was warming up, I could feel it. Once he got the spot to go, he ran off and just took me to the wire,” Santos said. “It’s amazing. No words to describe it. We’ve been working hard for this.”

Santos made his professional debut July 18 at Gulfstream aboard Clifton Christie-trained Last Shall B First. He had three seconds and two thirds in 27 mounts during the Royal Palm Meet, and scored with his first ride of the Sunshine Meet.

“I don’t have any family in the horse business. This is something I just started about three years ago and we’ve been working toward this,” he said. “We’ve just been here, working hard.”

Riding with a 10-pound weight allowance, Santos got started riding horses in the morning for various trainers before launching his career this summer. He was doused with the traditional shower of water and baby powder upon returning to the jockeys’ room.

“I used to gallop for Mike Maker, Jose D’Angelo, Mark Casse – all of those trainers,” Santos said. “I learned a lot from them, and now we’re here proving it.”

Santos’ agent is Edgar Prado, the retired Hall of Famer that won riding titles at Gulfstream’s prestigious Championship Meet in 2002 and 2005 and is one of just nine jockeys with 7,000 or more career wins (7,119).

“Thanks to Prado,” Santos said. “He pushes me.”

Champagne Brunch, Early Spark Friday Maiden Winners

Champagne Brunch, a 4-year-old daughter of Gun Runner who brought $300,000 at auction in 2023, overcame traffic to break her maiden in her 14th start Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Making her first start on the all-weather Tapeta course when the five-furlong maiden special weight for fillies and mares 3 and up was taken off the turf, Champagne Brunch ($9.80) covered the distance under jockey Samy Camacho in :57.92.

Owned by Tami Bobo and trained by Antonio Sano, Champagne Brunch had run her four previous races on the turf at Colonial Downs before returning to Gulfstream. Despite getting shuffled back going into the turn, Camacho rallied Champagne Brunch past favored Daily Prayer down the stretch.

Later in the afternoon, Early Spark, a 2-year-old daughter of Early Voting, drove away from six others in a $60,000 maiden special weight event for trainer Armando De La Cerda and jockey Leonel Reyes.

Early Spark ($10.80) moved between Saffie Joseph-trained horses Makeitlookez and Epic Reay around the turn and entering the stretch before driving off while covering the six furlongs in 1:12.70. Epic Reay, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner A Mo Reay, was favored in her race debut.

Early Spark is owned by M and M Racing Stable LLC and Richard Vallejo.

Four Stakes in Summer Sweep with Kentucky Downs: Video

Gulfstream Park’s player friendly, retail only $1 Summer Sweep Pick 5 will feature two stakes from South Florida and a pair of graded events from partner Kentucky Downs on the first Saturday of the fall Sunshine Meet.

Video: Click here to view

Saturday’s Summer Sweep includes a carryover of $5,053.95 from Friday’s program.

The sequence for Saturday’s Summer Sweep, which offers a 15 percent takeout, opens with Gulfstream’s Race 7, the $65,000 Mambo Meister overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass. The field of eight includes Grade 3-placed Divin Propos, Grade 2 dirt winner Steal Sunshine seeking his first grass win and multiple stakes winners Prevent and Tank.

Summer Sweep action continues with Gulfstream’s Race 8, the $150,000 FHBPA Express Tour for Florida-bred 2-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs on the main track. The 1-2 program favorite is undefeated Sum of Success, whose two wins have come by 19 combined lengths including an 11 ½-length romp in the FHBPA In Summation Aug. 10 that produced an 87 Beyer Speed Figure, tied for the fifth-fastest in the country by a 2-year-old this year.

Gulfstream completes its portion of the Summer Sweep in Race 10, a claiming event for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for a one-turn mile on the grass. Two of the nine horses entered exit wins – Noble Sky, a four-length maiden claiming triumph going a mile and 70 yards on the all-weather Tapeta June 7, and fellow 4-year-old gelding Give Me Options, who graduated at the course and distance Aug. 2 in his fourth start.

The Summer Sweep moves to all-turf Kentucky Downs for the final two legs starting with its Race 8, the $3 million Nashville Derby (G2) for 3-year-olds at 1 5/16 miles which drew a dozen sophomores including Saratoga Derby (G1) winner Glacius; Causeway, a multiple group-stakes winner in Europe for trainer Aidan O’Brien, and German Group 2 winner Gostam, both making their North American debut, and Fancy Sailor, a Gulfstream maiden winner March 8.

Wrapping up the Summer Sweep is the $1.5 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G2) for fillies and mares 3 and older going one mile. Classic Q is the 4-5 program favorite in the race is millionaire 4-year-old Classic Q, winner of the Distaff Turf Mile (G2) and Just a Game (G1) in her two starts since finishing second in Gulfstream’s Honey Fox (G3) Feb. 28. Among her rivals are graded-stakes winners Rashmi, Princess Moche, Fast Market and Hang the Moon.

Rainbow 6 Solved for $29,308 Jackpot Payout Friday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was solved by one lucky bettor for a jackpot payout of $29,308.54 Friday at Gulfstream Park on opening day of the fall Sunshine Meet.

Slew Lady ($17) sprung a 7-1 upset in the Race 9 finale, a maiden claiming event for 2-year-old fillies on the all-weather Tapeta course, to complete the winning 2-3-4-5-1-7 combination.

Other winners in the sequence were Champagne Brunch ($9.80) in Race 4, Proud American ($16.60) in Race 5, Early Spark ($10.80) in Race 6, Camigol ($6.60) in Race 7 and Hillbilly Bob ($8.40) in Race 8.

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. On mandatory payout days, the entire pool is disbursed to the bettor or bettors holding tickets with the most winners in the six-race sequence.

The Rainbow 6 begins anew Saturday covering Races 5-10 including the $65,000 Mambo Meister overnight handicap for 3-year-olds and up on the grass in Race 7 and $150,000 FHBPA Express Tour for 2-year-olds on the main track in Race 8.

Saturday is also Fan and Family Day at Gulfstream featuring prize promotions, a T-shirt cannon and food and drink specials throughout the track as well as a horseshoe toss, scavenger hunt, prize raffle and the chance to meet the track’s pony horses at the Carousel Club.

Notes: Jockey Samy Camacho and trainer Antonio teamed up for a pair of winners Friday, Champagne Brunch ($9.80) in Race 4 and Camigol ($6.60) in Race 7 … Jockey Edwin Gonzalez won aboard Goddess of Beauty ($4) in Race 1 and Proud American ($16.60) in Race 5, while Leonel Reyes also doubled on Java Buzz ($9) in Race 3 and Early Spark ($10.80) in Race 6.