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Barboza ‘Excited’ Grand Mo the First Officially in Kentucky Derby
4/21/2024
Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Pool Estimated at $375,000
Mandatory Payout of the Rainbow 5 Pool Slated for Saturday
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Shortly before saddling Great Venezuela for a sparkling 2024 debut at Gulfstream Park Sunday, trainer Victor Barboza had already been given reason to celebrate.
Granpollo Stable’s Grand Mo the First had officially drawn into the 20-horse field for the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs upon the announcement that Deterministic will not run in the first leg of the Triple Crown.
“I’m very happy for my first opportunity to be in the Derby,” said Barboza following Great Venezuela’s 11-length victory in Sunday’s Race 6, a 5 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies on Tapeta. “I’m excited today it is official. I’ve been looking for the Derby since he ran in the Florida Derby.”
Grand Mo the First earned a total of 40 Kentucky Derby qualifying points with a distant third-place finish behind victorious Fierceness in the March 30 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream and a third-place finish in the March 9 Tampa Bay Derby (G2), in which he finished just a neck behind winner Domestic Product.
“The horse will breeze here Tuesday and will be moved to Kentucky Thursday,” Barboza said. “That will be his last workout. There are no more workouts at Churchill Downs after next week. He’ll just school in the paddock and starting gate. The horse will be ready for the race.”
Emisael Jaramillo will have the mount aboard Grand Mo the First.
Barboza has yet to make future plans for his exciting 3-year-old filly prospect, Great Venezuela, a daughter of Neolithic who dominated four other fillies under Leonel Reyes.
The Florida-bred filly showed promise during her juvenile season, in which she finished second in her debut before scoring back-to-back romping victories on the all-weather surface and finishing third in the Wait a While Stakes on turf.\
Sunday, Great Venezuela pressed the early pace before drawing away powerfully to complete the 5 ½ furlongs in 1:02.93.
Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Pool Estimated at $375,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool is expected to grow to an estimated $375,000 Thursday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Sundsy for the 12th consecutive racing day of the Royal Palm Meet.
A mandatory Rainbow 6 payout is scheduled for next Saturday with a sequence that will be co-headlined by the $75,000 Mo’ Green, a mile handicap for fillies and mares, in Race 9 and the $75,000 Sunny Island, a five furlong handicap for 3-year-olds and up on turf, in Race 10.
Victor Barboza Jr.-trained Beth’s Dream, a mile optional claiming allowance winner last out who captured the one-turn-mile optional claiming allowance Heavenly Cause at Laurel last season, is the 121-pound starting highweight in a field of seven for the Mo’ Green.
Laura Cazares-trained Yes I Am Free, the graded stakes-winning veteran turf sprinter, is the 123-poound highweight in a field of 12 for the Sunny Island.
The Rainbow 6 carryover pool only paid out 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 usually 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 Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence.