Cart Girl Sam Seeking Stakes Win in Ladies Turf Sprint

Global Aviator Possible for G2 Fountain of Youth Feb.28
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $600,000
Tickets on Sale for the 75th Florida Derby (G1) March 28
Jockey Jorge Ruiz Rides Three Straight Winners Friday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Rohan Crichton, Dennis Smith and Daniel Walters’ Cart Girl Sam, placed in a pair of grass stakes last year, looks to break through with her first stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Ladies Turf Sprint at Gulfstream Park.

The 17th running of the Ladies Turf Sprint for older fillies and mares scheduled for five furlongs on the grass headlines a 12-race program that begins at 12:20 p.m.

Trained by Crichton since her October 2023 debut on Gulfstream’s main track, 5-year-old Cart Girl Sam has raced exclusively since the summer of 2024 on grass, where she owns three wins, one second and two thirds. Her lone try on the local course resulted in a win over older horses going five furlongs in her turf debut.

Unraced for nine months, Cart Girl Sam returned last spring in Kentucky and was third or better in five of her next six starts including wins going five furlongs in June and 5 ? furlongs in September. She ran third behind multiple stakes winner Hollywood Walk in the Andy Guest at Colonial Downs and most recent was second in the Pan Zareta Nov. 29 at Fair Grounds, both also at 5 ? furlongs.

“She’s just bouncing out of one at Fair Grounds. We had to skip the last one here [Dec. 27 Abundantia] because it was too much travel, but she’s doing good. We don’t run her too much, but she’s good. I think this is a good spot for her.”

Cart Girl Sam drew outermost Post 8 with jockey Mario Gutierrez, and is rated the 9-2 fourth choice on the morning line. Also in the field are Abundantia winner and 8-5 program favorite Moon Spun, seeking a fourth straight win; multiple stakes winners Twirling Queen and Choose Joy, and Flamingo Way, a troubled fourth in the Abundantia.

“There’s a lot of speed in the race which should suit her, but it’s still a very tough race,” Crichton said. “That horse on the inside had a tough trip the last time. Let’s hope everybody gets a fair trip home. I love our post position. That moves her up.”

Crichton also reported that Special Aviators’ 3-year-old colt Global Aviator was in good shape following his fifth-place finish in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull (G3). The determined Nov. 29 debut winner was making just his second start and first around two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull.

The $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 28, also going 1 1/16 miles, is the next step for 3-year-olds on Gulfstream’s road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 28.

“He’s doing good. He’s eating well,” Crichton said. “We’re hoping to run him back in the Fountain of Youth. We’ll see how things go, but that’s the direction we’re heading.”

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $600,000

The $125,000 Ladies Turf Sprint for older fillies and mares serves to highlight a 20-cent Rainbow 6 sequence that will have an estimated jackpot pool of $600,000 on Saturday’s 12-race program at Gulfstream Park.

First race post time is 12:20 p.m.

The popular multi-race wager has gone unsolved for seven consecutive racing days following multiple mandatory payouts of $71,527.20 on Pegasus World Cup Day Jan. 24. Since the Championship Meet opened Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, the largest jackpot payout was $416,348.44 Jan. 8.

In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot pool is 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 goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 7-12, starting with a stakes-quality optional claiming allowance for older turf sprinters scheduled for five furlongs on the grass led by stakes winners Souper Quest, Masseto and 10-year-old gelding Xy Speed, the latter seeking his 17th lifetime win.

Race 8 is a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the main track that drew a field of eight including the recently Triple Crown nominated Mr. Miracle, The Puma, Halogen, WinStar Farm’s Chess Match, a homebred son of Hall of Famer Curlin, and second-time starter Easterly, a $525,000 yearling by champion Uncle Mo.

The Ladies Turf Sprint scheduled for five furlongs on the grass comes in Race 10, where Moon Spun seeks a fourth consecutive win, third in a row on the Gulfstream turf and second straight in a stakes following the Dec. 27 Abundantia. Also entered are multiple stakes winners Twirling Queen and Choose Joy as well as Flamingo Way, a troubled fourth in the Abundantia.

Race 11 is a wide-open optional claiming allowance for older horses sprinting six furlongs on the main track where maiden winner Fast Town adds blinkers in his debut for trainer Will Walden and first starts since last August. Nothingsubtle is a three-time winner that exits a third in the Jan. 17 Sunshine Sprint against fellow Florida-breds. Mo Work, a maiden winner in the slop last summer in Kentucky, races first time as a gelding for trainer Rusty Arnold.

Ten 3-year-old fillies are entered to line up in the Race 12 finale, an optional claiming allowance scheduled for 7 ? furlongs around two turns on the grass. Wine On Sunday cuts back after capturing her unveiling going 1 1/16 miles over the course Dec. 21. Another local debut winner Oct. 18, Slippers most recently ran sixth in the Nov. 27 Wait a While which was rained off the grass to the all-weather Tapeta course. Call Me Precious, Just a Minute, Reina Del Viento, Meilani and Dandona all exit victories.

Tickets on Sale for the 75th Florida Derby (G1) March 28

Tickets for the 75th running of the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) Saturday, March 28 at Gulfstream Park are now on sale.

A major prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1) and spring and summer classics, the Florida Derby’s first 74 runnings have produced 47 starters who have gone on to win 63 Triple Crown races, including 26 in the Kentucky Derby.

For more information, click here.

Who’s hot: Jockey Jorge Ruiz completed a natural hat trick Friday aboard Bless Her ($13.80) in Race 7, Coco Abarrio ($7.80) in Race 8 and Split Strike ($28.40) in Race 9 … Trainer Antonio Sano doubled with Breezer ($12.80) in Race 1 and Flag Officer ($5) in Race 4.