Chaos Agent Springs 11-1 Upset in Thursday Feature

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $450,000
Saffie Joseph Jr. Wins Three to Take Over Training Lead

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Pin Oak Stud’s Chaos Agent, a $350,000 son of multiple graded-stakes winner Independence Hall making his race debut, swept to the lead at the top of the stretch and fended off even-money favorite Scope to spring an 11-1 upset in Thursday’s feature at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Jorge Ruiz for Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll, Chaos Agent ($24.20) covered 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather Tapeta course in 1:43.65 to win the maiden special weight for 3-year-olds by 1 ? lengths.

The Woodbine-based Carroll winters annually in South Florida, where Chaos Agent had been working steadily for his debut at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“This horse, on the Tapeta all summer trained exceptionally well. We just ran out of time,” Carroll said. “We came down here and he was training OK on the dirt. We thought that he had trained so well up there on that surface and had shown a lot that we really did expect a nice race from him.”

Breaking from the rail against six rivals, Chaos Agent settled in fifth less than two lengths behind front-running Struck Gold through a half-mile in 47.62 seconds. Subbing for jockey Junior Alvarado, Ruiz steered Chaos Agent outside where they rolled to the front on the far outside and kept driving through the stretch as Scope, fourth in last fall’s Pilgrim (G3) on the Aqueduct turf, made a late bid.

“The one hole, of course, was a big question for a first-timer but I thought the rider did a terrific job of settling him and putting him in a nice position, and the horse did the rest,” Carroll said. “I would say from his first couple of breezes that we liked this horse. He’s been a little tricky. He’s a little nervy but he’s come a long, long way. We wanted to get his maiden broke, start with that and see where we go from there.”

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $450,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated to reach $450,000 for Friday’s 10-race program at Gulfstream Park.

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

The popular multi-race wager has gone unsolved for six consecutive racing days since it produced multiple mandatory payouts of $71,527 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.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 5-10, opening with a claiming event for older horses sprinting six furlongs on the main track. Sound of the Beast was a popular 2 ?-length winner of a similar spot Jan. 15. Gallant Knight races first off the claim for trainer Jose D’Angelo, who connects at 33 percent with the move.

Race 6 is an optional claiming allowance older fillies and mares scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass where 2024 Athenia winner Child of the Moon is the 7-5 program favorite making her 6-year-old debut and first start in 434 days since finishing sixth in the Matriarch (G1) at Del Mar. Her former stablemate, stakes winner Sweet Rebecca, races first time for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Stakes-placed Late Night Text adds Lasix and sheds blinkers for her 3-year-old debut in Race 7, a maiden special weight for sophomore fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather Tapeta course. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher unveils Wujood, a Shadwell Stable homebred daughter of two-time Horse of the Year and fellow Hall of Famer Curlin.

The feature comes in Race 8, a stakes quality optional claiming allowance scheduled for five furlongs on the grass that drew a full field of 11 older fillies and mares. Winner of the 2024 Matron (G3), Abientot drops after nine straight stakes attempts, six in graded company. Hall of Famer Mark Casse-trained stablemate Karaya makes her first start since running third in last February’s Ladies Turf Sprint.

Shades of Jade chases a third straight win, the latest coming at the course and distance Dec. 24. R Morning Brew, a stakes winner on dirt, is entered to make her turf debut for meet-leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Tree C’s Kai has won two straight, both on Tapeta, and is cross-entered in Saturday’s Ladies Turf Sprint.

Notes: On the advice of his agent, Mike Sellitto, jockey Junior Alvarado took off his Thursday mounts and is now expected to return to action Saturday. Alvarado needed stitches in his knee after being unseated when his horse clipped heels on the clubhouse turn of an optional claiming allowance on the turf Jan. 31 … Godolphin homebred Spirit of Hope, a 4-year-old half-sister to 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, ran fifth in her unveiling in Race 6 after stalking the pace of front-running winner Absolute Honor.

Who’s hot: Saffie Joseph Jr., winner of 14 consecutive training titles at Gulfstream including the past three Championship Meets, took over sole possession of first place in the 2025-2026 standings with a Thursday hat trick – May Mischief ($3.40) in Race 3, R Tun Who ($4.80) in Race 4 and Absolute Honor ($14.40) in Race 6 … Both May Mischief and Absolute Honor were ridden by Micah Husbands … Jorge Ruiz rode two winners, Chitchatchitchat ($20.40) in Race 2 and Chaos Agent ($24.20) in Race 8 … Joe Bravo also doubled aboard Lobo Go ($27.20) in Race 1 and Salvattore Prince ($8.60) in Race 9.