Consistent Private Thoughts Wins $100,000 St. Augustine

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $250,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Private Thoughts, a 4-year-old gelding co-owned by David Romanik and trainer Ron Spatz, continued to show Saturday why he is one of the most consistent campaigners at Gulfstream Park, drawing away from seven others to win the $100,000 Saint Augustin.

A son of Neolithic who was purchased as a 2-year-old for $11,000, Private Thoughts was guided three-wide around the final turn by jockey Tyler Gaffalione before winning the Saint Augustin while covering the 1 1/16 miles Tapeta course in 1:40.50.

For Private Thoughts, it was his eighth win in 18 starts, increasing his bankroll to $350,000. In his last eight starts, Private Thoughts has five wins and three seconds.

“So consistent. Such a lovely horse,” Spatz said. “He’s in good form, probably better today than his last four starts.”

Beaten by less than a length in his last two starts – the Sabel Palm on Tapeta and Empire Builder on turf – Private Thoughts raced fifth behind Sabel Palm winner Prevent, who was pressed by No More Options through early fractions of :22.97, :46.58 and 1:09.81. Once Gaffalione moved three-wide around the turn with Private Thoughts, there was no catching the gelding.

“Prevent got away with [a slower pace] last time,” Spatz said. “Today he had company. It made all the difference. The very first part of the race he was a little farther back than normal, but I saw the hook up on the front and I was good with it.”

Spatz said the $100,000 Carousel on Pegasus World Cup Day Jan. 24 could be Private Thought’s next race.

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $250,000

Sunday’s 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $250,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the 13th racing day following a mandatory payout.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10.

A field of eight fillies 3-year-olds and up has been assembled for Race 5, a 1 1/16-mile optional maiden claimer on turf. Equitas, a former student of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher who is favored on the morning line at 9-5, will make her first start for trainer Jeff Engler following a pair of OK efforts against much tougher in New York.

Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Fully Entitled will seek to break a string of four runner-up finishes in Race 6, a mile-and-70-yard event for $8000 claiming fillies and mares on Tapeta. The 4-year-old daughter of Protonico is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine non-winners of three races lifetime.

A well-stocked field of eight 2-year-olds will feature two Brad Cox-trained first-time starters in Race 7, a six-furlong maiden special weight event. Waymark, a 2-year-old son of Liam’s Map, was purchased for $300,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September sale. Autobahn, a WinStar homebred, is a son of Nyquist.

Joseph Jr.-trained Murabeh is the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Race 8, a 1 1/16-mile $17,600 claimer of 3-year-olds and up on turf, after falling just a nose short of victory last time out after setting a pressured pace.

The seven-horse field for the Race 9 feature, a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares, includes a pair of Cox-trainer runner: Velvet Vortex, a daughter of Complexity, who has been idled since a front-running victory in a June 5 optional claiming allowance at Saratoga, and Trouble in Love, who is coming off an allowance victory at Churchill Downs Nov. 12.

A 1 1/16-mile $17,500 maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up on turf in Race 10 will close out the sequence. Pletcher-trained Lomax, who returned off a long layoff with an off-the-board finish against maiden special weight rivals on dirt, takes a huge drop for his return to turf. William Theranos, who is 1-1-0 with his two runners of the Championship Meet, will be represented by Conn Smythe, who has been knocking on the door at Woodbine in recent starts.

NOTE: Class President, a 2-year-old son of Uncle Mo trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., won his debut Saturday, winning a mile maiden special weight event over stablemate Easterly in by 3 ¼ lengths in 1:38.33. Class President is out of the graded stakes-placed mare Top Quality, was bred by WinStar Farm LLC and owned by WinStar, First Go Racing, and CHC, Inc.