Debra Donaldson Records First Training Win Friday

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $125,000, Refunds on Friday
‘Win and You’re In’ Princess Rooney (G3) Highlights Sequence
Rainbow Includes Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint, Ginger Punch H.
G1 Woodbine Mile, G3 Ontario Matron Part of Summer Sweep
Promising Juveniles on the Track Saturday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Debra Donaldson’s 4-year-old gelding Skyliner rallied from last to first into the stretch and pulled clear through the lane for a six-length decision to give his owner-trainer her first career victory Friday at Gulfstream Park.

With jockey Wesley Henry up, Skyliner ($14.80) completed a mile and 70 yards over the all-weather Tapeta course in 1:46.73 to win the maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up, his sixth career start, over four rivals. None were taken for the $17,500 tag.

It was the 22nd start this year and 34th overall dating back to August 2024 for Donaldson, who said she is retired from the real estate and commercial property business.

“It’s been two, three years, part-time, putting every hour I have into this, so we’re really, really happy,” said Donaldson, retired from the real estate business. “We finally did it.”

Bred in Florida by Thoroughbred Racing Nation, Skyliner began his career Feb. 22 with a pair of dirt races at Tampa Bay Downs before moving to Gulfstream for a race on the Tapeta May 16 and back-to-back turf starts with Henry, the most recent Aug. 23.

Henry settled Skyliner at the back of the field in Friday’s race, where he trailed splits of 23.83 seconds, 47.79 and 1:13.43 before circling the field on the outside and opening up over the fast main track.

“Who thought Skyliner would be my first win, because this horse literally trampled me almost to death a year and a half ago,” Donaldson said. “I told his owner at the time, ‘He’s maturing, he’s maturing,’ and he finally is maturing. He’s not quite so crazy anymore.”

Donaldson is based in Ocala, Fla. but has a dozen horses this summer at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“We own Citra Oaks Farm, a five-eighths training track up in Ocala, so we started up there. It was too hard to run the horses off the farm in the summer when it’s so hot, so we came down to Palm Meadows this year,” Donaldson said.

“We met Wesley Henry last year and he’s been riding for us every morning, so our horses are nice and fit,” she added. “We have 12 at Palm Meadows and we have broodmares and an American Pharoah and a Tiz the Law weanling. We’re all in.”

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $125,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated to reach $125,000 for Saturday’s 10-race program at Gulfstream Park, headlined by the $225,000 Princess Rooney (G3) for female sprinters.

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

Friday’s Races 4, 7 and 9, each originally carded for a one-turn mile, were extended to 1 1/16 miles around two turns due to inclement weather, following a delay prior to Race 4. Pick 3, Pick 4 and Players Pick 8 wagers that included those races were designated as ‘all’ races in their respective sequences, while the 20-cent Rainbow 6 was refunded in fairness to players that may not have been aware of the distance changes.

Once again, the seven-furlong Princess Rooney for fillies and mares 3 and up serves as an automatic qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), to be held Oct. 31 at Keeneland and is the highlight of the fall Sunshine Meet stakes schedule.

Carded as Race 9 (4:33 p.m.), the Princess Rooney drew a field of seven including three from trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who is seeking his fourth consecutive victory in the race – Anakarina, Kerry’s Kiss and Indy Bay. Purchased privately, Anakarina has made one start for Joseph, winning the six-furlong Love Song July 25 at Colonial Downs.

Kerry’s Kiss, another private acquisition, has won Gulfstream’s 6 ½-furlong Musical Romance and seven-furlong Sheer Drama back to back since joining Joseph’s stable. Indy Bay, the 2025 Charles Town Oaks (G2) winner, ran second each time with Just a Philly – also entered in the Princess Rooney – third.

In from California is Grade 1-placed Simply Joking, winner of the 1 1/16-mile Santa Maria (G3) who cuts back to one turn for trainer Michael McCarthy, who won the 2021 and 2022 Princess Rooney with Ce Ce, the former a springboard to her Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter. Joseph-trained Soul of an Angel also pulled off the Rooney-Eclipse double in 2024.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence begins in Race 5 (2:25 p.m.), the $100,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for five furlongs on the grass. The narrow 5-2 program favorite is Rezasrolex, who has earned 11 of his 15 career wins on the all-weather Tapeta course, which has hosted the Umphrey since 2022. Last-out winners Itza Boss and Thought Control are both coming layoffs. Stakes-winning 4-year-old filly Sunna is entered to face males for the first time.

The $100,000 Ginger Punch Handicap for fillies and mares, scheduled for a two-turn mile on the turf, comes in Race 8 (4:04 p.m.). Among the field of 10 are stakes winners Fantasy Performer, Crafty Collector, Lets Go Koko and Miss Mary Nell, stakes-placed Spicy Princess, and 3-year-old filly Barakah, a three-quarter-length winner of her lone start March 29 on the Tapeta.

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 next mandatory payout is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13, when the jackpot pool is expected to reach $750,000 if not hit before then.

The Rainbow 6 was last solved for a $29,308.54 jackpot payout Sept. 4 on opening day of the Sunshine Meet.

The Ginger Punch and Princess Rooney are also the first two legs of Saturday’s $1 player friendly, retail-only Summer Sweep with partner racetrack Woodbine, which hosts Leg C in its Race 8 (4:45 p.m.), the Ontario Matron (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/16 miles led by Fantastical and Lupa, separated by a neck when respectively 1-2 in the July 25 Trillium (G3).

Gulfstream’s Race 10 finale (5:05 p.m.) is Leg D, a claiming event for 3-year-olds and up scheduled at one mile on the grass, where Mister Abarrio is favored to snap a seven-race losing streak having been third or better in 13 of 18 lifetime tries on the Gulfstream turf and 25 of 39 overall. Rashid drops after running second in his last two starts at the course and distance, beaten less than three lengths combined.

The Summer Sweep ends with Woodbine’s Race 9 (5:20 p.m.), the Woodbine Mile (G1) for 3-year-olds and up on the turf. Deterministic goes after a seventh consecutive victory dating back to last May, a streak that includes back-to-back Grade 1 wins in the Manhattan and Fourstardave at Saratoga. The even-money program favorite is defending champion and multiple European Group 1 winer Notable Speech.

Promising Juveniles on the Track Saturday

Gulfstream’s seventh race Saturday, a seven-furlong maiden special weight event on the main track, has drawn a field of eight promising colts and geldings including Earthly Delights and Tailbreezin Joke for Saffie Joseph Jr., and Arabian Crown for Tareq Moubarak.

Earthly Delights, a son of Union Rags who sold at auction for $410,000, is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Gaming. The colt, out of the Johannesburg mare So Stylish, is owned by John Oxley, WSS Racing, LLC and Mark Corrado. Tailbreezin Joke is a $130,000 son of Practical Joke owned by Twin Oaks Bloodstock, LLC. Arabian Crown, a son of Good Magic, brought $230,000 as a yearling. Alwaled Thamer Alosaimi International Stables is the owner.

Saturday’s first race is five furlongs on the turf for 2-year-old fillies and Expectations, a $240,000 son of Mo Donegal, will make her debut in the field of 10 for trainer Patrick Biancone.

Notes: Jockey Edwin Gonzalez doubled Friday aboard Curlina Star ($5.20) in Race 4 and Hard Talk ($26.60) in Race 7 … Trainer Carlos David saddled a pair of winners, Three Zero ($7) in Race 3 and Pocket Pair ($11.80) in Race 5.