Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $150,000

Mandatory Pool Sunday Estimated at $1.25 Million
Jockey Edgard Zayas Makes Visit During NYRA Break
Rides Million-Dollar Vanderbilt in Featured Maiden

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Live racing returns to Gulfstream Park Friday with a 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool expected to grow to an estimated $150,000.

Gulfstream fans will also welcome back Edgard Zayas, who has six mounts on Friday’s nine-race program while making a working-weekend visit during the New York Racing Association’s pre-Saratoga break.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9. Brad Cox-trained Vanderbilt figures to be a very popular ‘single’ in Race 8, a six-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up. Zayas, who recently joined the New York jockey colony after establishing himself as a year-round-force in South Florida since 2012, has the call on the 4-5 morning-line favorite.

Vanderbilt, who was a $1.1 million purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September sale, returns to action following a layoff of 16 months. The son of Into Mischief made a most promising debut at Gulfstream Jan. 11, 2025 before going to the sidelines. He recovered from early bumping to set a pressured pace before finishing second in a six-furlong sprint won by River Thames.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, River Thames went on to win an allowance in his next start before finishing second in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) behind Sovereignty, the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and Horse of the Year.

Vanderbilt is training sharply at Payson Park for his return to action.

Zayas also has the mount on Hop Sing, the 8-5 morning-line favorite in Race 7, a mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up. The Jose D’Angelo-trained 5-year-old gelding, a steady-running son of Curlin, will make his 2026 debut coming off a six-month layoff. His best efforts have come in one-turn mile races, including a maiden victory at Aqueduct.

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. 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.

If the Rainbow 6 is not hit Friday or Saturday, the estimated pool for the mandatory payout Sunday is estimated at $1.25 million.

Before heading to Saratoga, which opens Wednesday and will host the June 6 Belmont Stakes (G1), Zayas has also been named on seven mount Saturday and on four mounts Sunday at Gulfstream.