Graded-Stakes Possible for Thursday Feature Winner Paradise City

1/ST Coast to Coast Pick 5 Begins Friday, Four Stakes Highlight Saturday
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $125,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – C2 Racing Stable, Kuehne Racing, Shining Stables, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch’s Paradise City settled early and swept past her rivals late to register a six-length victory in Thursday’s feature at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Edgard Zayas for Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Paradise City ($8.20) covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.30 over a fast main track in the optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies.

“She’s kind of lulled in all her races where every time she gets daylight, she doesn’t finish it off,” Joseph said. “Today we kind of rode her like a turf horse, cover her up as long as possible and then swing out. Edgard gave her a perfect ride. We knew she always had ability, and she showed it today.”

Paradise City was unhurried early as Fede took the early initiative and went the opening quarter-mile in 23.78 seconds with Quinn’s Promise second, Indeed saving ground in third and even-money favorite Beauty Reigns in the clear in fourth. Indeed forged a short lead after a half in 47.70 when Zayas tipped out and on the far turn and powered through the stretch in her second try around two turns.

In her prior start, Paradise City was second as the favorite in the one-mile Cash Run Jan. 1 at Gulfstream, where she broke her maiden in debut last fall. She ran fourth in each of her two starts in between, one at 1 1/16 miles.

“All of her races she made a run and flattened,” Joseph said. “We were kind of stuck on what to do. We talked it over with the ownership group and decided to give her one more try to kind of ride her like that and see. Good thing we gave her one more try, because it worked out.”

Joseph hinted her performance may land Paradise City back in stakes competition for her next start. Among the options at Gulfstream are the $215,000 Fasig-Tipton Davona Dale going one mile March 1 and $265,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 29.

“This opens a lot of options now,” Joseph said. “Obviously the Oaks is here. We’ll talk it over with [co-owner] Mark [Cornett] and see what we want to do, if we want to go to the Davona Dale or Oaks.”

Michael Tabor’s Blueberry Hill ($8.80), a first-time starter by Munnings, shook off pace pressure from 4-5 favorite Keepsake at the top of the stretch and pulled clear for a front-running 5 ¾-length triumph in Race 6, a seven-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies. The winning time was 1:23.25.

1/ST Coast to Coast Pick 5 Begins Friday

The 1/ST Coast to Coast Pick 5 begins Friday with three turf races from Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park.

The $1 minimum wager, with a 15-percent takeout and CAW play excluded, begins Friday at 4:12 ET with two races at Gulfstream and the final three at Santa Anita.

Saturday’s 1/ST Coast to Coast includes four stakes races highlighted by the $265,000 Holy Bull (G3). The sequence begins with Gulfstream’s Kitten Joy, moves to Santa Anita for an allowance optional claimer on the downhill turf, then the Holy Bull, the Megahertz at a mile on the turf from Santa Anita, and concludes with Gulfstream’s Fasig-Tipton Forward Gal (G3).

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

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will have an estimated pool of $125,000 when racing resumes Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Friday’s sequence spans Races 4-9, starting with a claiming event for 3-year-old fillies sprinting five furlongs on the all-weather Tapeta. Pretty Liza drops in for $35,000 in her first start for trainer Jose D’Angelo, who also sends out La Cyber after a pair of starts against Florida-breds.

The feature comes in the Race 9 finale, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up scheduled for one mile on the grass. Multiple stakes winner Strong Quality, unraced since running fourth in the Fourstardave (G1) last August, is the 7-5 program favorite. Silent Heart won the Showing Up on the in November and exits a third in the Tropical Park Derby, beaten a half-length, both going 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream turf.

The Rainbow 6 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.

Who’s Hot: Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. sent out three winners Thursday, Fairhopecurly ($6.80) in Race 3, Paradise City ($8.20) in Race 8 and Walley World ($5.80) in Race 9 … Irad Ortiz Jr. doubled Thursday aboard Uncaptured Dove ($12.20) in Race 4 and Blueberry Hill ($8.80) in Race 6 … Tyler Gaffalione won aboard Souper Success ($3.40) in Race 7 and Walley World.