Grande Hot Triple Crown Prospect after Thursday Feature Win

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $425,000
Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Set for Sunday
Run-ups for 1 1/16-Mile and 1 1/8-Mile Races Extended

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Repole Stable’s Grande established himself as a hot prospect for the Triple Crown Thursday at Gulfstream Park, where the son of Curlin scored a decisive victory in the Race 8 feature by 2 ½ lengths.

Six of the seven horses that contested the 1 1/8-mile feature for 3-year-olds have been nominated to the Triple Crown.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Grande was making his two-turn debut at the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) distance following a 2 ½-length victory in a mile maiden special weight race Jan. 11. Hall of Famer John Velazquez was aboard for both impressive performances.

“We expected this out of him,” Velazquez said. “We ran him a mile because we didn’t think he was a short-distance horse. Going from a mile to a mile and an eighth, we expected him to do this. I didn’t know how easy he did it, because this was a nice group of horses.”

Saddled by longtime Pletcher assistant Anthony Sciametta, the even-money favorite broke well from the starting gate to follow pacesetter Jimmy’s Dailys and Solid Left into the first turn before advancing into a close stalking position heading into the backstretch. Jimmy’s Dailys, the 2-1 second betting choice ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr,, ran the first quarter of a mile in 23.93 seconds and continued on to complete the first half mile in 47.94 as Grande pulled alongside. Grande pulled took the lead on the turn into the homestretch and seized full command at the top of the stretch. Grande drew clear to complete the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.49 with Jimmy’s Dailys finishing a clear second, 3 ¼ lengths ahead of Indecisiveness, a 53-1 long shot ridden by Horacio Karamanos.

“He was very comfortable the whole way around. He sat there playing around, playing around,” Velazquez said. “He did get into the bridle a little sooner than I wanted him, but I let him run and he opened up. I showed him the whip to make him do a little something. It was very nice.”

Grande, a $300,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September sale, stamped himself as a strong candidate for the March 29 Curlin Florida Derby. Pletcher has saddled the winners of eight editions of Gulfstream’s premier Kentucky Derby (G1) prep, including Fierceness and Forte the past two seasons.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $425,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved Thursday for the eighth racing day following a Feb. 15 mandatory payout that yielded multiple jackpot payoffs of $164,292.76.

The popular multi-race wager’s jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $425,000 Friday, when the six-race sequence will span Races 5-10, featuring a stakes-quality optional claiming allowance in Race 10. The five-furlong turf feature will be contested by a field of 11, including 14-race winner Xy Speed and 13-time winner Yes I Am Free, a pair of hard-knocking multiple stakes-winning veterans. Stakes-winner Mattingly is scheduled to make his second start off a layoff after finishing third in his 2025 debut. Biz Biz Buzz will seek his second win in a row after defeating Xy Speed and Mattingly, respectively Feb. 2.

A mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 jackpot pool has been scheduled for Sunday’s 11-race program. The jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $4 million.

On mandatory payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence. The carryover jackpot is usually 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 usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Run-up Distances: The run-ups for 1 1/16 mile and 1/1/8-mile races has been extended. An additional 85 feet has been added to 1 1/16-mile races and 53 feet has been added to 1 1/8-mile races.

The change was made by management after jockeys suggested the change to give horses a longer distance before they enter the first turn.

Who’s Hot: Hall of Famer John Velazquez doubled on Thursday’s card, guiding Grande ($4.20) to a dominating win in the Race 8 feature after riding Nantasket Beach ($4.00) to a Race 5 victory.