Herrera Celebrates Move to Gulfstream with Royal Palm Title

Saffie Joseph Jr. Leads Trainers for 16th Consecutive GP Stand
Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Yields Multiple $293 Payoffs
Fall Sunshine Meet Opens Friday, Runs Through Nov. 22

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Jockey Diego Herrera closed out his first full meet outside Southern California Monday at Gulfstream Park while celebrating his first riding title with an 88-82 edge over Samy Camacho during the Royal Palm Meet.

The up-and-coming 22-year-old jockey made the career decision to move his tack following his Jan. 24 visit to Gulfstream to ride British Isles in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1). Although the best British Isles could do was a fifth-place finish, Herrera came away from the experience with such a positive impression that he took agent Kevin Meyocks up on his offer to handle his book at Gulfstream – but not before notching his first Grade 1 stakes win by guiding British Isles to victory in the Santa Anita Handicap March 7.

“I’m very blessed and fortunate to be in this position. My agent has done a tremendous job. He gave me a call toward the end of March and I took a leap of faith and trusted in him,” Herrera said after guiding Bail Us Out ($4.20) to victory in Monday’s Race 5 to collect his 100th overall win of the year. “I can’t thank the owners, trainers, grooms, and all the people that work hard every day in the morning enough. I’m so pleased to be in this position.”

Herrera, who made it to Gulfstream March 19 for the tail end of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet, quickly established himself as a force during the Royal Palm Meet that got underway April 2. Herrera and Camacho were locked in a tight battle for the top spot in the jockey standings right up until the final weekend.

“I’m very happy with my decision, whether I won the meet or not,’’ Herrera said.

Herrera, who enjoyed 30 multi-win days and 16 consecutive racing days with at least one win during the Royal Palm Meet, is looking forward to continuing his success during the Sunshine Meet that gets underway Friday and, farther down the road, the 2026-2027 Championship Meet that opens Thanksgiving Day.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing a new jockey colony and having new opportunities,” he said.

The son of a Quarter Horse owner, the Inglewood, Calif. native began riding Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses in Southern California at the age of 15 ½ while taking online classes to earn his high school diploma at Lennox Academy.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. coasted to his 16th consecutive meet title at Gulfstream, prevailing over Victor Barboza Jr., 46-37.

Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Yields Multiple $293 Payoffs

A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool yielded multiple payoffs of $293.40 on the last of eight consecutive Monday programs to conclude the Royal Palm Meet at Gulfstream Park.

Neodera ($4.80) went gate to wire to capture the Race 9 finale, an optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting five furlongs on the grass, and complete the winning 6-4-5-2-1-6 combination.

Other winners in the sequence were Bail Us Out ($4.20) in Race 4, Sir Angelus ($4) in Race 5, Act a Fool ($2.80) in Race 6, Gregarious ($13) in Race 7 and Blue Slide Park ($11.20) in Race 8.

A total of $382,035 was bet into the Rainbow 6 Monday on top of a $20,985.24 carryover from Sunday’s program, for a grand total of $403,020.

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 Rainbow 6 produced multiple mandatory payouts of $48,609.94 July 13, $5,084.66 July 20, $406.32 July 27, $195.42 Aug. 3, $7,639.26 Aug. 10, $283.78 Aug. 17 and $12.403.04 Aug. 24. There are mandatory payouts scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13 and Sunday, Sept. 20.

Live racing resumes Friday at Gulfstream with the opening of the fall Sunshine Meet, which runs through Nov. 22 as a prelude to the 2026-2027 Championship Meet.

Monday’s 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 5-9) returned $208.15. There were payouts of $2,152.60 in the $1 Players Place Pick 8 (Races 2-9), $532.50 in the $3 Late Pick 3 (Races 7-9), $94 in the $5 Late Double (Races 8-9) and $1,750.40 in the $1 Summer Sweep Pick 5 featuring Races 6, 8 and 9 from Gulfstream and Races 3 and 4 from Horseshoe Indiana.

Notes: Jockey Leonel Reyes and trainer Jose D’Angelo teamed up to sweep the early daily double with Veronika Z ($2.60) in Race 1 and Amande ($3.80) in Race 2 …Reyes completed his hat trick aboard Blue Slide Park ($11.20) in Race 8 … Trainer Bobby Dibona sent out of pair of winners, Bail Us Out ($4.20) in Race 4 and Act a Fool ($2.80) in Race 6.