Jockey Reyes Makes Long-Awaited Return to Riding

G1 Winner Howard Wolowitz Gets Back to Work Friday
White Abarrio has Final Breeze for G2 Oaklawn Handicap
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $175,000
Gulfstream Hosting First 2YO Race of Season April 16

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Greeted by well wishes from fans and fellow jockeys alike, Leonel Reyes made his long-awaited return to riding Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Reyes, who turns 40 on Sunday, was winless in three mounts. He was beaten a neck when second aboard Florida-bred gelding Action Delight in Race 3, a maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up where they took the lead into deep stretch before giving way late.

“It feels great,” Reyes said. “I’m happy to be back riding horses again.”

Reyes made his return in Friday’s opener aboard Ronald Coy-owned and trained Kukuk, who pressed the pace for a half-mile before fading. It was the first race in 157 days for Reyes since needing surgery to repair an open fracture of his left ankle sustained in a Nov. 2 spill at Gulfstream.

A winner of more than 1,400 races in his native Venezuela who is three wins shy of 1,000 in North America, Reyes was originally scheduled to return on Thursday’s card before his lone mount was scratched.

“I’m happy for this,” Reyes said. “I’m blessed because when I fell, God put his hands on me. The recovery was long, but I feel great.”

Reyes is named in three of 10 races Saturday at Gulfstream including Great Venezuela in the $75,000 Golden Beach overnight handicap, and six of 10 races Sunday.

“It’s amazing. Everbody was saying, ‘Hey, welcome back’ and ‘It’s good to see you,’” Reyes said. “This is a business, and the jockeys room is very competitive, and I will try to be winning again.”

G1 Winner Howard Wolowitz Gets Back to Work Friday

Gold Square’s Howard Wolowitz, a Grade 1 winner of more than $1.7 million in purse earnings, had his first breeze of the year Friday as he begins gearing up for the start of his 5-year-old season.

Trained by Jose D’Angelo, Howard Wolowitz went three furlongs in 35.90 seconds over a wet-fast main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. The time ranked third-fastest of 11 horses at the distance.

It was the first work for Howard Wolowitz since before his runner-up finish in the Holiday Cheer sprinting six furlongs on the all-weather surface Dec. 21 at Turfway Park, a race he won to cap his 2024 campaign.

“He worked very good,” D’Angelo said. “He’s coming along well.”

Howard Wolowitz broke his maiden second time out in June 2024 on Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta course, two starts before a popular victory in the 6 ½-furlong Franklin-Simpson (G1) during Kentucky Downs’ all-turf meet. He capped the year running ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint before winning the Holiday Cheer.

Last year Howard Wolowitz raced four times without a win starting in February in Saudi Arabia and including seconds in the Kentucky Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs and Holiday Cheer.

“We gave come time off to him after the race at Turfway,” D’Angelo said. “It was just something to refresh him. Now he’s doing well and we’re moving forward.”

D’Angelo does not have a starting point picked out for Howard Wolowitz, but is hopeful for a return trip to Kentucky Downs.

“For sure we want to go to Kentucky Downs, but I don’t know where we’re going to run first time out,” he said. “We will see.”

Also among D’Angelo’s workers Friday was Arindel’s 3-year-old homebred colt Monster, breezing four furlongs in 47.90 seconds on Palm Meadows’ main track, fourth-fastest of 39 horses. It was his first piece of work since finishing fifth in his season debut, the March 21 Texas Glitter going five furlongs on the Gulfstream Tapeta.

Monster is being pointed to the $300,000 Palisades sprinting 5 ½ furlongs April 19 on the Keeneland turf.

“He is doing good,” D’Angelo said. “We’re hoping the last race will help him improve a little bit.”

Prominent on Friday’s work tab at Gulfstream was 7-year-old White Abarrio, who went four furlongs in 49.80 seconds in his fifth breeze since finishing to Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stablemate and fellow Grade 1 winner Skippylongstocking in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 24.

White Abarrio is scheduled to make his next start April 18 in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at Oaklawn Park, where reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty – Fountain of Youth (G2) winner and runner-up in the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) last winter at Gulfstream – is expected to make his 4-year-old debut.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $175,000

Unsolved Friday for a sixth consecutive racing day to open the Royal Palm Meet, the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated to reach $175,000 for Saturday’s 10-race program at Gulfstream Park.

First race post time is 12:50 p.m. ET

The popular multi-race wager last returned multiple mandatory payouts of $41,654.20 March 29, closing day of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

Saturday’s sequence begins in Race 5, a claiming event for 3-year-olds and up going one mile and 70 yards on the all-weather Tapeta course. The 9-year-old Alley Oop Johnny makes his 53rd career start chasing his ninth win, eighth on the synthetic and first since July 24 over the Woodbine turf.

Race 6 is a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass which drew a wide-open field of 10 led by Better America, a son of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher that was sixth in debut going a mile on the dirt Feb. 28; stablemate Woods, by Twirling Candy, that was fifth at the course and distance March 8; and Quality Road colt Guitarist, racing first time for trainer Jorge Delgado after running fifth in his only prior start last summer at Saratoga.

The feature comes in Race 8, the $75,000 Golden Beach overnight handicap for older fillies and mares scheduled to go five furlongs on the turf where the 9-5 program favorite is Creed’s Gold, a winner of back-to-back stakes including the 2025 Hendrie (G3) on the synthetic at Woodbine. Also in the lineup are Le Amazonia, Tree C’s Kai and Cart Girl Sam, respectively second, fifth and seventh in Gulfstream’s Ladies Turf Sprint Feb. 7; Miss Vyvyanne, riding a three-race win streak; multiple stakes winner Great Venezuela and Demar’s Legacy, third to Creed’s Gold in the Feb. 14 Lightning City at Tampa Bay Downs.

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.

NOTES: Jockey Paco Lopez doubled Friday aboard Lou the Body ($3.20) in Race 2 and Liz Loves Shopping ($7) in Race 5 … Samy Camacho bookended the card with wins on Candy Addiction ($6.40) in Race 1 and Zephyros ($8) in Race 9 … Gulfstream will host its first race of the season for 2-year-olds Thursday, April 16, a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight event that drew a field of seven fillies including Arindel homebreds Dorothy, a full sister to six-figure earners Olga and Evolution and stakes-placed Mist, and Boots.