Juvenile Season Gets Under Way Thursday at Gulfstream

Arindel Homebreds Dorothy and Boots Top Seven Debut Fillies
Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $225,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – At this time last year, Alan Cohen’s Arindel Farm unleashed the filly Mythical to kick off the juvenile season at Gulfstream Park then watched her go on to win five stakes in her next seven starts, one against boys and another in Grade 3 company.

Arindel, which already had 2-year-olds Smoke, a filly, and Crossfire run second at Keeneland last weekend, will send out the pair of homebred fillies Dorothy and Boots in Gulfstream’s first race of 2026 for juveniles when the Royal Palm Meet resumes Thursday.

Post time for the first of eight races is 12:50 p.m.

Seven 2-year-old fillies are entered in Race 2, a maiden special weight sprinting 4 ½ furlongs on the main track. It is the same spot where Mythical launched a career that has seen her win six of eight starts from 4 ½ furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, most recently in Gulfstream’s six-furlong Any Limit March 14.

By Arindel’s foundation sire Brethren out of the stakes-winning Maimonides mare Sweet Khaleesi, Dorothy is a full sister to stakes-placed fillies Mist and Evolution as well as Olga, an eight-time winner of more than $315,000 in purses from 40 starts.

Dorothy had five breezes at Arindel’s farm in Ocala before joining trainer Carlos David at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, where he put on the finishing touches with three more timed works since late March. She is rated the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, having drawn the rail with jockey Paco Lopez.

Boots, by Brethren out of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper’s mare Medusa, will break from Post 6 with Samy Camacho up for trainer Jorge Delgado. The 2-1 program favorite, she also worked five times at Arindel and has had her last three breezes at Gulfstream.

“They always have a good base when they come from the farm. They do such a good job there,” David said. “Hopefully [Dorothy] comes out of the gate running. It’s always about the gate with these young horses. We’ve done a lot of schooling at the gate. [Boots] seems a little bit sharper than her, but she comes from a good family so she should be OK. I’ve got Paco, too, so that will help.”

David will also send out Richard Arnold’s Florida homebred Silver Magic (Post 4, 3-1), a daughter of Grade 2 winner Magic On Tap out of the Put It Back mare Magical Madam that is a half-sister to Magical Warrior, a stakes winner with a bankroll of more than $194,000.

Also in the field is Dew Sweepers’ Celtic Dispute (Post 2, 7-2), by Leinster out of the Bertrando mare Bert’s Altarcation, trained by Patrick Biancone that has breezed four times at Palm Meadows, once on the turf, for her unveiling. She is a half-sister to multiple stakes-placed Vulcan, who earned more than $307,000 in his career. Leinster is also the sire of Lennilu, a first-round winner last year before winning Gulfstream’s Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and finishing third in the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot.

Satira (Post 3, 12-1), a bay daughter of Mind Control, and Victor Barboza Jr.-trained stablemate Dama Du Sucre (Post 7, 15-1), by Cyberknife; and Chance It filly Jost a Chance Yadi (Post 5, 20-1) complete the field.

Juvenile racing continues Sunday at Gulfstream with an open 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight sprint on the main track where Arindel is represented by Florida-bred Strike and New York-bred Medieval. Delgado-trained Strike, by Grade 1 winner Roadster, drew the rail with Camacho in a field of seven while Medieval, a homebred granddaughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, got Post 6 with Lopez named.

“We’ll see what happens. We want to give him one good experience and get him some schooling and if he wins, he wins, but I wouldn’t be mad if he doesn’t,” David said. “You have to get them going somewhere so we’ll get him some experience and get his feet under him and go from there.”

David spent last week in Kentucky and the early part of this week attending the Ocala Breeders’ Sales auction of 2-year-olds in training.

“I bought a Win Win Win [Tuesday] for a client and I’m trying to get a couple more,” he said. “This is what it’s all about. Trying to get some winners, trying to get the next [big] thing and horses that can take you up to the next level.”

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $225,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $225,000 Thursday at Gulfstream Park after the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday for eighth racing day following a mandatory payout Sunday, March 29.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 3-8, featuring a five-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-bred fillies and mares on the all-weather Tapeta course in Race 4 and a one-mile allowance for Florida-bred fillies and mares on turf in Race 5.

Ocala Gala will seek to graduate in Race 4 coming off a runner-up finish in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight on turf at Fair Grounds. The daughter of Code of Honor, who had run three times previously around two turns, will make her first start for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. George Weaver-trained Emerald Ember, who finished an even fourth in a Florida-bred stakes on Tampa Bay Downs’ main track, was a close-up third in a five-furlong maiden optional claimer on turf in his prior start. Joe Orseno-trained London has been working well for her return from eight-month hiatus since finishing third in her debut at five-furlongs on turf.

In Race 5, Casse-trained Souper Landslide returns from an off-the-board finish in Gulfstream’s 7 ½-furlong Sanibel Island March 28 on the grass after graduating impressively at a mile on turf in her previous start. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is well-represented with Sapphire Girl, a maiden winner at the course and distance last fall, and City Minute, who has one second and two thirds in three tries on turf.

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.