Lightning Tones Goes Last to First in Black Diamond Cat

5YO Gelding Gives Owner-Trainer Castro First Stakes Win
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $75,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – JC Racing Stable’s Lightning Tones, trailing the field through the backstretch, came with a bold move rounding the far turn and swept past his rivals once straightened for home to give owner-trainer Jose Castro his first stakes win in Saturday’s $70,000 Black Diamond Cat overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Miguel Vasquez, Lightning Tones covered 1 1/16 miles over a fast main track in 1:42.48 to beat seven rivals including Grade 3 winner and 8-5 favorite Hades and 2024 Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Catalytic, promoted winner over Hades of the July 25 Tackleberry overnight handicap.

“This is my first stakes win, so I’m very proud and happy,” Castro said. “Everything went as we hoped it would. He showed a big closing kick in the stretch to win the race.”

Castro claimed Lightning Tones for $16,000 out of a fourth-place finish last July at Gulfstream and the 5-year-old Tonalist gelding raced five times for trainer Carlos Narvaez, winning the Jan. 11 Sunshine Classic, also going 1 1/16 miles, and finishing third behind Mindframe in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) and fourth to White Abarrio in the Ghostzapper (G3) during the Championship Meet.

Lightning Tones had raced once between the Ghostzapper and Black Diamond Cat, running fifth as the favorite in a one-mile optional claimer May 17. He had been working steadily for his return at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“In the previous race he didn’t deliver, but he was not 100 percent for that race,” Castro said. “For this race we were confident because the horse was very sharp so we were expecting this kind of result.”

Roar of the Beast broke running and ran the opening quarter-mile in 23.18 seconds pressed by Catalytic with Fiveeyesonskystars racing third and Hades, the 8-5 favorite, shuffled back to fifth along the inside. Roar of the Beast continued to lead through splits of 46.79 and 1:10.59 when Vasquez, subbing for Emisael Jaramillo, gave Lightning Tones his cue.

Lightning Tones began to pick up horses leaving the backstretch and continued to gain ground with every stride, was set down for a drive once straightened for home and surged past Catalytic to win by 1 ¼ lengths. Roar of the Beast wound up third, followed by Hades, Smart Striker, Las Olas, Fiveeyesonskystars and Relampago Verde.

“Jaramillo was going to ride the horse but he is in Saratoga today so we were looking for a rider,” Castro said. “We thought Vasquez was the best fit for the horse and it worked out perfect.”

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $75,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool is expected to grow to an estimated $75,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday on the first racing day following last Sunday’s mandatory payout.

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, featuring Joe Orseno-trained Rezasrolex’s bid for his fifth straight victory in Race 6, a five-furlong starter allowance on turf for 3-year-olds and up. The 4-year-old’s winning streak has spanned 14 months, starting with a 2 ¾-length victory at five furlongs on Tapeta June 21, 2024. The son of Bucchero went on to win back-to-back starter allowances before heading to the sideline in August 2024.

Rezasrolex made a victorious return in a 5 ½-furlong starter on Tapeta May 29. He comes off a two-month hiatus on turf, a surface over which he is 1-for-1. Edwin Gonzalez is scheduled to ride Rezasrolex for the first time in the absence of regular jockey Edgard Zayas, who is slated to ride at Kentucky Downs Sunday.

In the Rainbow 6, the carryover 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 usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Notes: Jockey Leonel Reyes rode three straight races on Saturday’s program, scoring aboard Gallant Knight ($11.40) in Race 3, Grand Sticker ($10.80) in Race 4 and Khozalite ($8.40) in Race 5. Gallant Knight and Khozalite were two of three winners for trainer Jose D’Angelo, who also tallied with Zolene ($18.60) in Race 2. Leading apprentice Yolber Torres also tripled Saturday, winning aboard Zolene, Diamonds For Lily ($61.20) in Race 6 and Cross Haste ($8.20) in Race 9. Zolene, Gallant Knight and Khozalite are all trained by Jose D’Angelo, who ran second with Grade 1 winner Howard Wolowitz in Saturday’s Mint Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs.