Luis Saez Makes Triumphant Return to Gulfstream Park

Three-Time Leading Rider Wins in Championship Meet Debut
Irad Ortiz, Rohan Crichton Net Thursday Hat Tricks
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $225,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Three-time leading rider and former track record-holder Luis Saez made a triumphant return to Gulfstream Park Thursday, riding a winner to open the card in his first mount of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

The 33-year-old Saez guided 3-year-old colt Fuoco Vivo ($13.60) to a front-running 3 ¾-length triumph in a five-furlong maiden sprint that was rained off the grass to the all-weather Tapeta course. The winning time was 57.62 seconds.

“I’m so grateful to be back here at Gulfstream,” Saez said. “This horse broke pretty well from the outside and he took me to the lead. He’s very fast and he took me all the way to victory.”

Saez added a second winner with Sound of the Beast ($) in Race 6. Both horses are trained by Rohan Crichton.

Saez won back-to-back Championship Meet riding titles in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, the latter with 137 victories, a single-season record that was broken by Irad Ortiz Jr.’s 140 three years later. Saez also finished first with 122 wins in 2021-2022.

Last winter Saez ranked second with $4.38 million in purse earnings and third with 70 wins from 422 mounts, including a victory aboard Tappan Street in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1). He is based this winter at Oaklawn Park, which does not resume racing until Dec. 30.

At Oaklawn Saez sits second in purse earnings ($1.12 million) and third in wins (14) from 73 mounts, four wins behind leader Christian Torres.

“It always feels great to be back,” Saez said. “I miss this place. I had to move my tack to Oaklawn, but I’ll be around.”

Approaching 3,900 career victories, Saez said he plans to ride at Gulfstream through the end of the month. Among other mounts on Pegasus World Cup day, he will back aboard Tappan Street for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 24.

“I was off for two weeks and took the time to see my mom and dad in Panama,” he said. “I start here today for the Pegasus and all those big races, just getting ready.”

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

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will have its jackpot pool estimated at $225,000 for Friday’s 10-race program at Gulfstream Park.

First race post time is 12:20 p.m.

The popular multi-race wager, last solved for a life-changing $416,348.44 jackpot payout Jan. 8, spans Races 5-10 beginning with a maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for five furlongs on the turf.

Five of the nine entrants are first-time starters that each fetched six figures at auction, led by Shadwell Stable’s Alqab, a $325,000 daughter of Charlatan racing for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who also sends out Not This Time filly Copacabana, who cost $285,000. The lukewarm 3-1 program favorite is Pearl of Pearl, another debut runner by Vino Rosso trained by Jose D’Angelo.

Race 8 is an optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up scheduled for 7 ½ furlongs on the grass which drew an overflow field of 11. The 8-year-old Ruse has been third or better in 20 of 43 career starts, six of them wins, with two seconds and three thirds in seven tries on the Gulfstream turf. Homebred Cruise the Nile is set to make just his third start and second on the turf following a front-running maiden victory over elders Dec. 19 at Gulfstream.

The feature comes in Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. Batten Down, the 2024 Ohio Derby (G3) winner, drew the rail against seven rivals in his first start since last April. Bill Mott-trained stablemate Stars and Stripes will be making just his fifth start and second in six months after running fourth to undefeated Pegasus World Cup (G1) probable favorite Disco Time in the Nov. 8 Dwyer. Freedom Road, 2-0 on Gulfstream’s main track last winter, chases a 14th career victory.

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.

Since the 2025-2026 Championship Meet opened Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, the Rainbow 6 has been solved three times including mandatory payouts of $13,268.58 Nov. 29 and $2,390.64 Dec. 21.

Who’s Hot: Meet-leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. registered a Thursday hat trick aboard The Prince’s Spur ($5) in Race 3, Senza Parole ($3.60) in Race 7 and Vuela Paloma ($5.40) in Race 9 … Trainer Rohan Crichton also visited the winner’s circle three times, with Fuoco Vivo ($13.60) in Race 1, The Prince’s Spur and Sound of the Beast ($4.40) in Race 6 … Both Fuoco Vivo and Sound of the Beast were ridden by Luis Saez … … Jockey Jose Morelos also doubled on Sweet Ember ($3.80) in Race 5 and Demar’s Legacy ($18.80) in Race 8.