Monster Lives Up to Name on Turf in 2YO Maiden Dash

Continues Early-Season Success of First-Crop Sire Leinster
Mandatory 20-cent Rainbow 6 Payout Set for Sunday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Monster lived up to his name Friday at Gulfstream Park, graduating by nine lengths with a sizzling gate-to-wire performance in a five-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds on turf carded as Race 2.

The Jose D’Angelo-trained colt also continued the impressive early-season success of first-crop sire Leinster while cutting out fractions of 20.82 and 43.21 seconds for the first half mile on his way to a final clocking of 55.14 under Edgard Zayas.

Arindel’s Monster was making his third career start and his first on turf Friday. He debuted at Keeneland with a troubled fourth-place finish at 4 ½ furlongs April 7 at Keeneland. The Florida-bred colt showed speed while prompting the pace before fading to sixth in the five-furlong Kentucky Juvenile May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Monster, the 7-10 favorite in a field of eight, prepared for Friday’s stellar effort with a five-furlong breeze in 33 seconds on turf at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“I really liked this horse from Day 1 – that’s why I brought him to Kentucky. He didn’t run the way I was expecting,” D’Angelo said. “I said, ‘Lets bring the horse back to Florida and work him on the grass.’ The horse worked in 33, showing he’s 100-percent grass.”

Leinster was 100-percent grass, himself, winning four graded-stakes on turf, including his career finale in the 2021 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint (G3). The Rusty Arnold-trained son of Majestic Warrior had finished third in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) in his prior start.

Leinster is also the sire of Lennilu, who captured the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, and Squire, the runner-up in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile, on the Gulfstream Park turf course May 10.

Leinster stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Morriston, FL, where is 2025 stud fee was set at $2.500.

Mandatory 20-cent Rainbow 6 Payout Set for Sunday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved at Gulfstream Park Thursday on the second racing day following Sunday’s jackpot hit for $185,237.30.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated at $100,000

The popular multi-race wager sequence Saturday will span Races 6-11, headlined by the $75,000 Big Drama Handicap in Race 10. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Dilger, who finished second in the Carter (G2) at Aqueduct last time out, is favored on the morning line at 9-5 and will carry highweight of 123 pounds, between two and six pounds more than his six rivals in the seven-furlong handicap.

A mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is scheduled for Sunday. Should the popular multi-race wager go unsolved until Sunday, the jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $750,000.

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. On Mandatory days, the entire jackpot pool will be disbursed to the bettor or bettors with tickets including the most winners.