Okiro Rallies Past Mattingly in Go Cats Go Handicap

Turf Dash Headlines Opening Weekend of Royal Palm Meet
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $125,000
Jockey Diego Herrera Registers Saturday Hat Trick

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Yutaka Enterprises Corp.’s Okiro, mirroring his effort from four weeks ago, came with a steady run down the stretch to reel in stubborn favorite Mattingly and edge past for a dramatic neck victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Go Cats Go overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park.

The Go Cats Go for 4-year-olds and up sprinting five furlongs on the turf course served to headline opening weekend of the Royal Palm Meet, which began Thursday and runs through Aug. 30.

Ridden by Joe Bravo for trainer Jose Garoffalo, Okiro ($9) covered a turf course rated good in 55.33 seconds to register his second consecutive win, fifth in 22 career starts and second in a stakes following the 2024 Animal Kingdom at Turfway Park.

“He was running against many of the same horses and it went pretty much the same as last time,” Garoffalo said. “The track was a little bit slower today so that’s why he didn’t win by as much because the pace was slower than before. But, he did his job. He ran his race and Joe Bravo did a great job with the horse.”

Joe Orseno-trained stablemates Extendo and Mattingly, respectively second and third behind Okiro in a March 6 optional claiming allowance on the Gulfstream turf, raced together through an opening quarter-mile in 22.21 seconds and were still there after a half in 43.98 seconds, with multiple graded-stakes winner War Bomber third on the inside.

Bravo saved ground early with Okiro from their rail post, tipped off the rail on the far turn to get into a challenging position and powered through the lane four wide to wear down Mattingly for the win. It was a length back to Extendo in third, followed by War Bomber, Test Factor and Asher’s Edge. Masseto, Xy Speed, Society’s Thunder and Esperon were scratched.

“Joe Bravo and I spoke in the morning that the most important thing was to overcome the post position, but with the scratches the job was easier without the traffic,” Garoffalo said. “He did a great job. He understood what I wanted to do with the horse and we got the result. They finished on top.”

Okiro made his first nine starts for Garoffalo, including the Animal Kingdom, and was returned to his barn last fall. Since their reunion, the 5-year-old of two-time Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Yoshida has run five times with two wins and a third

“He’s getting better now,” Garoffalo said. “He had some problems, but since I’ve had the horse he’s been improving and he’s very good at the moment. He’s in very good shape right now.”

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $125,000

The jackpot pool for the 20-cent Rainbow 6 is expected to grow to an estimated $125,000 on Easter Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the third racing day of the Royal Palm Meet following a mandatory payout last Sunday on closing day of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, featuring a stakes-quality six-furlong optional claiming allowance for older horses in Race 9. Multiple stakes winner Rolando, who captured last year’s Hutcheson at Gulfstream, enters Sunday’s feature off a third-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Sprint. Edgard Zayas, who will make an Easter Sunday visit to Gulfstream, has the call on the Fausto Gutierrez-trained 4-year-old son of Vekoma. Bobby Dibona-trained Con Compania, an 11-time winner, is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Gulfstream Sprint. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Mish, a 12-time winner, will seek his third win in a row Sunday.

A five-furlong starter allowance will close out the sequence in Race 10 with a field of nine hard-knocking veterans. Michael Lerman-trained Xy Speed, a 16-time winner who was scratched from Saturday’s Go Cats Go overnight handicap in favor of Sunday’s five-furlong sprint on turf, is rated second at 2-1 on the morning line. Paco Lopez has the call. Boat’s a Rockin, a 17-race winner, will make his first start off the claim by Fernando Abreu. Edwin Gonzalez – who won Saturday’s Carter (G2) at Aqueduct on Point Dume – has the call aboard the hardy 9-year-old gelding, who has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite.

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 Diego Herrera, who switched his tack from Santa Anita to Gulfstream Park at the tail end of the 2025-2026 Championship Meet, is getting off to a quick start for the current Royal Palm Meet.

On Day 3 of the new meet that began Thursday and runs through August 30, the 21-year-old native Southern Californian rode three winners on Saturday’s Gulfstream program, scoring aboard Frosted Punk ($11.60) in Race 1, El Muheet ($10.60) in Race 4 and Banneker ($12.80) in Race 7.

Both El Muheet and Banneker ($12.80) in Race 7 are trained by Joe Orseno … Jockey Miguel Visquez, who had four wins Friday, and trainer Carlos David teamed up to win Race 2 with One Sweet Girl ($8.40) and Race 8 with Banded Rocket ($12.40) … Jockey Joe Orseno doubled on Okiro ($9) in the $75,000 Go Cats Go overnight handicap and Back in the Saddle ($4.80) in Race 10.