Pletcher Eyeing G1 Pegasus with Locked and Crupi
Mish Looks Like Old Self in Sunday Feature Romp

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was solved by one lucky bettor for a life-changing jackpot payout of $489,592.94 after 5-year-old mare Center Stage ($58) sprung a 25-1 upset in the Race 10 finale Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

It marked the first time the popular multi-race wager has been hit during the 2024-2025 Championship Meet, which opened Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28. The Rainbow 6 had gone unsolved for 11 consecutive racing days following a Nov. 24 mandatory payout.

The winning combination was 5-1-2-3-7-7. Other winners in the sequence were Mish ($4.60), Art Fair ($8.80), Love Mami Love ($8.60), Union Trail ($8.60) and Morgan Point ($31).

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

Sunday’s 50-cent Late Pick 5 of 1-2-3-7-7 returned $34,109.55 for tickets with all five winners.

The Rainbow 6 begins anew spanning Races 3-9 when the Championship Meet resumes Thursday, Dec. 19. There will be a carryover of $13,049.51 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 9).

Pletcher Eyeing G1 Pegasus with Locked and Crupi

Graded-stakes winning stablemates Locked and Crupi are in South Florida to continue preparations for their anticipated 2025 debuts in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is aiming both horses to the 1 1/8-mile event for 4-year-olds and up that will headline a blockbuster Jan. 25 program of 10 stakes, seven graded, worth $5.55 million in purses, including the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) and $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2).

“We’ve got both of those horses here and pointing for the Pegasus,” Pletcher said. The 18-time Championship Meet leading trainer maintains winter strings at both Gulfstream and Palm Beach Downs, where Locked and Crupi are situated.

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm’s Locked raced four times as a 2-year-old, including a win in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and a third to champion stablemate Fierceness in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) but was knocked off the Triple Crown trail earlier this year with a knee injury.

The Gun Runner colt made his return with a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance victory Oct. 19 at Aqueduct, where he followed up with a popular 1 ½-length triumph over Aug. 24 Forego (G1) winner Mullikin in the Cigar Mile (G2) Dec. 7.

“It was his first time going a one-turn mile. He broke his maiden at Saratoga out of the Wilson chute, but it gave us confidence the way he ran in the seven-furlong allowance race first time back to try the Cigar Mile, and I thought it was a good effort,” Pletcher said. “He ran down a 4-year-old Grade 1 winner, so we’re really happy with him. Hopefully he continues to move forward. It was a solid race, good group of horses, and he was really good.”

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s 4-year-old Crupi exits a fourth-place finish in the Nov. 29 Clark (G2), his fourth straight loss following a half-length victory over favored Bendoog in the 1 ¼-mile Suburban (G2) June 8 at Saratoga.

Crupi has been third or better in 14 of 19 career starts with five wins and nearly $1.2 million in purse earnings. This year he has run second in the Whitney (G1) and Brooklyn (G2) and third in Gulfstream’s Pegasus, beaten a total of 4 ½ lengths by Grade 1 winners National Treasure and Senor Buscador.

“I thought he ran pretty well last year,” Pletcher said. “He’s the kind of horse that needs things to set up for him. He needs a solid pace up front, but he’s been pretty consistent.”

Crupi was one of three 2024 Pegasus starters for Pletcher, along with Dynamic One (seventh) and Grand Aspen (11th). Prior to Life Is Good, he was fifth with Audible in 2019, and third with Neolithic and fourth with Keen Ice in 2017.

Pletcher is a two-time winner of the Pegasus Turf with Colonel Liam in 2021 and 2022 and finished second each year with Largent and Never Surprised, respectively. He has yet to win the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf since it was rebranded in 2022. Run as the Marshua’s River (G3) from 2001 to 2021, Pletcher won it three times with Bellavais (2019) and Sandiva (2016-17).

For next month’s race Pletcher has Shadwell Stable’s Irish homebred Raqiya, winner of her North American debut in the Nov. 2 Goldikova (G3) at Del Mar. Before coming to the U.S., the Blue Point filly won four of seven starts, capped by the July 31 Oak Tree (G3) at Goodwood Racecourse in England. Raqiya is scheduled to have her first breeze since the Goldikova Monday.

“She came here after Del Mar and has settled in nicely,” Pletcher said. “That was the first time I’d seen her. I know they were trying to get her into the [Breeders’ Cup] Mile [G1] and that was sort of the backup plan, and she looked really good.”

Mish Looks Like Old Self in Sunday Feature Romp

C2 Racing Stable LLC’s Mish rebounded from a dismal showing in his prior start with a vintage performance in Sunday’s Race 5 feature, scoring by 3 ½ lengths in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park.

Racing for a $62,500 claiming tag for the first time, Mish attended the early pace before taking over on the turn into the homestretch and drawing off under Irad Ortiz Jr.

“I thought Mish would run well last time. I don’t know if he hit his head on the gate. I don’t know what caused it, but he didn’t run,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

It was the 10th victory in 33 career starts for the flashy gray 7-year-old gelding.

Although Mish only paid $4.60 for a $2 win ticket, the Joseph trainee completed a $30,626.10 50-cent Early Pick 5 ticket.

The five-race sequence was kicked off by Decisive Pride ($94) and jockey Jesus Rios in Race 1 and Elusive Edge ($47) and jockey Drayden Van Dyke in Race 2. The Early Daily Double returned $1,364.60 for a $2 ticket.

Who’s Hot: Irad Ortiz Jr, who rode four winners Friday and five winners Saturday, made only two trips to the Gulfstream winner’s circle Sunday. The two-time defending Championship Meet titlist scored aboard Dual Income ($5.60) in Race 4 and Mish ($4.60) in Race 5 … Both Mish and Love Mami Love ($8.60) in Race 7 are trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. … Antonio Sano sent out Cruising ($13.20) to victory in Race 3, the trainer’s 998th career win in the U.S. He has horses entered in one race apiece Thursday and Friday.