Reagan’s Flame Sizzles in Orange Blossom Handicap Win

5YO Mare Completes Four-Win Day for Edwin Gonzalez
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $200,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – BAG Racing Stables, Turf Express Inc. and Watkins Diamond Stables’ 5-year-old mare Reagan’s Flame stalked pacesetting Fantastic Flame to the top of the stretch before surging past and going on to a 6 ?-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Orange Blossom overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park and complete a four-win day for jockey Edwin Gonzalez.

Trained by Martin Drexler, Reagan’s Flame ($9) covered 1 1/16 miles over the all-weather Tapeta course in 1:41.61 to win for the sixth time in 19 career starts while making both her season and synthetic debut.

Rodriguez was up for the first time on Reagan’s Flame, whose last victory came in early October over the turf at Keeneland.

“My filly had been running in Kentucky and I watched the replays,” Gonzalez said. “Marty didn’t give me too much instruction. He told me wherever I want to be, just be comfortable with the filly. I was sitting outside just galloping and I had a lot of horse. I waited until we turned for home to ask her and she responded. She picked it right up and kept going.”

Fantastic Flame, another 5-year-old daughter of Flameaway, set fractions of 24.43 and 48.64 seconds with Reagan’s Flame pressing on her outside and Table Flirt saving ground racing in third. Gonzalez gave Reagan’s Flame her cue rounding the far turn, and she took the lead after straightening for home and went on impressively with Table Flirt edging Queens Command for second.

Gonzalez previously won on the card with Vin Number ($6.80) in Race 4, Speed Figures ($3.80) in Race 5 and Breezey Bella ($6) in Race 8. Represented by agent Jose Garcia, he has 22 wins and more than $800,000 in purse earnings from 139 mounts at the Championship Meet.

“I feel great. I was a little bit sore the last couple weeks in my toe but I’m OK. It didn’t bother me to ride so I keep going. I’m here,” Gonzalez said. “I had a lot of live chances today. My agent is working really hard so I’ve been getting great opportunities and I’m very thankful.”

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $200,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated to grow to $200,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the third racing day following a $462,562.64 jackpot hit.

The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10, featuring a mile maiden special weight for 3-year-olds on turf in Race 7 and a five-furlong optional claiming allowance for older horses on turf and Race 10.

Brian Lynch-trained Fancy Sailor, a son of Justify who fell a half-length short of a debut victory after rallying for third, is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in a Race 10 field that includes stablemate Comprehensive, a son of Hard Spun who was on the short end of photo finishes in his last two starts; a pair of first time starters trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher; Chad Brown-trained Pay the Piper, who will be equipped with blinkers following a debut that was compromised by a slow start; and Noble Heritage, a son of Tapit who will make his second start for Hall of Famer Bill Mott following an even effort in his debut.

Cyclonic, a 4-year-old Bucchero gelding trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in a well-matched field of 10 assembled for Race 10. Cyclonic will seek to break a string of three second-place finishes.

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.

Who’s Hot: Jockey Micah Husbands doubled Saturday aboard Magic Red ($8.80) in Race 2 and R Disaster ($3.80) in Race 11, the $175,000 Hurricane Bertie (G3) … Trainer George ‘Rusty’ Arnold II earned his 1,999th career victory in Race 10 with Bregman Family Racing’s 3-year-old filly To a Flame ($6.80).