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Stat Caps Big Weekend for Joseph with Victory in Soldier’s Dancer
7/7/2024
Joseph-Trained Horses Run First, Second & Third in Stakes
Edgard Zayas Collects Third Four-Win Day in a Row
Van Dyke Guides Abrir Caminos to Victory in Successful Native Handicap
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $125,000
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – You could say Saffie Joseph Jr. had himself a weekend.
The Royal Palm Meet’s leading trainer capped a highly successful weekend by saddling Stat for a victory in the $100,000 Soldier’s Dancer Sunday at Gulfstream Park.
Less than an hour earlier, Joseph-trained Honor D Lady captured the $500,000 Delaware Handicap (G2) at Delaware Park.
Stat ($3.80) provided Joseph with his 11th winner of the three-day weekend at Gulfstream while capturing the mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up. Joseph-trained horses also finished second and third in the Soldier’s Dancer.
“Each one is important in its own right. You win the Delaware Handicap and you have a good weekend, but it’s important that the horses run good in this stake for these owners,” Joseph said after saddling the first three finishers in the Soldier’s Dancer. “So, you keep moving forward. You’re thankful for everything that’s happening. All glory to God. I’m just proud of the team. They work their butts off. They make me look good.”
Stat rated just off pacesetter Themanupfront before kicking clear in the stretch to score by 1 ¼ lengths under Edgard Zayas, who also capped a big weekend of his own by clinching his third straight four-win day of the weekend.
Zayas and Joseph teamed for eight victories over the three-day weekend.
C2 Racing Stable LLC’s Stat ran a mile in 1:35.93 while winning his third race in his last four starts. Daniel Alonso’s Novo Sol closed well to finish second, a length ahead of Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson’s Bluebirds Over.
Van Dyke Guides Abrir Caminos to Victory in Successful Native Handicap
Jockey Draydon Van Dyke continued to make his presence known at Gulfstream Park Sunday, guiding Abrir Caminos to a late-rallying victory in the $75,000 Successful Native Handicap.
Abrir Caminos ($8.20) was settled at the back of a field of five 3-year-olds and up before making a four-wide move into the stretch and surging late to catch pacesetter Mooncapture by a head.
Originally scheduled for five-furlongs on turf, the Successful Native was transferred to the Tapeta course. The Amador Sanchez-trained Abrir Caminos ran five furlongs in 56.34 seconds. Mooncapture was a half-length clear of Portofino while finishing second.
Two races later, Van Dyke came back to score aboard debuting Mrs. Gambolini, who overcame a slow start while making a wide sweep to the lead and continued on to win by 3 ½ lengths in the five-furlong maiden special weight race for fillies and mares. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Mrs. Gambolini, a 3-year-old daughter of More Than Ready that was purchased by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds for $325,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale, ran five furlongs on the all-weather surface in 56.13 seconds.
Van Dyke, who has maintained a 25-perecent win rate since switching his tack from Southern California last month, rode Comedy Hour for an upset victory in the $120,000 Smile Sprint on Saturday’s card.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $125,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $125,000 Friday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday on the second racing day following a mandatory payout.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, featuring the first six-furlong event for 2-year-olds of the year. A field of nine fillies has been assembled for Race 6. Patrick Biancone-trained Unchained Elaine brings the most experience into the race, having finished second twice in three starts. Vekoma, the red-hot first-crop sire, will be represented by Antonio Sano-trained Solidaria, a first-time starter.
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.