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Sutherland Starts off Busy Weekend on Winning Note
9/23/2022
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $500,000
Pembroke Park, Armed Forces Highlight Rainbow 6 Sequence
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Chantal Sutherland started off a busy weekend on a winning note Friday at Gulfstream Park, guiding first-time starter Esoteric to victory in the Race 3 maiden special weight event for 2-year-old fillies.
After riding three horses Friday at Gulfstream, Sutherland was scheduled to travel to Pennsylvania to ride Jorge Delgado-trained Lightening Larry in the $300,000 Gallant Bob (G2) at Parx Saturday before making an hour drive to Northern New Jersey to ride three horses, including a pair of Delgado trainees at Meadowlands Saturday evening,
“Delgado, wherever he can make me work, he’ll make me work,” Sutherland joked. “But I’ll take it.”
The Gallant Bob is scheduled to go to post at 4:35 p.m., while post for Race 1 at Meadowlands, in which Sutherland is ride, is set for 7 p.m.
Sutherland rode Lea Farms LLC’s Lightening Larry to victory in the Chick Lang (G3) on the May 21 Preakness Stakes (G1) undercard. The son of Uncaptured finished a troubled fifth in the Aug. 6 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park, where he has been training for the Gallant Bob.
“I like my post [PP 10]. There’s not really any speed outside me. It’s all inside me. I guess the word will be ‘go.’ I’m looking for a good break,” Sutherland said. “The last time, he got stepped on and ripped a shoe off. That’s why he didn’t finish like he can. He came back to the barn a little sore from the shoe coming off. They treated him, and he’s 150 percent.”
Lightening Larry will face 13 rivals in the six-furlong Gallant Bob, including Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Of a Revolution, who finished fourth in the Jersey Shore after winning an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream. Todd Pletcher-trained Provocateur, who captured the Hutcheson at Gulfstream during the Championship Meet and won the Jersey Shore, is rated as the 4-1 morning-line Gallant Bob favorite. Of a Revolution is rated at 6-1, while Lightening Larry is rated at 8-1.
Sutherland couldn’t have been happier with Esoteric’s debut score. The Ron Spatz-trained daughter of Khozan ($7.60) relaxed nicely in fifth behind a hotly contested pace, made a sweeping move on the turn before being floated nine-wide at the top of the stretch, and kicked in through the stretch to win by 1 ¼ lengths. Nova Stable’s Esoteric ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:19.71.
“I got on her one time in the morning, and Ron said, ‘She’s a filly who wants to go long.’ I liked her. She was a little nervous, but I took my time with her. I liked her stride,” Sutherland said. “I was really impressed with what she did today, and she’s going to be even better going long.”
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $500,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $500,000 on Saturday’s program at Gulfstream Park.
First-race post time is set for 12:25 p.m.
The popular multi-race wager has gone unsolved for the 17 racing days following an Aug. 13 mandatory payout.
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, including the $55,000 Pembroke Park, a 1 1/16-mile overnight handicap on Tapeta for 3-year-olds and up, and the $65,000 Armed Forces, a mile-and-70-yard stakes for 2-year-olds on Tapeta.
The Pembroke Park, which will kick off the sequence, drew a strong field of seven, including Bob Hess Jr.-trained Lure Him In, who returns from Southern California. The 5-year-old son of Khozan won the Sunshine Turf over the Tapeta course during the Championship Meet. Joe Orseno-trained Lamplighter Jack also returns to Gulfstream, where he won four straight races on Tapeta before finishing fifth on turf at Ellis Park last time out.
The Armed Forces is carded as Race 10 and will be headlined by a pair of juveniles trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse. Lights of Broadway, an impressive maiden winner in a two-turn race on Tapeta last time out, is the morning-line favorite at 3-1. Eyes On the King is coming off a debut victory by four lengths at six furlongs on the main track.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is 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.