Tessellate Romps to Juvenile Fillies Sprint Triumph

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $125,000
Jockey Emisael Jaramillo Rides Four Winners Saturday

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – After placing in back-to-back stakes attempts, Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm, Kuehne Racing and John Reinhardt’s Tessellate broke through with a dominant 13-length triumph in Saturday’s $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream Park.

Ridden by Edgard Zayas for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Tessellate ($5.40) covered 6 ½ furlongs over a fast main track in 1:18.60 for her second win from four starts. She was the beaten favorite in the six-furlong Sharp Susan, contested over a sloppy and sealed track Aug. 9, then third when stretched out to one mile in the Sept. 26 Hallandale Beach.

“We thought she’d break through the first time [in a stakes] but then we tried the mile. We knew she didn’t want to go the mile but it was hard to resist. We had to try it,” Joseph said. “I’m glad she’s got a stakes win on her resume now.”

Zayas and Tessellate found themselves between horses early as Joseph-trained stablemate and 8-5 favorite La Dolce Vita, breaking from the rail, and Epigram from the far outside sparred for the lead out of the gate. The opening quarter-mile went in 22.13 seconds as La Dolce Vita forged a short lead pressed to her outside by Epigram, as Zayas dropped back to settle in third.

Tessellate was tipped off the rail and got her cue from Zayas midway around the far turn, quickly gaining ground as La Dolce Vita began to drop back. Tessellate assumed the lead without resistance from Epigram straightening for home and drew off impressively through the stretch.

“She did it well,” Joseph said. “We thought there was a lot of speed and we left it up to Edgard. The filly has tactical speed, and he rode a smart race. He broke sharp but he let them clear away, made sure they stayed honest and then he took back. That was the winning move.”

Lady Chance, sent off at 40-1, was a distant second, three lengths ahead of 35-1 long shot Dakota’s Lil Auror, followed by Epigram, Nour, Make Your Wish and La Dolce Vita. Joseph-trained Mystical Belle, a last out maiden winner on the Tapeta Sept. 12 in her second start, was scratched in favor of an optional claiming allowance sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the all-weather surface Sunday.

Tessellate, a daughter of three-time Grade 1-winning multimillionaire McKinzie who fetched $140,000 as a yearling last fall, was a front-running two-length debut winner July 19 sprinting five furlongs at Gulfstream. Zayas was aboard for the second straight race.

“She came into the racing looking good. Saffie did a great job with her. The race set up for her. She had a beautiful trip,” Zayas said. “I looked at the [infield] screen and she looked like she was running by herself. She had a lot left in the tank. We’re looking forward to the winter with her.”

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

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $125,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the fifth racing day following a mandatory payout.

The $70,000 Finallymadeit overnight handicap will be the Race 9 headliner of a Rainbow 6 sequence that will span Races 5-10. Bobby Dibona-trained Steal Sunshine (9-5 ML) and Jose Castro-trained Lightning Tones (2-1) will carry co-highweight of 122 pounds in the 1 1/16-mile handicap for 3-year-olds and up. Steal Sunshine is a Grade 2 stakes winner who is looking to improve on a fifth-place finish in a recent one-turn mile handicap in which Lightning Tones finished second.

The Race 6 maiden special weight for 2-year-old for fillies at seven furlongs attracted a field of nine, including Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Tahlequah, a first time starter by 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Authentic, and Jestina, a daughter of Valiant Minister who finished third in her debut after dueling for the lead into the stretch.

Unraced since graduating by 7 ¾ lengths in a Tampa Bay Downs maiden last March, Todd Pletcher-trained Accelerate (6-5 ML) returns in Race 7, a mile optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up.

Joseph-trained Mystical Belle (9-5 ML), who graduated last time out while trying Tapeta in her second career start, and Joe Orseno-trained Spinelli (2-1), a debut winner on Tapeta at Gulfstream before finishing fourth last time out at Monmouth Park in the Colleen on turf, are set to clash in Race 8, an optional claiming allowance for 2-year-old fillies on Tapeta.

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.

Notes: Jockey Emisael Jaramillo registered a four-win Saturday with Juliee’s Legacy ($2.60) in Race 2, Excuses ($5.80) in Race 3, Blame Yasself ($10) in Race 8 and Takecareofbusiness ($19.40) in Race 10 … Jockey Edgard Zayas and trainer Jose D’Angelo teamed up for a pair of winners, No Time to Wait ($3) in Race 1 and Vuela Paloma ($4.40) in Race 5. Zayas completed his hat trick on Tessellate ($5.40) in the $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Sprint … Both Julee’s Legacy and Blame Yasself are trained by Victor Barboza Jr.