Well-Regarded Strike Heads Juvenile Maiden Event Friday

Arindel Homebred Roadster Colt Second as Favorite in Debut
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $100,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Arindel’s well-regarded 2-year-old colt Strike, stubborn in defeat as the favorite in last month’s unveiling, gets a second chance to break through Bred in Florida by Susan Kahn and purchased out of OBS’ winter mixed sale last January for $57,000, Strike drew the inside post and dueled with eventual winner Ford Roadster throughout their 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight encounter April 19 before falling a half-length short in Gulfstream’s first open juvenile race of the season.

The effort was flattered when Liberty Rings, just a head behind Strike in third, came back to spring a front-running upset in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies sprinting five furlongs on the turf May 9 and earn an automatic spot plus travel stipend to Royal Ascot for one of its juvenile races in June.

“It was seemingly a pretty decent race. The horse that won was a big, good-looking colt, I thought, and he ran well,” Arindel racing manager Brian Cohen said. “[Strike] is off the rail this time [so] hopefully he gets it done second time out.”

Strike is a son of Grade 1-winning freshman sire Roadster out of the Wildcat Heir mare Hardcore Cat whose maternal grandmother is Hardcore Candy, the dam of Grade 1-winning millionaire mare Dorth Vader. Favored at even money on the morning line, he drew Post 5 against six rivals and races for Carlos David after debuting under another of Arindel’s trainers, Jorge Delgado, whose main string is at Monmouth Park for the summer.

Arindel boasts three 2-year-old winners this year – Boots, a homebred daughter of Brethren that graduated first time out for Delgado April 16 at Gulfstream, and Valkyrie, an Early Voting filly trained by Ken McPeek April 26 at Churchill Downs; and Frosted colt Tolstoy April 23 at Keeneland for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Samy Camacho, leading the Royal Palm Meet with 34 wins from 159 mounts (21 percent) and nearly $1.3 million in purse earnings, has the return mount on Strike. Horses running first time for David strike at 27 percent (26-for-98).

“I really do like this colt,” Cohen said. “When you win first time out sometimes you have to wait a while to run again and here we got a nice check at this time of year for second. Hopefully we can add to that with a win and then the stakes start up in July, so hopefully it sets up well, timing-wise. But you’ve got to win first. It looks like there’s a couple of decent ones in there. You never know with the babies.”

Trainer Jose D’Angelo will send out the pair of Blu Boy Racing and Matty Dan Racing Stable’s Astrogem and Awesome Noah to challenge Strike. Astrogem (Post 7, 4-1) has worked over dirt and turf courses at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, for his debut.

Astrogem is by Curlin’s Honor, a stakes winner on grass that was multiple graded-stakes placed on turf and synthetic. His dam, Tiz Possible Dear, won 11 of 39 starts including the 2020 Millions Distaff at Gulfstream Park West.

“He’s a horse that is doing good,” D’Angelo said. “We got him out of the sale last year. He has run faster than my other horse and he’s had some good works from the gate so hopefully he runs a good race.”

Also training at Palm Meadows, Awesome Noah (Post 2, 8-1) is a homebred for Blu Boy by Awesome Slew, a three-time Grade 3-winning millionaire that placed in three Grade 1 stakes including the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Dam Karla Sofia, by Jess’s Dream, had one win from three starts sprinting 6 ½ furlongs on the dirt at Gulfstream.

“He doesn’t have as much speed. I think he can do better going longer, but this is a good race to get him going,” D’Angelo said. “He’s a nice horse, very smart. I’m sure he’s going to run OK. He has a good family. I know Karla Sofia. She’s a nice filly. She was unlucky in her race career but very talented.”

Chance It colt X G Man (Post 1, 10-1); Roadster colt It’s Smoking (Post 3, 12-1), Win Win Win gelding Win Jet Win (Post 4, 20-1) and Gretzky the Great gelding Mitts(Post 6, 3-1) – all first-time starters – are also entered.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $100,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated to reach $100,000 when the Royal Palm Meet resumes with a nine-race program Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Friday’s sequence spans Races 4-9. The feature comes in Race 8, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds sprinting six furlongs on the main track where two of the six horses, Sonic Surge and Ramajay, are entered for a $75,000 tag.

Ralph Whitney’s Sonic Surge makes his fourth start and first since being claimed for $35,000 out of neck win at the course and distance March 22. BAG Racing Stables, TCC Stables, PaulFam 4 Inc. and A M A Stables’ Ramajay has been third or better in six of seven starts with four seconds and his lone win, a six-furlong maiden special weight March 14 at Colonial Downs.

Three other horses also exit wins – One Hundred Kings, by two lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight April 19 at Gulfstream; Pardo, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight winner Oct. 15 at Gulfstream; and Pardo, who has won two straight five-furlong dashes this year on Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta course Feb. 20 and May 1.