Closing day offers final Monday mandatory payout Rainbow 6
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Gulfstream Park will conclude its Royal Palm Meet with its final Monday program on Aug. 31, offering a mandatory payout on the Rainbow 6 for the eighth consecutive week. The wager will begin with the fourth race and includes a healthy mix of allowance runners, maidens, and claiming horses on dirt and turf.
Last week, the Monday Rainbow 6 featured a $443,000 pool, increasing for the second straight week after bringing in a $387,000 pool on Aug. 17.
Race 4: Bail Us Out will be the clear horse to beat in a $35,000 starter/optional-claiming race on the turf. The Bobby Dibona trainee earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure in a gate-to-wire victory at the same level on Aug. 1 and seems equipped to stretch out to 1 1/16 miles.
Degree of Risk, a longshot in two ambitious allowance attempts earlier this year, will get significant class relief off a four-month layoff for Nolan Ramsey. In February, he finished sixth behind top turf runners Cruise the Nile, Burnham Square, and Chapman’s Peak.
Race 5: Bettors will likely have to spread in this Florida-bred maiden special weight for juveniles. The wide-open race features several contenders who could step forward on dirt.
Etruscan Warrior, a first-time gelding removing blinkers, has an experience edge over most in the field of seven, but second-time starters Sir Angelus and King Henry arguably offer more upside. All three first-time starters could also be appealing.
Race 6: Rashid is a clear standout taking another shot in a $17,500 claiming race on turf. The colt returned from a short break for Fausto Gutierrez earlier this month and just missed by a head for the same tag, earning a 75 Beyer.
Grand David and Eddie the Great will have to bounce back from disappointing efforts, while Brother Brad will stay on turf for Victor Russo after finishing fourth behind Rashid last time out.
Race 7: Mediterranean Sea is sure to get most of the attention in a $68,000 maiden special weight on dirt. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 3-year-old will stretch out to a mile after finishing third in his six-furlong debut last month.
Gregarious debuted at 1 1/8 miles in February and finished a distant second with a 67 Beyer for trainer Jose Castro. He has not run since.
Race 8: This $6,250 claiming race on dirt features a wide-open field of 10, making it one of the toughest hurdles in the Rainbow 6.
The Thor is the obvious horse to beat, but he also enters with the biggest question to answer. The perennial allowance contender will drop sharply in class after a 25 3/4-length defeat last month, making him vulnerable.
Race 9: A classy group of nine fillies and mares will square off in a first-level allowance on turf to round out the Royal Palm meet.
Only two horses in the field ran on turf last time out, including Neodora, who ran on the surface for the first time last month and earned a gate-to-wire victory in a $25,000 starter/optional-claiming race.
Laila Bella Girl, Tizasweetlady, and Royally Blue have strong recent efforts on the grass and will switch back to the surface.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.