Domineer can give D'Angelo another reason to smile

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Jose D’Angelo seems perpetually upbeat, perhaps for a reason. The 31-year-old Venezuela native has had good fortune in 2 1/2 years as a trainer in the United States, most notably with his best horse, Jesus’ Team, an earner of more than $1.34 million from 17 starts.

“We have gotten lucky with Jesus’ Team,” D’Angelo said this week from the Palm Meadows training center, explaining the 5-year-old horse showed signs of salmonella after undergoing minor ankle surgery in Kentucky in the latter half of 2021.

“He was really, really bad, very sick,” said D’Angelo. “But now he’s good and he’s almost ready to come back to me from Kentucky, maybe next week. We hope to have him back to the races maybe this spring.”

With that bullet dodged, D’Angelo is enjoying the fruits of his other labors. Into this week, half of his starters at the Gulfstream Park championship meet have finished first or second (28-8-6-7), and he’s looking to build on that record Friday with a 5-year-old mare named Domineer, one of the main contenders in the highlight of a 10-race card.

Domineer will break from post 6 when she faces six other Florida-bred fillies and mares in the ninth race, a $54,000 restricted allowance going 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track. She’s one of two starters entered for an optional $12,500 claiming tag, along with Kozy Dreams.

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It may be telling that Luis Saez, the leading jockey at the four-month meet, which began Dec. 3, has seen fit to accept the call on Domineer. Claimed for $6,250 from a distant third-place finish on Nov. 12, the chestnut daughter of Kantharos will return Friday under new silks with two wins from her last three starts and four of her last 10, all at Gulfstream.

“She’s going to have a good race Friday,” said D’Angelo, who has about 25 horses in training at Palm Meadows and another five at Turfway Park in Kentucky. “She’s an improved horse. I know races are tougher [at the championship meet], but she is doing well for us.”

Probably the top opponents for Domineer are Freak (post 1), an Arindel homebred who will need a new rider with Irad Ortiz Jr. sidelined again, and American of Course (post 5, Tyler Gaffalione), a close third at this same level Dec. 16 for Kathleen O’Connell.

First post is 12:30 p.m. Eastern. The feature (4:42) is part of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 5-10), which could have a pool guarantee of about $200,000, assuming the jackpot was not swept Wednesday or Thursday.

Although turf racing was moved to the Tapeta course Wednesday because of wet grounds, drier weather is trending toward this weekend, meaning both Friday races scheduled for turf (races 5 and 10) figure to stay put.