Flashing Diamond likely key in Rainbow 6 play

Flashing Diamond could be a key horse Thursday at Gulfstream in the Rainbow 6, which begins in the fourth race with a $469,282 carryover.

There are two ways of looking at Flashing Diamond, who should be favored in a $30,000 conditional claiming race for fillies and mares, race 7. She is a possible single, or a horse you might want to try and beat.

Making her attractive in the one-mile race is that she is the only multiple winner in the field. The race is for older horses who have not won two races, or for 3-year-olds who have won an unlimited number of races.

A 3-year-old daughter of Corfu, Flashing Diamond has used her good speed to win five races, so she knows where the wire is. Plus, if she runs as well as she did on April 26, when she won a $20,000 claimer with similar conditions by 5 1/2 lengths, she will be tough to beat.

With Miguel Vasquez riding for trainer Peter Walder, she got away with moderate fractions in her April 26 romp. But in her last start, she posted a quick 45.88-second half-mile time in a $25,000 claimer with the same conditions May 24. She came up empty in the lane and finished second as the 4-5 favorite.

She was haltered out of the race by trainer Ruben Garcia, who since 2016 is 1 for 24 with claimed horses running back the first time.

Flashing Diamond will break from post 4 with Jesus Rios riding. He was aboard for her first three wins, all for trainer Antonio Sano, and in each instance he brought her from a stalking position.

There isn’t a lot of pure speed in the field, but Rainfall was in the mix early when she won a maiden special weight race last year, and she was sitting just off the lead at the first call in a one-mile race on turf in her initial outing this year. Trained by Armando de la cerda, she will break from post 2 with Jeffrey Sanchez riding.

If Rainfall does put pressure on Flashing Diamond the race becomes a wide-open event.

Casa Bonita and Whip Me Into Shape each won a maiden-claiming race at Gulfstream last out. It was the first start on dirt for both.

Casa Bonita, trained by John Servis, settled early and then made a strong move to win a $25,000 maiden-claiming race washed off the turf on May 26. She had not finished better than fifth in her first three starts, and clearly took a shine to the sloppy conditions.

Whip Me Into Shape had raced 13 times on either turf or Tapeta before she romped over a fast main track in a race moved from the turf course May 18. Trained by Yvon Belsoeur, Whip Me Into Shape came from a stalking position in her 5 1/2-length victory, which came going seven furlongs for a $35,000 tag May 18.

Cotton Tooyah will receive a lot of support with leading rider Tyler Gaffalione picking up the mount. Trained by Jerry Bozzo, she owns the best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 59, which she received for her third-place finish in a first-level allowance race with a $16,000 claiming option May 17. In her previous start, she was the runner-up in Flashing Diamond’s easy win on April 26.