Jacobson among horsemen giving Florida a shot

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With Gulfstream Park now having established a year-round circuit in south Florida, Northern-based horsemen are expressing more interest in having a presence in this area. The latest example is David Jacobson, who expects to have 20-25 horses stabled on the grounds by the time the championship meet opens later this fall.

“We’ve already got a handful of horses down there now,” said Jacobson. “I’m really looking forward to racing there this winter. I used to go down there as a kid with my father when I was around 12 years old, but I’ve never raced there myself. Obviously, it won’t be easy, but we’ll definitely keep a string in Florida through the winter, see how it goes, then decide whether to stay around on a more permanent basis after that.

“I think we should be very competitive down there. I’ve discussed the situation with my owners, including Paul Pompa, who is interested in getting some good horses to bring to Gulfstream. I’m really excited about this, and if nothing else, at least it will give me an excuse to go down to south Florida this winter when the weather gets too cold in New York.”

Ralph Nicks was one of the first of the former Northern-based trainers to base his stable year-round at Gulfstream. And nobody had more success here last week than Nicks, who sent out four winners over the weekend, three of them 2-year-olds. Two of those victories came for owner-breeder Alan Cohen’s Arindel Farm.

Among Nicks’s winners was Arindel’s juvenile prospect Richard the Great, who remained perfect in two starts with an impressive 6 3/4-length allowance win Sunday. Richard the Great is a homebred son of Distorted Music and a half-brother to two stakes winners, including Bernie the Maestro.

“He’s a good horse, he’s got some pedigree, and he’s very professional,” Nicks said of Richard the Great. “He’s not a very big horse, but he’s got a huge stride to him. I think he’ll get better the further he goes, and he handles just about everything. He’s a 2-year-old with a 4-year-old mind.”

Two days earlier, Nicks sent out Lakota Warrior for Arindel to win his maiden at first asking.

“Like all the Arindel horses, he came in very well prepared,” said Nicks. “They’ve all been very straightforward.”

Nicks added that he thinks Richard the Great will run a little farther than Lakota Warrior.

Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado rode three of Nicks’s four winners over the weekend, including Lakota Warrior, and is 7 for 15 since returning to town in September.

“He gives me a lot of confidence when he’s riding one of my horses, and he gives the horses a lot of confidence when he’s out there on them,” said Nicks. “I can see the difference in them just in the post parade. It’s really a huge advantage having Edgar riding for us down here right now.”

One meet ends, another starts

Live racing at Gulfstream Park ends Saturday with a 12-race program highlighted by the finales of the Florida Sire Stakes.

Calder Race Course opens Wednesday, Oct. 8, for a 40-day meeting under a new name – Gulfstream Park West. The meeting is operated by Gulfstream.

Post time has been advanced 10 minutes to 1:05 p.m. Eastern here beginning Thursday and continuing through the conclusion of the Gulfstream Park West meet Nov. 30.

There will be a guaranteed jackpot of $50,000 on the Rainbow 6 beginning Thursday, with a mandatory payout of the entire pool Saturday.