Lichoa wins first stakes as a trainer at Gulfstream
Alfredo Lichoa found fulfillment in his prior callings in the Thoroughbred business, first as a veterinarian in his native Venezuela and then as a farm manager and consultant in Ocala, Fla.
But that lifetime of work never provided the kind of thrill Lichoa got Saturday at Gulfstream Park when Lady Alida led all the way at 18-1 in the $75,000 Treasure Coast Stakes, giving the 56-year-old his first stakes victory as a trainer.
Lichoa told Gulfstream publicity that he “always paid attention to the training” of racehorses in his other roles and that he finally decided to give it a try. His first starter came in May 2018 at Tampa Bay Downs, and now he’s had 14 winners, with Lady Alida easily the most noteworthy.
Lady Alida, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred by Street Boss, has made a steady ascent of the class ladder since Lichoa assumed her training last winter at Tampa for her owner-breeder, SJT Racing Stables. Unable to win a never-won-two race for an $8,000 claiming tag in February, the dark bay filly now is a stakes winner after holding on for a half-length triumph in the Treasure Coast under Leonel Reyes.
“One day I tried her on the turf and I went, ‘Wow,’ ” said Lichoa. “And once we started putting her on the turf, you can see the numbers.”
Lichoa became the second trainer this month at Gulfstream to win his first stakes in the U.S., following Francisco D’Angelo, who did so with Cowboy’s Hero in the July 7 Mecke Stakes. D’Angelo, 51, is a former leading trainer in Venezuela.
Zayas maintains hot hand
The momentum built by Edgard Zayas at the Gulfstream spring meet has carried over to the summer meet, which began July 4. Zayas already has had five multi-win days at this meet, including three wins Sunday, and once again tops the jockey standings with 17 winners.
Zayas returned from a three-month hiatus stemming from an injury in a Dec. 30 spill at Gulfstream by taking the riding title with 70 wins at the three-month spring meet, which ended July 1.
Rainbow 6 into six figures
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is in six figures again as another four-day week resumes Thursday at Gulfstream with a nine-race card comprising maiden or claiming races. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern, with the Rainbow 6 starting with $113,821 in the kitty. It spans races 4-9.
Sunday, the Rainbow 6 returned $2,900 for every winning 20-cent ticket. The sequence included four favorites, a 5-2 shot, and a first-time starter named Sir Seamus, who returned $164.60 in winning for owner-trainer Dennis Manning.
◗ The highlight of the coming weekend at Gulfstream is the $75,000 Sea of Tranquility on Saturday, a one-mile race on the main track for 3-year-olds and up. Entries were to be drawn Wednesday.
The next six-figure stakes are the $100,000 Dr. Fager and $100,000 Desert Vixen, both to be run Aug. 3 as the first legs in the annual Florida Sire Stakes series.
