Lynch left with plenty to celebrate after McKnight win by Spooky Channel

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Brian Lynch and his partners held several of the 334 live Rainbow 6 tickets heading into the two Pegasus World Cup events Saturday at Gulfstream Park, but they didn’t have one of the two eventual winners that returned $394,349 apiece.

“I singled Admission Office, too,” Lynch said early Sunday from his base at the Palm Meadows training center. “I kept the faith.”

Lynch had singled Spooky Channel in the fourth leg of the Rainbow, the Grade 3, $200,000 W.L. McKnight, and he and his friends were all laughs and fist-pumps entering the winner’s circle afterward. At 36-1, Spooky Channel eliminated the vast majority of Rainbow tickets and gave Gulfstream officials some very anxious moments in the McKnight aftermath.

A mandatory forceout of the Rainbow 6 is scheduled for today (Sunday), with some $15 million in additional handle expected to be added to a standing carryover of $3,612,594. A solo winning ticket would have emptied the jackpot, but there were two winning tickets after Mucho Gusto won the Pegasus World Cup.

Lynch, meanwhile, was still ecstatic Sunday with the breakthrough effort by Spooky Channel, who had finished sixth, seventh, and eighth in his three starts since leaving Turf Paradise with a five-race win streak compiled mostly in longer turf races. The McKnight was run at 1 1/2 miles on the turf.

“I thought his race in the Fort Lauderdale was actually very encouraging, especially since it was so much shorter (1 1/8 miles) and he wants to stay on,” said Lynch. “We’ll stay in the same kinds of races with him and probably look next at the Pan American” on the March 28 Florida Derby undercard.

Spooky Channel, ridden by Julien Leparoux, earned a career-high 96 Beyer Speed Figure with a neck triumph over Cross Border. The 5-year-old English Channel gelding is owned by Terry Hamilton, for whom Lynch trained Heart to Heart to win 15 races and more than $2 million.

Lynch said he will “go into regroup mode” with Admission Office, who was no factor when finishing eighth of 12 at 22-1 in the Pegasus Turf.

“I’m not sure he got a chance to run his race with all the traffic, but that’s racing,” said Lynch. “It was still a great day. We brought the party back to the house and did some grilling and had some fun, so we’re all set.”

Sweezey enjoying ride with Phat Man

Similarly jubilant after recording the first graded stakes victory of his training career was Kent Sweezey, who was in from his main winter base at Tampa Bay Downs to send out Phat Man to a one-length score in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper (101 Beyer).

“It was really special to win for all the owners who had faith in me from the very start,” said Sweezey, a 34-year-old Kentucky native who went out on his own in April 2017.

Phat Man was purchased at auction for $65,000 last July by a three-way partnership that “involves people from all over,” said Sweezey. “It’s really turned out great for everybody.” The principals are Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing, and Two Rivers Racing Stable.

Sweezey said races such as the Oaklawn Handicap or the Alysheba at Churchill Downs are logical early-season goals for Phat Man, a 6-year-old gelding by Munnings.

Pink Sands likely to Madison

Trainer Shug McGaughey said Pink Sands likely will be pointed to the Grade 1 Madison on April 4 at Keeneland after the 5-year-old Tapit mare won the Grade 2 Inside Information (92 Beyer) with a torrid stretch run. Pink Sands also won the Grade 3 Rampart here Dec. 14 with a similar eye-catching move.

“She came out of her race in good shape,” said McGaughey.

Spiced Perfection, fourth as the 17-10 favorite, also was fine Sunday morning, said trainer Peter Miller, and was headed back to California with his other horses.

► Mean Mary, a smashing five-length winner of her stakes debut in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante (94 Beyer) at 1 1/2 miles on the turf, will compete in similar races as the year unfolds, trainer Graham Motion said early Sunday.

“I think I have to consider keeping her fresh for the bigger races this summer, now that I know she handles a distance,” said Motion. “I think with her combination of speed and stamina she could be very dangerous.”

► Trainer Larry Rivelli said he has “lots of options” for Jean Elizabeth, who is now 13 for 19 after notching her sixth straight victory when making her grass debut in the $150,000 Ladies’ Turf Sprint (96 Beyer). The 5-year-old mare also is a multiple stakes winner over dirt and synthetics.

► Trainer Peter Miller said Texas Wedge, winner of the $150,000 World of Trouble Turf Sprint (95 Beyer), will be considered for the $2 million Al Quoz Sprint on the March 28 Dubai World Cup undercard.

► Trainer Todd Pletcher said the next middle-distance turf stakes for fillies and mares at Gulfstream, the Feb. 29 Honey Fox, is the likely next start for Atomic Blonde, who notched her first career stakes triumph after rallying up the rail in the $150,000 South Beach (92 Beyer).

Pegasus handle up over 2019

Total handle on the 12-race Pegasus card was $41.90 million, up 11 percent compared with handle of $37.8 million for the 12-race card last year, according to Gulfstream.

The handle total benefited from good weather conditions this year, as opposed to last year, when the card was conducted in rainy conditions. The all-time record for handle at Gulfstream is $41.98 million, set for a Florida Derby card in 2018.

Total handle on the Pegasus Invitational Stakes was $11.94 million, down 10.2 percent from the total Pegasus handle of $13.29 last year. The Pegasus this year had 10 horses after two leading candidates scratched in the days leading up to the race, whereas last year the field had 12 runners.

- additional reporting by Matt Hegarty