Majesto has no excuses Sunday in second race of comeback

It’s time for Majesto to stop living off his reputation and get back to work.

A 4-year-old ridgling whose running lines are dotted with big names, Majesto will be looking for his first victory in more than 17 months on Sunday, when he faces modest company in a first-level allowance carded as the 10th of 11 races at Gulfstream Park in south Florida.

Majesto returned from a layoff of nearly 11 months in a similar race at Gulfstream last month and grew leg-weary from his early efforts when finishing fifth. The Kentucky-bred bay is being granted a mulligan by trainer Gustavo Delgado – and surely by many fans – with the benefit of that badly needed race under him.

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Delgado said this week by phone through a translator that his June 23 comeback has awakened Majesto, who has trained sharply at Gulfstream Park West in the interim. He breezed five furlongs last Sunday in 1:01.

“Majesto was a little bit short for his comeback race,” said Delgado. “But he came back very good, and his last work was the best he’s done since last year. We expect a good race from him. No excuses now.”

It’s been a while since Majesto, by Tiznow, has merited being in the headlines. He earned a career-high 88 Beyer Speed Figure in winning a Gulfstream maiden race in February 2016, then garnered further attention by finishing second to Nyquist in the Florida Derby. He then finished 18th at 54-1 in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in an ungraded stakes at Saratoga before going to the sidelines.

Favored at 2-1 in his return last month, Majesto faded to fifth in a race won by Gray Beau, who remains eligible for this same condition Sunday by way of a $25,000 claiming option that’s part of the race restrictions. Majesto, with Edgard Zayas riding from post 6, and Gray Beau (post 5, Luca Panici) will line up alongside each other in this 1 1/16-mile race.

The feature is part of a Rainbow 6 wager that had its jackpot emptied Thursday with a $436,076 sweep by a single perfect ticket purchased through a wagering hub in Lewiston, Maine.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 on Sunday spans races 6-11. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern, with the Rainbow 6 starting at 3:54 and the Majesto race at 6:04.

After Sunday, Gulfstream goes dark for three days before another four-day race week begins Thursday. The first two legs of the Florida Sires Stakes series, the $100,000 Dr. Fager and $100,000 Desert Vixen, are set for next Saturday, Aug. 5.