Page McKenney shows class in winning Old Hickory Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A Saturday card during the championship meet at Gulfstream Park typically consists of one or more graded stakes surrounded by high-profile allowance and maiden-special races.

The Saturday of Presidents Day weekend 2018, however, was the exception to the rule. A 12-race card comprised entirely of $60,000 or $50,000 starter stakes had plenty to offer captive fans, with Page McKenney and the Ortiz brothers winding up as the big winners.

Page McKenney, whose warhorse-like career epitomized the spirit of the day, rebounded from two uncharacteristically poor efforts to win the 1 1/16-mile Old Hickory (race 11) by four lengths under Irad Ortiz Jr. The 8-year-old Pennsylvania-bred gelding returned $10 with his 21st victory from 54 career starts.

“He’s just a nice horse,” said Mary Eppler, who trains Page McKenney for Adam Staple and Jalin Stable. “He came out of his last race with a low blood count. Obviously, he bounced back here. He really is an amazing horse.”

Page McKenney is a multiple stakes winner who now has earned nearly $1.8 million.

The Ortiz brothers accounted for seven of the 12 races. Irad won twice before the Old Hickory, with Delta Bluesman ($7) in the Rail Splitter (race 4) and Glory to Kitten ($23) in the Mary Todd (race 10), and was elevated upon disqualification in the day’s finale, the Little Magician (race 12), on Sinatra ($7.80).

His younger brother, Jose, had three winners: Mr Joshua ($6.20) in the Trust Buster (race 1), Beach Waltz ($5.20) in the Mrs. Presidentress (race 5), and Cash Call Kitten ($8) in the Sage of Monticello (race 9).

Among the other Saturday winners was Chella, a 7-year-old mare who now has won an amazing 20 of 23 starts since being claimed in April 2015 by owner and trainer Elliot Sullivan. Chella was a gritty winner of the Lady Bird (race 3).

Chella, a 26-time winner from 41 overall starts, “is a very special horse,” said Sullivan, 29. “I’ll never have another one like her.”

Trainer Jorge Navarro, who traveled to Tampa on Saturday to win the Pelican Stakes with stable star X Y Jet, had three wins here from 12 starters, with Delta Bluesman, Aztec Sense ($3.40) in the Rough and Ready (race 8), and Sinatra.

Trainer Mike Maker had two wins on the card, with Beach Waltz and Cash Call Kitten, both for longtime clients Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

All but one of the Saturday races carried the nickname of a former president or first lady in tribute to this being Presidents Day weekend. In 2016 and 2017, this series was held on the actual holiday Monday before a switch was made for this year.

All-sources handle for the 12-race card was $15.9 million, down 1.5 percent from the corresponding Saturday last year, when $16.1 million was bet. The handle on Feb. 20, 2017, when these starter races were run on the holiday Monday, was $9.5 million.

The last six Saturday races comprised the Rainbow 6, which returned $14,070 for every perfect 20-cent ticket (1-4-11-5-3-3). Gulfstream offered a $1,250,000 pool guarantee for the Rainbow 6 and drew more than enough handle ($502,593) atop the prior carryover of $848,357 from Friday to cover its bases in case someone swept the jackpot. For Sunday, with no pool guarantee in effect, the carryover stands at $968,958.

The Grade 3 Royal Delta, matching Lewis Bay and Curlin’s Approval, will be the feature here Monday after being run on the preceding Saturday in prior years.