Rainbow 6 jackpot tops $2.5 million entering weekend

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A pair of allowances (races 5 and 10) for older horses will serve as the nominal features on an 11-race Sunday card at Gulfstream Park, which begins at noon Eastern. As usual, the most compelling storyline of the day involves the Rainbow 6 sequence, which runs from races 6 to 11.

Entering Friday action, the Rainbow 6 jackpot had swelled to $2,571,483, with Dec. 7 being the last time a solo winning ticket had emptied the pool. A mandatory pool dispersal is set for next Sunday, Jan. 28.

Extravagant Kid in 26-1 upset

The Thursday feature was supposed to come down to Malagacy and Recruiting Ready as both graded stakes-winning colts were returning from a layoff.

But this is horse racing, remember, and neither was victorious. Extravagant Kid, a 26-1 outsider in a field of six, chased Recruiting Ready into defeat before proceeding to a 2 3/4-length victory under Emisael Jaramillo. Malagacy, the 7-10 favorite, was up late to nip Recruiting Ready for second.

Extravagant Kid, a 5-year-old gelding, was claimed from the race for $75,000 by trainer Brendan Walsh.