Three allowance races perk up Rainbow 6

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Super Bowl Sunday is said to be the biggest gambling day of the year in America, and Gulfstream Park is making sure it gets its share of the action.

No fewer than 12 races are on tap here Sunday, with the first set for noon Eastern and the last for 5:35. With kickoff for Super Bowl LI at 6:30, fans can stay after the card to watch the big game.

Before immersing themselves in point spreads, totals, and props, folks can get warmed up here. The card includes three allowances as part of a Rainbow 6 sequence (races 7-12) offering a rollover jackpot that had ballooned to $422,936 through Thursday. Here’s a quick look at each of those allowances:

Race 8: Battle Tux, a winner at Gulfstream two starts back, comes favorably drawn in the outside post with Paco Lopez as one of the contenders in a field of nine for a $49,000 second-level race at six furlongs. Battle Tux might have an early tussle with the likes of Diamond Earring, Sweetwater, and a fresh Summer Reading. Trained by Bobby DiBona, she’s entered for the optional $62,500 claiming tag.

Hola Charlotte, who finished ahead of Battle Tux when second at 15-1 in a similar allowance here Jan. 11, looms the late threat.

Race 10: Kismet’s Heels will be looking to overcome post 11 in this $48,000 first-level race at 1 1/16 miles. In his last race, Kismet’s Heels finished second to Neolithic, who exited that Dec. 14 race to finish a big third behind Arrogate in the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28.

A newcomer to American racing is the rail-drawn Tathqeef, a $1.1 million yearling purchase making his first start in more than eight months. He’s been training for Kiaran McLaughlin at Palm Meadows.

Race 11: Turf sprints tend to make for interesting racing, and that’s the case with this $48,000 first-level dash for older fillies and mares. Goodbye Sorrow, second in this same type of race Jan. 17 for Midwest Thoroughbreds and trainer Armando de la Cerda, adds blinkers and is entered for the optional $25,000 tag as one of the main contenders.

After Sunday, Gulfstream goes dark for two days before the five-day week resumes Wednesday.