Gulfstream Park’s synthetic track will get a workout this Friday. Those who figure out what horses will run well over it could get a lucrative bonus. Five of the races that comprise the Rainbow Pick 6 wager will be run on the Tapeta surface, setting the stage for a 20-cent wager that begins with $32,594 in the carryover pool.
Gulfstream Park 4th Race (2:26 p.m. EST)
NOAH’S DREAM carried his speed to win and a near miss from post 10 for his new barn and is a must-use on the ticket at 10-1 off a :34-4/5 workout. ROCKINGHAM JOE, intent to vacate the rail early, sustained a 4-wide rally until deep stretch but settled for his fourth consecutive in-the-money finish this year. He’s 1-for-25 but the same move with an alert start puts him in the winning mix. VELOCIRAPTOR, dismissed at 5-2 odds or less in eight starts since 2025, broke through with a photo-finish victory in a ‘key’ race at this distance after nine months away. He’s at the right level and should sit an ideal stalking trip off a runner-up finish at the $25,000 level.
Gulfstream Park 5th Race (2:58 p.m. EST)
NO OTHER LIKE YOU ran second from on and off the pace in her last two starts on turf. But she has a good route race to summon when she last tested the Tapeta surface, breaking sharply, settling into an ideal ground-saving position but lacking room in the final quarter of a mile when finishing third. LOGISTICS, shuffled to mid-pack in a slow-paced long sprint on the grass, made a menacing move between runners to lead between calls in late stretch, only to be out-kicked to the wire. Like her off-the-pace tactics better on a surface on which she won four times. ILLANA will likely get more play than her 8-1 morning line, having sandwiched a pair of photo-finish setbacks on turf around an easy maiden win at this distance on Tapeta. But she’s not included on our Rainbow Pick 6 ticket, considering the rivals she defeated are a combined 59/0-5-9 to date.
Gulfstream Park 6th Race (3:31 p.m. EST)
MODERN BEAUTY showed sharp speed, braced for the challenge of an even-money, first-time starter from the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn and finished a clear second in a promising debut on conventional dirt at Tampa Bay Downs. If she transitions to the synthetic surface, she should live up to favoritism and graduate today.
Gulfstream Park 7th Race (4:04 p.m. EST)
BLUE SLIDE PARK fits well on his best effort but hasn’t shown much in four starts since a voided claim. He starts fresh for new connections and gets in light-weighted with some betting value attached. O’CAPTAIN, third in the 2022 Fountain of Youth (G-2), has yet to finish 1-2 on a fast dirt track and is winless at one mile, but a duplicate of a half-length setback last out on a ‘good’ strip makes him the one to beat.
Gulfstream Park 8th Race (4:34 p.m. EST)
PRIVATE THOUGHTS ran 1-2-3 in consecutive six-figure route races on the Tapeta track to near $400k in earnings in 20 starts. He fired a blank as the favorite in a follow-up turf race but he gets back on Lasix and could get back on the winning track today. BAIL US OUT, second to Private Thoughts when last seen in December, could do just that in the rematch. He’s a steady, upper-80 Beyer and multiple Grade 3 placed going long. PAPA GOLF got first run and held off a trio of closers to win off a 10-month layoff. His dam, Saharan, was a stakes-placed sprinter and $179k earner as a 3-year-old. His trainer, Jose D’Angelo, won 194 races the last three years with turf-to-synthetic runners.
Gulfstream Park 9th Race (5:05 p.m. EST)
Hitting the ‘ALL’ button in the finale, hoping the Rainbow is in sight.
Suggested Rainbow Pick 6
GP 4th Race: 3, 4, 6
GP 5th Race: 5, 9
GP 6th Race: 6
GP 7th Race: 3, 6
GP 8th Race: 2, 5, 6
GP 9th Race: ALL
Cost for a 20-Cent Ticket: $73.20
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