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Lauren Robson Saddles First Winner Thursday at Gulfstream
2/15/2024
Trainer Patrick Biancones Wins First Race as U.S. Citizen
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Pool Estimated at $250,000
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Trainer Lauren Robson saddled her very first winner Thursday, bringing a rather extensive resume with her into the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle.
“I came over from England in 2004. I worked for various, really good trainers. I was an assistant for Jonathan Sheppard, Wesley Ward and Jerry Hollendorfer,” Robson said. “I galloped for Todd Pletcher. I rode many good horses for him. There were other good trainers I worked for also, like Richard Mandella.”
Robson saddled Jabran ($5.60) to a 3 ½-length victory under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in Race 2, a five-furlong maiden claiming event for 3-year-olds on Tapeta.
“I’m really happy Johnny rode him. He’s been a longtime friend, he and his wife Leona,” Robson said. “It’s great to get the first one under my name.”
A tragic accident that left her husband, former jockey Rudy Delguidice, paralyzed led Robson into training a small stable at Gulfstream.
“I was in Ocala. We were breaking and training horses, and my husband had an accident and broke his neck in July 2022,” Robson recalled. “So, we came down here for him to do his rehab, and I thought to myself, ‘Well, since I have these couple horses, I just may as well train them myself.’”
Following her first training success on her own, Robson doesn’t aspire to build a large stable in the future.
“This is fun for me and my husband. He comes out in the morning to watch the horses train. It keeps him involved,” she said. “I’m hoping to get a few more, but I’m not looking to have too many. I’d like to be kind of small and be hands-on, get on my own horses and just do good with what I’ve got. I’d like young horses. I’ve learned from some good people. It makes me happy to get the best out of each individual.”
Robson owns Jabran, a son of Munnings, and co-owns British Empress, a 4-year-old maiden daughter of Classic Empire. Jabran was only Robson’s 10 starter dating back to Sept. 30.
“When you only have two horses, it seemed to take a while,” Robson said. “I guess if you had 20 horses, it would be a week’s worth of runners.”
Trainer Patrick Biancone also experienced a ‘first’ Thursday at Gulfstream. Stuck in Malibu ($7.60) won Race 7, giving Biancone his 441st winner in North American but his first since becoming a U.S. citizen Thursday morning.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Pool Estimated at $250,000
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool is expected to grow to an estimated $250,000 Friday at Gulfstream Park.
The popular multi-race wager went unsolved Thursday for the fifth racing day following a jackpot hit for $215,855 Feb. 8.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, featuring a mile maiden special weight race for 3-year-old fillies on turf in Race 8. Trainer Chad Brown is represented by two first-time starters in a field of 11, Spaliday, a daughter of More Than Ready, and Bored No More, a daughter of Quality Road.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
Who’s Hot: Hall of Famer John Velazquez doubled, scoring aboard Jabran ($5.60) in Race 2 and Porquerolles ($24.20) in Race 5. Irad Ortiz Jr. doubled on Coppermaster ($11.80) in Race 3 and For Some Reason ($2.60) in Race 6. Jose Ortiz also visited the winner’s circle twice after scoring aboard Vingativa ($16.40) in Race 1 and Mehlek ($12) in Race 8.
Trainer William Tharrenos saddled a pair of winners, Bringer of Rain ($7) in Race 4 and Mehlek ($12) in Race 8.