Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $100,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A respectable sixth in the April 2 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at 1 1/8-miles, Steal Sunshine successfully cut back to seven furlongs Saturday at Gulfstream Park, rallying from last to score an upset victory in the $75,000 Carry Back.

Owned by Carrie Brogden and Little Red Feather Racing, Steal Sunshine followed up a strong late-closing starter allowance victory at a mile last time out with an even more impressive eye-catching stretch surge in the seven-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds.

The Bobby DiBona-trained son of Constitution took complete advantage of a blistering early pace set by King Cab, who set fractions of 21.79 and 43.84 seconds for the first half mile with Octane, Cattin and Reddington in hot pursuit. Last by several lengths along the backstretch and far turn under a patient Lionel Reyes, Steal Sunshine quickly caught up to the field entering the turn into the homestretch with a wide sweep into the stretch, where his fresh legs carried him past his tiring rivals to a 2 ¼-length victory.

“I took a shot running him in the Florida Derby. He ran very respectable and put on a good show against some of the better horses. We’ve been thinking in the barn, ‘Long, long, he’ll run all day.’ I know that but he’s been compromised by slow fractions at times,” DiBona said. “Today, I said, ‘They’re going to be smoking. Maybe this is what he’s been waiting for – something to run at.’ He showed it today.”

Steal Sunshine ran seven furlongs in 1:22.77 to capture his first stakes race and his third victory in eight starts. He was so far back early even his No. 2 ‘chicklet’ wasn’t visible on the TV screen.

“I saw the fractions, but I needed to see his head stick into the screen somewhere. Then, I saw him on the screen on the move and then he angled out. I looked up and saw 43-and-change, and I said, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s coming.’” DiBona said. “He destroyed the field today.”

Strike Hard finished second, a half length ahead of Clapton.

Sunday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $100,000

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved one day after lucky bettor hit the jackpot for a $118,521 payoff.

Sunday’s Rainbow sequence will span Races 4-9, featuring a contentious 1 1/16-mile optional claiming starter allowance on Tapeta. Kathleen O’Connell’s all-weather specialist Uno Tiger will seek to regain his winning form. The 5-year-old son of Macho Uno was riding a three-race winning streak on Tapeta before stepping up to stakes company last time out and finishing a close third in the Soldier’s Dancer.

Uno Tiger is slated to clash with Joe Orseno-trained Lamplighter Jack, who is riding a three-race winning streak of his own on Tapeta.

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.

Sunday’s first-race post time is set for 12:30 p.m.