Shapiro: Price horses for the Rainbow Pick 6 on Florida Derby Day

by Scott Shapiro

If you are a serious horseplayer there is little choice but to get involved in Saturday’s mandatory Rainbow 6 payout at Gulfstream Park. With $4.6 million dollars in the pool heading into Friday’s card, it has the potential to be a year-making score if you can uncover a few price horses within the challenging six-race sequence.

Here are a few horses that are 6-1 or higher on the morning line that I would advise not leaving off your ticket:

Race 9

Dawood (#6) makes his second lifetime start for Hall of Famer Bill Mott after being squeezed at the start and finishing seventh in his debut on March 10. The son of Giant’s Causeway was unable to overcome the trouble after the break in the end, but he did show some ability with a middle move before tiring late.

The $675,000 Keeneland September 2016 purchase should move forward after the invaluable racing experience gained earlier this month. The upgrade to red-hot Luis Saez further strengths his case.

Anything near his 6-1 morning-line price makes him worth consideration in the Win pool, but regardless he should be on your tickets to kickoff the Pick 6.

Race 11

Grizzel (#6) makes the second start of her four-year-old campaign after racing against the flow in a runner-up effort in the $100,000 Sand Springs Stakes on March 3. The daughter of Kodiac won two of eight races in 2017, including a win in the Selene Stakes (Can-G3) over Woodbine’s synthetic surface last May.

Trainer Michael Doyle should have the Irish-bred filly ready for a career-best effort after shaking off the rust last time out. Look for leading jockey Luis Saez to sit a few lengths off a likely contentious early pace, make a move on the far turn and have enough left late to earn her second graded victory. 

At 10-1 on the line she is certainly worth keying on top and betting to win, and is an absolute must use on your Rainbow tickets.

Race 12

Cache (#4) takes on graded company for the second time after a horrible trip in the Davona Dale Stakes (G2) on March 3. The $500,000 Keeneland September 2016 purchase showed tremendous talent in her debut when she broke dead last but overcame the poor start and won by nearly three lengths in the end.

The move to two turns on Saturday may not be what many of these three-year-old fillies are best at when all is said and done, but this Courtlandt Farms runner should thrive with the added ground. The daughter of Distorted Humor encounters a group in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) that should offer plenty of early speed to set up her late run. If jockey Julien Leparoux can avoid traffic issues in his first try aboard the Mark Hennig trainee, she should be full of run late.

With a few early scratches announced, the 8-1-morning-line price may come down, but even if she gets over bet in the Win pool Cache is a filly that needs to be included in her third lifetime start.

Let’s get a couple of these home and hit a big Pick 6 to close out the meet at Gulfstream Park!

Good luck!