Private Thoughts, Lauren King photo
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Bargain for a bargain Private thoughtswho turned an $11,000 investment into $263,274 in purse earnings through 15 starts, looks to keep a perfect season intact and extend his win streak to four races in Sunday’s $70,000 Empire Builder overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park.
The Empire Builder, scheduled for one mile on the turf track, highlights an 11-race program starting at 12:10 p.m.
Trained and co-owned by Ron Spatz with David Romanik, Private Thoughts capped his three-year-old season with a win on the all-weather Tapeta course and a second while facing older horses on the turf last fall. The 4-year-old Neolithic gelding went unraced for 279 days before returning with a half-length course and distance victory on August 1, an effort that did not surprise his trainer.
“Not at all. He trained really fantastic and he matured. His gait in the canter was much better. He showed himself right up to the first race,” said Spatz. “He had a minor injury that we had to take care of, and we did, and he’s come back even better. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s never been better.”
Private Thoughts has been a model of consistency throughout his career, finishing third or better eleven times with seven wins. Spatz can remember only one bad race, an optional claimer last August, where his horse finished sixth, beaten by 14 lengths.
“He kind of jumped out of the gate,” Spatz said. “He did that a lot when he was young and you just had to nudge him a little bit and put him on the right track. When that didn’t happen, he didn’t run well.”
Private Thoughts will cut back after back-to-back 1 1/16 mile wins, one on the Tapeta and the Turf, the latter a determined win on the Head Green lightning in the Oct. 4 Jet Propulsion overnight handicap under jockey Leonel Reyes, who has been aboard all three races this year and four of his seven career wins.
“He knows him,” Spatz said. “The other day when he won, I said, ‘Man, he came close.’ And he said, ‘You know what? He just sort of collapses a little bit when he doesn’t feel someone pushing him, and when he feels that other horse, he jumps back into the bit.” Even though the other horse had the momentum, he never thought the other horse would pass him.”
Spatz purchased Private Thoughts in March 2023 and his modest investment paid immediate dividends as Bay debuted with a premier maiden win in the special weight against fellow Florida-bred horses sprinting six furlongs on the Gulfstream main track. After finishing fifth in the Youth Sprint, he has been on artificial grass or Tapeta ever since.
While Private Thoughts’ British-bred mare, Love Itself, was retired from racing, Neolithic finished third in three Grade 1 races, including the inaugural 2017 Pegasus World Cup, and earned almost $2.3 million in prize money in 12 starts.
“He’s an interesting horse,” Spatz said. “I bought him from a sale of two-year-olds, very cheap. I liked the way he looked and in his pedigree on his mother’s side he has three European champions. He looked like he should be grass. We didn’t know much about the Neolithic yet, but we had high hopes. He was cheap, so I gave it a try.”
Reyes and Private Thoughts will have to overcome the outer Post 12 against a field that includes Relampago Verde, Lorenz, Just a photo And Preventsecond to fifth respectively in the Jet Propulsion; Old manwinner of the 2023 Pennine Ridge (G2), who gave trainer Sebastian Pulgarin his first career victory at Gulfstream on October 4; 2023 Hawthorne Derby Winner Be a fool; Anamnesticthird in the Jan. 25 Sunshine Turf at Gulfstream; I know I know, T-piece at oneand Grade 3 posted Sherlock’s gem And Divine Word.
“Post 12 is tough,” Spatz said, “but I have nowhere else to go and he’s doing well, so we’re moving forward.”
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 estimated at $150,000; Mandatory Sunday
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is estimated at $150,000 for Saturday’s 11-race program at Gulfstream Park, which will also have five-figure carryovers in the Late Pick 5 and Super Hi-5 betting.
The post time of the first race is 11:55 am
The popular multi-race bet has remained unresolved for seven consecutive days of racing after multiple mandatory payouts of $1,872.46 on October 12.
In Rainbow 6, the transfer pool is only paid out when one unique ticket is sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pot usually goes back to the gamblers holding the most winning tickets, while 30 percent is transferred to the jackpot pot.
On mandatory payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the bet’s six-race series. Another mandatory payout is scheduled for Sunday, November 2, when the jackpot pool is expected to reach $1 million if not resolved in advance.
Saturday’s series includes races 6-11 and begins with the $75,000 Armed Forces for 2-year-olds, scheduled for one mile on the turf led by 8-5 program favorites Teleport from Hall of Fame coach Todd Pletcher. The final is the $75,000 Showing Up for 3-year-olds running 1 1/16 miles with multiple stakes placed Jimmy’s Daily’s is entered to make his grass court debut against the winner of Bear’s Den on August 2 Good-for-nothing And Power dinnerundefeated in two starts.
Smart collector $124.60 from the $75,000 Cellars Shiraz in Friday’s Race 10 finale also saw carryovers of $86,818.27 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 7-11) and $11,989.98 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 11).
Crafty Collector Springs 61-1 disrupted in cellars of $75,000 Shiraz
Ad Hoc Stable Inc Smart collector Came off a hotly contested pace to post a 61-1 victory in Friday’s $75,000 Cellars Shiraz Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
The Gerald Bennett-trained daughter of Collected earned her first stakes victory in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies under a well-judged ride by Edwin Gonzalez.
Winner of multiple bets Starship Impulsivewho had been sent to the post as the 4-5 favorite in a field of nine, broke alertly and took the lead entering the first corner, while under pressure from the outside Phoenix of Whitewho then took the lead heading down the backstretch. Phoenix of White and Starship Impulsive continued to struggle as they completed a half-mile in 45.89 seconds.
Stalker Disaster in motion took full command exiting the backstretch and appeared to be on her way to victory as she opened a big lead at the top of the stretch. However, Crafty Collector suddenly materialized mid-way and caught the tiring Mischief in Motion approaching the finish line.
Crafty Collector had the upper hand over Mischief in Motion. Ramsey Pond finished third, a further 1 ¼ lengths back.
Comments: Jockey Emisael Jaramillo recorded back-to-back victories aboard insolent ($5.40) in Race 4 and Blast of color ($4.80) in Race 5 and completed his hat trick Secret revenge ($44.80) in Race 7… Insolenta marked the first training win for Nick Tomlinson, former assistant to Hall of Famer Mark Casse.
#Private #thoughts #prolong #series