The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot at Gulfstream Park is projected to reach $275,000 on Friday, keeping the popular multi-race wager open during the first day of the 2025-2026 championship. The Rainbow 6 remained unsettled for the final nine race days of the Sunshine Meet, which ended Sunday after a forced payout on November 2. A mandatory payout for six-race bets is scheduled for Saturday, with the jackpot pool expected to hit around $2 million.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 will cover races 4 through 9, concluding with the $100,000 Pulpit Stakes in race 9. The highlight pits Mark Casse’s Behold the King against Jose D’Angelo’s Skipping Stars, who placed first and second respectively in the Armed Forces Stakes on November 1. These two will face off again in a seven-and-a-half-furlong turf race for two-year-olds.
Behold the King, who has consistently placed second or better in five starts, led the mile-long Armed Forces Stakes, narrowly defeating Skipping Stars by half a length. D’Angelo will also enter new graduate Uncle Aldo and recent debut winner Bronze Barrett, who improved after an unlucky second-place finish. Todd Pletcher’s Saratoga-trained Sunrise returns following a challenging run in the Laurel Futurity, and Nolan Ramsey’s Shipmate, champion of the last race, is also entered.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is awarded only if a single unique ticket covers all six winning races. If no unique ticket exists, 70% of that day’s pool goes to the bettor with the highest winnings, while 30% rolls over into the jackpot.
Fan Take: This growing jackpot highlights the excitement and high stakes that draw fans to multi-race bets like the Rainbow 6, showcasing emerging talents and thrilling rivalries. It underscores how such contests can boost engagement and investment in horse racing, potentially attracting a wider audience and sustaining the sport’s popularity.
