Former Brown assistant Abreu off to fast start at Gulfstream

Jorge Abreu saddled his third winner from only four career starters Sunday, visiting the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle after Ellie’s Honor’s victory in the second race.

The former longtime assistant to Chad Brown, Abreu currently has six horses in training at Palm Beach Downs as the 42-year-old Dominican Republic native looks to expand his stable and build on his early success.

Abreu’s career got off to a fast start when his first starter, Woodville, debuted with an 11 ½-length triumph at Saratoga July 24, before going on to win an allowance in her next start Sept. 5. Abreu’s third starter finished off the board last week at Gulfstream, but he got back on the winning track Sunday.

“So far, I can’t complain,” said Abreu, whose brother Fernando Abreu saddled Sunday’s third-race winner Chiseled.

Ellie’s Honor ($7) rated nicely off the early pace under Javier Castellano before assuming the lead at the top of the stretch and drawing clear to score by 1 ¾ lengths. The 3-year-old daughter of Hansen ran seven furlongs in 1:25.87.

“The filly came to me in late September. She has been training very forwardly. Every time she breezed she breezed better than the last time. She was doing everything right,” Abreu said. “She ran the way I expected her to run this way because she was training this way.”

Abreu, who galloped horses for trainers Billy Badgett and John Terranova after arriving in the U.S. in 1984, assisted trainer Nick Zito for six years before going to work for Brown. Zito made his way to the winner’s circle following Ellie’s Honor’s victory to congratulate his former assistant.

“One time I had a horse that got hurt. I loved the way he nurtured the horse back. That’s horsemanship,” the Hall of Fame trainer said. “He’s going to make it. There’s no question.”

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was hit Sunday at Gulfstream for $208,361.78.

There were six live tickets going into the last race, a $25,000 maiden claiming event won by Francesco Flier ($24.80), a 3-year-old making his second start and first on the turf.

The winning ticket was purchased in New Jersey for $384. The winning ticket was:

3,9/1,3,4,7,10/1,5,8/3,5,7,11/2,3,4,5/1,2,3,8 = $384  

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is paid out only 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. However, on days when a mandatory payout is scheduled, the entire pool is shared by those holding tickets with the most winners.