Ortiz Jr. to ride Spinoff in 4-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park
Spinoff, after making appearances last season in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, is entered for his 4-year-old debut Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
It's a stout field of nine, with the Todd Pletcher trainee drawing the No. 4 post in a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming event. Returning champion jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will be in the irons as he rides for the first time in more than a month due to concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Only one entrant, Big Dollar Bill from the Ian Wilkes barn, is in for the $75,000 tag. Aside from Spinoff, prominent runners include multiple graded stakes winner Yorkton from post No. 9, plus graded stakes winners Hembree (No. 3) and Global Campaign (No. 5). From within the Pletcher barn, Soldado has also won consecutive Gulfstream starts in the allowance ranks going six furlongs.
Post time for the 11th race is 5:57 p.m. ET.
Spinoff qualified for the 2019 Kentucky Derby off a runner-up finish to By My Standards in the Louisiana Derby (G2) A son of Hard Spun out of multiple graded stakes winner Zaftig, Spinoff finished 18th on the first Saturday in May, when Pletcher said he didn't take to sloppy conditions at Churchill Downs.
Spinoff improved a bit when sixth in the Belmont Stakes before Pletcher switched the Wertheimer and Frere homebred to turf for the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1). That day, he ran 11th of 14.
In his most-recent start on Aug. 9 at Saraotga, Spinoff went back to dirt and annexed an allowance event over graded winners Lone Sailor and Cairo Cat. He hasn't been seen since in the afternoon.
A winner of three races in eight career starts, Spinoff, who also placed in the Saratoga Special (G2) at age 2, has earned $357,250.
MORE: Full Gulfstream Park entries and results