Love it or hate it, Gulfstream Park’s Rainbow 6 has become a very polarizing bet each and every winter. Hundreds of thousands of dollars per day are bet into the pool once the carryover gets in the quarter-million range, and that’s where we sit now, with the pool now approaching three quarters of a million. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a moderately priced ticket (which I strongly advocate quite often in this space) for Friday’s sequence.

R5: 20k MCL for 4up going 5 furlongs (turf)

In what looks like a two-horse race, I’ll go with the better price and post and tab #8 DISRUPTOR for the mild surprise over #6 OFFSHORE TRIP. The former may be off form and damaged goods, but he’s only run twice on turf—against MSW foes too—and takes the blinkers off, which could have been the real reason for his undoing last time. Obviously the latter has the form and figures to win this, but we’ve said that before and he’s yet to do so, so he’s a little tough to trust.

Rainbow 6 horses (listed in order of preference): 8-6

R6: 16k claimer for 4up going 7 ½ furlongs (turf)

One of the deeper spreads, as this could go any number of ways, but #1 WEEZA GONE GRAY could be loose on the lead and drew perfectly for this distance. With a potentially modest pace, both #4 APPA and #5 FAVORITE HEIR could be in trouble late, but the former looked good winning last time and the latter had some traffic in the stretch in his last, so both will give their backers reason for optimism. The post is just brutal for #10 SPORTSCASTER, but he did just win at the level, so you have to include him, though you don’t have to love him.

Rainbow 6 horses: 1-4-5-10

R7: 30k claimer for 4up N2L going 7 furlongs

I’m a big fan of the first-time gelding angle and #7 GREGORY SUN fits the mold, and his form was pretty solid to begin with, so if he improves, as can happen with the ultimate equipment change, he could surprise. Jane Cibelli is just 1-for-21 off the claim, but she reaches for Irad Ortiz, and #3 VALDOCCO is in good form, so he would be no surprise, and if you like him, then you have to like #6 MIDWAY PLAYA, who was only a length behind that rival and could benefit from that tightener off three-month layoff.

Rainbow 6 horses: 7-3-6

R8: 4up Florida-bred AOC going 7 ½ furlongs (turf)

There appears to be a lot of speed here, so I’m going to toss ML favorite #6 CHARLIE MOPS, who seems to take all the worst of it in terms of race flow, and side with #2 TWO STEP TIME and #3 SALUTE THE COLONEL, as they both have a stalking gear, and ‘Time will relish the drop into the state-bred ranks while ‘Colonel just missed at the level last time.

Rainbow 6 horses: 2-3

R9: 6.25k 4up N3L going 5 ½ furlongs

What looks like the most wide open race on the card, I’m going five-deep and using #6 SILVER SHALIS, who had trouble last time but was a good 3rd at the level; #9 UNLEASH HIM, who drew a nice attack post for his style and beat the pick by a length last time; #1 TOO WILD TO REPENT, who was awful on the turf in his first start for Ramirez, but has several solid dirt figures showing that would win this and gets Irad; pace presser #4 ILLUSTRIOUS SON could sit the right kind of trip and looked good winning over N2L foes last time; and #3 NIGHT RYTHM, who closed last to beat his own N2L group last time and may get some pace to rally into.

Rainbow 6 horses: 6-9-1-4-3

R10: MSW for 3yo Florida-breds going 7 ½ furlongs (turf)

A single at the end is never a bad thing, and it looks like we have one in #3 MARCH TO THE ARCH, who was a fast 5th against open foes on debut and should only improve second-out for Casse. It’s also worth nothing he should be a fraction of that 7/2 ML, as he looks more like 8/5 or so.

Rainbow 6 horse: 3

My Rainbow 6 Ticket

Race 5: 6, 8
Race 6: 1, 4, 5, 10
Race 7: 3, 6, 7
Race 8: 2, 3
Race 9: 1, 3, 4, 6, 9
Race 10: 3
Ticket Cost: $48.00