Bernie Dickman

Gone Astray has been so red-hot lately that he accomplished a feat yesterday not likely to be duplicated in the near future – if ever.

The son of Dixie Union added Gulfstream winner Alluramore to his list to give him 42 in that category for the year, and he had one of last week’s winners – Gone Paradise – win again at Arapahoe in a $10,500 quarter horse race at 870 yards.

Leading rider Miguel Vasquez was aboard Alluramore, a 4-year-old filly bred by Dr. Thomas Brokken, in a $43,000 allowance optional claimer at six furlongs. She broke well and Vasquez eased her into second along the backstretch before launching a strong move on the turn to take the lead and put the field away. Alluramore tracked behind a quick pace – :22.61 and :45.89 – and crossed the finish line in 1:10.35, winning by 4 1/4 lengths. The victory was worth $25,800 to trainer/co-owner Steve Dwoskin and his partners in Remington Oaks Stable.

Against the quarter horse set, Gone Paradise vied for the early lead under Hugo HerreGone Astrayra, took over heading into the stretch and prevailed by two lengths. The 5-year-old gelding paid $12.80 and collected a check for $6,300.

Bucchero’s excellent beginning to his freshman season took another step forward yesterday when Anamnestic broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park in his fourth start.

The 2-year-old colt bred by Belvedere Farm carried Edgar Perez to the wire in 1:42.61 in the $40,000 maiden special at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta track. The colt’s first victory was worth $24,000 and increased his total to $35,600. Anamnestic enjoyed a dream trip along the inside, never leaving the rail, and outfinishing two rivals to the wire by a pair of necks.

Bucchero now has six winners from his 16 starters, plus six more who have finished second or third. As a group, they have made 39 starts and finished in the top three 22 times.

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There were two runners by Gone Astray entered at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, and Emisael Jaramillo was aboard on both. In the seventh race, the $150,000 Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap, Jaramillo brought multiple stakes-winner Noble Drama home third, and four races later, he guided Rubysa to her second victory, and first of this year.

Noble Drama has been a cash cow for breeder Harold Queen since making his debut as a 3-year-old in January of 2018. He came from well off the pace to get third, but had too much ground to make up late. The 7-year-old gelding, co-owned with Queen by trainer David Fawkes, is now a sensational 9-7-5 in 33 starts, and his check for $15,760 lifted his career earnings to $763,157. All of his races have come at the three Florida tracks, so aside from his sizeable bank account, there have been a slew of breeder’s awards.

Rubysa, a 4-year-old filly, raced just once at two and twice at three, and came into this mile and 70-yard race on the Tapeta surface with three seconds, two thirds and a fourth in her last six tries. She went off at 2-1, stalked the pace in second, moved on the turn and opened up late to win by nearly six lengths with announcer Pete Aiello adding one of his best lines,”Rubysa bids this field good evening.” She’s 2-3-3 in 12 tries and her check for $12,200 raised her earnings to $46,850.

In seven rides aboard Dream Astray at Tampa Bay Downs and Monmouth Park, Manny Jimenez was able to guide the Gone Astray gelding to three seconds, but never into the winner’s circle. He also never put the 4-year-old gelding on the lead.

That ended at Meadowlands yesterday when Gulfstream sensation Madeline Rowland hopped aboard Dream Astray for the first time in a race at one mile on the turf course. Rowland sent Dream Astray to the lead out of the gate, and the gelding put up fractions of :23.73, :47.91 and 1:12.06 en route to a wire-to-wire score in 1:38.58. Dream Astray edged away on the final turn and was never threatened in the stretch, breaking his maiden by two lengths with his best ‘E’ speed figure of 80, and paying $4.60.

Dream Astray, a California-bred, earned a check for $9,900 and gave Gone Astray his 40th winner of 2022.

In a six-furlong test over a sloppy track at Finger Lakes, Jaqueline Davis guided New York-bred Big Cyn to a come-from behind victory by a head at odds of 2/5. In her last nine starts, the 5-year-old Handsome Mike mare bred by Patricia Generazio is 2-3-3, and she’s 6-3-6 in 28 career starts. The check for $7,560 boosted her earnings to $107,820.

Gone Paradise showed he was ready for his best at Arapahoe Park yesterday with a solid second-place finish two weeks before. The bettors agreed, and the 5-year-old Gone Astray gelding was sent off as the 7/5 favorite in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Adrian Ramos gunned Gone Paradise away quickly and they immediately hooked up in a duel with 8/5 Shotgun Rider. The duo opened up daylight on the backstretch and into the turn, where Gone Astray began to edge away after a half in :46.20, and he coasted to the finish 4 1/4 lengths in front. He was clocked in a quick :52.64, picking up his first victory of 2022 and giving Gone Astray 39 winners.

Gone Paradise, bred by JDAB Stables, lifted his record to 4-6-3 in 28 starts, with earnings of $43,607.

Toddchero, who finished second in the $100,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows in his second career start, became stakes-placed again yesterday, finishing third in the $82,500 Kip Deville Stakes at Remington Park.

Lane Luzzi was aboard the 2-year-old Bucchero colt in the race at six furlongs, and had the $77,000 OBS 2-year-old in mid-pack early. He finished nicely in the race that went in 1:11.17 but was unable to threaten the leaders.

Toddchero is now 1-1-1 in four tries and the check for $8,250 lifted his earnings to $48,990.

After a solid second-place finish in her last start at Gulfstream Park, Poiema was sent off at 1/2 yesterday in a $43,000 allowance optional claimer with Edgar Perez riding.

The 3-year-old daughter of Neolithic didn’t disappoint for owner/trainer Larry Bates, jumping out to the lead and controlling the pace for the entire mile over the main track. The $14,000 OBS June 2-year-old in 2021 was 6 1/2 lengths in front after the mile run in 1:36.78, and she paid $3 while receiving an ‘E’ speed figure of 91. The runner-up was Our Fantasy, a daughter of Amira’s Prince, and the all-Pleasant Acres $2 exacta paid a miniscule $7.60.

Poiema, who was bred by Cheryl J. and James P. McGuire, collected a check for $25,800, increasing her earnings to $135,705, with $96,055 coming this year, all at Gulfstream. In 13 starts, she’s compiled a record of 3-2-2.

Add Profound One to the long list of runners whose resume includes the old adage “horses for courses.” The 3-year-old Gone Astray gelding has made 11 starts in two seasons – away from Mountaineer Casino & Resort he’s 0-0-1 in six tries, at Mountaineer he’s 2-2-1 in five.

Profound One’s second victory came yesterday in a five-furlong race with Fausto Da Silva aboard. The gelding bred by Randall Mendonsa took the lead before the first quarter and sprinted away from the field, opening up six lengths in the stretch and winning by 4 3/4 as announcer Peter Berry wailed, “Profound One’s a mile in front.”

After registering two straight seconds, Profound One paid just $3.40, getting the distance in :59.12 with his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 74. He became Gone Astray’s 38th winner this year.

Gulfstream Park has always been well-known for its sharp handicappers, but that group may never have gotten it as wrong as they did with Takecareofbusiness.

They may have missed that his morning trials at Palm Meadows were very respectable; they may have missed that he sold for $40,000 at OBS March just six months ago which means he must have worked pretty well the week before the sale; and they definitely missed the fact that the first crop of Bucchero has come out running, especially with first-time starters. Add to that they no doubt weren’t aware of the great success previously enjoyed by the breeding partnership of Joe and Helen Barbazon, Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson

So they missed out on a $134.80 mutuel!

Heriberto Figueroa was aboard the 2-year-old gelding for his five-furlong debut over the Tapeta surface. In a $50,000 maiden special, Takecareofbusiness was off awkwardly – dead last in the field of eight. He was so far behind down the backstretch he was never in the TV picture. But Figueroa revved him up on the turn, and despite several moments when he looked green as grass, as announcer Pete Aiello noted, he took care of business with a monster late run that resulted in a half-length victory over 3-1 shot Christensen, who had put up sizzling early fractions of :21.55 and :44.83.

Takecareofbusiness raced the five furlongs in :57.67, earned $31,000 for his initial try with an ‘E’ speed figure of 80, became freshman sire Bucchero’s fifth winner, and sent the sharpies home wondering where they went wrong.

At Delaware Park, the drink of the day was Bourbon Over Ice, a $35,000 OBS October yearling who was coming off two straight seconds and still paid $19.80. The 3-year-old gelding by Neolithic sent his sire over the $600,000 mark in earnings for the year via a half-length victory with six furlongs in 1:10.06.

Jaime Rodriguez was aboard Bourbon Over Ice, who raised his record to 3-2-0 in 13 starts while receiving his best ‘E’ speed figure of 79. The gelding bred by Belvedere Farm came from off the pace, went four wide on the turn and proved best in the stretch, collecting a check for $12,000, increasing his career total to $51,980.

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Queen Drama, Ocala breeder Harold Queen’s super broodmare, became a 100% producer yesterday when Royal Attitude, a 3-year-old daughter of Gone Astray, broke her maiden at Gulfstream Park in her second start. Royal Attitude is Queen Drama’s fifth winner from five starters; her No. 1 runner is Royal Attitude’s full brother, Noble Drama, a 6-year-old Gone Astray gelding with earnings of $747,487 and still campaigning.

Kentucky Derby winner Sonny Leon was aboard Royal Attitude in a $43,000 maiden optional claimer at six furlongs. The filly was bumped leaving the gate, but Leon rushed her up between horses and she took the lead in a :22.28 quarter. She fought off one challenger through a half in :45.25 and gamely held on by half a length at the wire to become Gone Astray’s 37th winner of 2022, surviving a foul claim in the process.

Royal Attitude raced six furlongs in 1:12.01, paid $11.40 and collected a check for $26,500, raising her total for two races to $31,100.

At Pimlico, Better Call Mama looked like Silky Sullivan, coming from dead last to win her second in a row and becoming Handsome Mike’s leading earner this year. With Angel Cruz riding, the 3-year-old filly broke last in the race at five furlongs on the grass, made a monster run on the turn and into the stretch from 10 lengths back, and ran down the leaders late to score by 1 1/4 lengths in :59.08.

Better Call Mama raised her record to 2-1-3 in eight starts with earnings of $74,084; this year she’s 2-1-2 in five turf tries with a bank account of $67,000. The $20,000 Timonium May 2-year-old posted an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure over 80 in each of her last three.