Bernie Dickman

As the field hit the first quarter in :23.97 in the second race at Mountaineer yesterday, Hard Astray was on the lead, in front by three lengths. That’s the closest anybody got to the 5-year-0ld Gone Astray gelding in the race at one mile, originally scheduled for the turf.

Hard Astray, with Ajhari Williams up, increased his advantage to five lengths after a half in :47.40, had four lengths after three quarters in 1:12.68, seven lengths in the stretch, and 5 3/4 at the wire. The gelding bred by JDAB Stables kicked off his career in South Florida and won once in seven starts. At Mountaineer, he’s won three of his last four and five of his last seven.

Despite the West Virginia track sporting the name “Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort,” the casino obviously doesn’t contribute much to the purse structure. Hard Astray earned just $6,380, less than what many runners-up collect via Gulfstream’s casino. The gelding owned and trained by Yendri Pena is now 6-2-0 in 18 starts with a disappointing bank account of $44,564.

Bucchero’s first crop has come out running, following in the footsteps of his ultra-successful sire, Kantharos, when he arrived at Ocala Stud. Following are Bucchero’s stats after Gemma’s Curls finished second in the $100,000 Desert Vixen, opening event on the Florida Sire Stakes schedule at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

Bucchero has had 10 starters in his initial crop: he has three winners, two of whom have come back to finish second in stakes – Gemma’s Curls and Toddchero; four others who finished second in their debuts; one who finished third, and just two who were off the board.

Gemma’s Curls, at odds of 7-1, was away in third in the Desert Vixen, went up for the lead after a quarter in :22.09, took over entering the stretch, but was unable to hold off Lynx, a daughter of former Pleasant Acres stallion Brethren who was closing like an express train. Gemma’s Curls has earned $43,050 in her two starts.

Bucchero is the first Florida freshman to have two stakes horses thus far in 2022.

Golden Train gained her first victory in a maiden optional claiming race at Woodbine yesterday and earned a check for $19,478 in U. S. funds. That brought the bank account for the 2-year-old filly by Ride On Curlin to $23,168 after three races; she had previously finished fourth and eighth. Her monetary situation highlights the huge disparity between what the Bloodhorse and Equibase use on their leading sire lists, and what the Canadian runners actually earn in their home country. In Canadian funds, Golden Train collected $25,200 for her initial victory, raising her above-the-border total to $29,920, a difference of $6,752.

Slade Jones was aboard Golden Train for the maiden-breaker for owner/trainer Keith Edwards, which gave Ride On Curlin his 13th winner this year from 26 starters. The filly bred by Robyn Thompson hustled to the lead, passed the poles in :23.45 and :47.05, and held off Society’s Kat down the stretch, winning by a neck in 1:11.27 for the six furlongs over the all-weather track and paying $7.20.

The cash disparity wasn’t nearly as pronounced at Century Mile, where Amber Princess raised her Canadian record to 1-1-3 in six starts and her overall record to 2-1-3 in 25 starts with an off-the-pace score in 1:24.61 for seven furlongs. The 5-year-old daughter of Amira’s Prince earned $5,400 Canadian – $4,174 U. S. – because the total purse was a skimpy $8,850. N’Rico Prescod rallied the mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon from fifth place to win by a neck, giving her sire five winners from nine starters in 2022.

In his first six career starts, Quantum Quest visited the winner’s circle just once. In his last five tries, the 4-year-old Gone Astray gelding has won three times

Victory No. 3 came at Santa Rosa in California last night in a $30,000 allowance optional claimer at five furlongs over the turf course. With Assael Espinosa aboard, the gelding bred by W. K. and D. S. France jumped into the lead at the start, put up a quarter in :22.93 and was never threatened thereafter. He held off a slew of closers in deep stretch, but was half a length in front at the wire, clocked in :59.40.

Quantum Quest paid $5.40 and earned a check for $16,200, jumping his total to $70,740, with $55,800 coming this year.

IT’S BECOMING A HABIT – On July 16, Neolithic, Ride On Curlin and Gone Astray scored a racing triple for Pleasant Acres stallions, and just 13 days later, the same three have done it again – with three different horses.

RIDE ON CURLIN – Cowboy at Heart contributed to yesterday’s triple at Charles Town by turning in the best performance of his 18-race career. The 4-year-old gelding bred by Stephen H. Smith was off sharply with Christian Hiraldo, battled with Widget Factory through fractions of :23.46 and :47.31, then drew off on the turn and went on to score by nearly four lengths as Paul Espinosa announced that “Cowboy at Heart wins with something left in the tank.”

Cowboy at Heart received an 88 ‘E’ figure for the effort, his best ever, after getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:20.00 and collecting a check for $10,479. He paid $9.80 and raised his record to 4-2-1, with three of the victories coming this year.

NEOLITHIC – Stone Age broke his maiden in his ninth start, also with his best-ever ‘E,’ a 76, at Gulfstream Park. The 3-year-old gelding owned and bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds won a heated stretch battle by half a length in 1:11.50 for six furlongs with Edwin Gonzalez in the irons. He earned $11,600 and became winner No. 12 for Neolithic from 24 starters in 2022.

GONE ASTRAY – Shade Tree Thoroughbreds is also the breeder of Fast Loaded, who won at Laurel for his 10th victory in a 28-race career, and his third this year, all since April 20. With Walter Rodriguez aboard, the 5-year-old gelding prevailed by a neck after a head-and-head battle with 1/2 favorite Bahama Channel, clocked in 1:26.17 for the seven furlongs. Fast Loaded earned $10,800, which boosted his career total to $195,477. He paid $7.20.

After a layoff of nearly seven months, Wink and a Nod returned to the races at Mountaineer Park in April, and in his first five races of 2022, recorded three seconds and a third. Primed for a stellar effort, the 6-year-old gelding by Gone Astray was back at it yesterday in a race at five furlongs with only three rivals, but with the misfortune of having to face Donnels Creek, who was 1/5 on the tote board.

Alex Gonzalez took Wink and a Nod away second on the rail, then dropped back to third as Donnels Creek went up to vie for the lead. The favorite took over heading into the stretch, but Wink and a Nod never left the rail, powering to the lead and edging clear by a length at the wire. The gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds and Ruth Delaplane raced five furlongs in :58.76, paid $9.60 and collected a check of $4,582. He improved his record to 8-11-5 in 43 starts with earnings of $81,057.

The explosion heard after the seventh race became official at Thistledown yesterday occurred just after Indy Princess Koko’s win price appeared on the tote board – $102.60.

The 5-year-old daughter of Amira’s Prince had just completed a monster stretch run, the kind that usually elicits what most track announcers like to call “from last to first.” Thistledown’s veteran race caller, Matt Hooks, dubbed it “from worst to first.”

Indy Princess Koko broke from the No. 1 post with Luis Rivera in the $16,000 claimer at six furlongs, and eased back to ninth in the nine-horse field. On the turn, she was a good 10 lengths from the leaders, when Rivera swung her five or six wide and she closed like an express train in mid-track, getting up to win by half a length in 1:12.26.

The mare bred by Jeannine Strauss McGinn earned a check for $10,800, increasing her career total to $51,122 on a record of 5-2-5 in 22 starts. It was her first victory of 2022 in five tries.

Among Florida’s current top 25 stallions, only five have hit 50 percent or better in the winners-to-starters column so far this season. Two of them are Pleasant Acres sires, Ride On Curlin, who has had two winners over the last two days, and Neolithic.

Lady Simpatia made it 12 winners from 24 starters for Ride On Curlin at Delaware Park yesterday with Angel Suarez able to accomplish something none of the other riders in the 4-year-old filly’s first 10 races could – he put her on the lead by herself.

The filly bred by the highly successful partnership of Joe and Helen Barbazon and Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson had opted for the lead several times in her previous races, but had never been able to do what she did yesterday on the grass – open a two-length lead at the first quarter. By putting up fractions of :22.06 and :44.87 nobody ever got close and Lady Simpatia broke her maiden in :57.02 for the five furlongs. She won by two, paid $32.40 and earned her best check – $12,000 – and her best ‘E’ speed figure – 70.

When Damir stepped onto the track yesterday at Delaware Park, the gelding hadn’t been in the winner’s circle for one year and five days, and hadn’t even raced since last October. The 4-year-old son of Ride On Curlin took care of both those items with a flourish yesterday at Delaware Park under Aubrie Green.

In a race at a mile and 70 yards that was originally scheduled for the turf, Damir was off fifth and last leaving the gate. The gelding bred by Robyn Thompson began moving up off the rail down the backstretch, caught the leaders on the turn and put it in another gear as track announcer Joshua Brown chimed in with “Damir is rolling away from the opposition.” At the wire he had rolled nearly five lengths in front and was widening with every stride.

Damir’s second victory was worth $25 at the mutuel windows and $12,600 to his bank account. He raced the distance in 1:47.09 and gave Ride On Curlin his 11th winner this year.

Add Morethanicanhandle to the list of runners who showed little at the beginning of his career, then had the famed lightbulb go on one day and turn it all around.

The 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike might have been better off staying in the barn for his first four races; the closest he came to the winner was seven lengths in start No. 4 in June. Yesterday at Monmouth, however, someone turned the light switch on and the colt proved to be more than the field could handle, taking Andrea Mezzatesta wire-to-wire for a 2 1/4-length score in 1:42.73 for the 1 1/16 miles on the grass.

Handsome Mike’s 16th winner of 2022 paid $34.40 and put $11,400 in the bank for owner/breeder Mr Amore Stable. His ‘E’ speed figure of 75 was easily best of his five starts.