Bernie Dickman

If ever a lightly-raced runner didn’t look like a neophyte while breaking his maiden, it was Neophyte yesterday as he won the third race at Gulfstream Park, a $50,000 maiden special at five furlongs over the Tapeta surface.

The 3-year-old gelding by Neolithic had raced twice last summer, finishing third both times. He returned on June 17 after a layoff of 8 1/2 months and finished third again. But in start No. 4 yesterday, he looked like a combat veteran as Jose Morelos took him wire-to-wire to become his sire’s 12th winner of 2022.

Neophyte broke quickly from the gate and opened up a two-length lead, speeding past the quarter in :21.97 and the half in :45.23. He then cruised to the wire without a challenge, scoring by 4 1/2 lengths in :57.10.

The gelding bred by SCF Inc. paid $11.60 while earning a check for $30,700, raising his bank account to $41,220 and receiving his highest ‘E’ figure of 78. With 12 winners from 23 starters, he’s one of just two top 20 Florida sires currently over 50% in that category.

Pleasant Acres celebrated another of those special Saturdays with a pair of winners at Gulfstream Park and one at Lone Star, all by different sires.

GONE ASTRAY – The son of Dixie Union had the honor of having one of his offspring welcome back jockey Sonny Leon, who got his U. S. start campaigning at Gulfstream in what seems like eons ago, and who now returns as the winner of the Kentucky Derby aboard Rich Strike. Leon had four mounts on his first day back in Hallandale Beach, and won with his second try with She’s Classy in the fourth race.

Leon got winner No. 30 for Gone Astray this year, and the first victory for She’s Classy since Aug. 6 of 2020 at Monmouth Park. The 4-year-old filly bred by Craig Wheeler was off third in the race at five furlongs over the Tapeta surface, eased back to fourth on the rail, found room between horses at the top of the stretch and was able to prevail late by half a length. She was clocked in :59.16, paid $6.40 and raised her record to 2-3-8 in 20 tries. The $13,500 winner’s check increased her total to $63,665.

RIDE ON CURLIN – Ailsa Morrison, one of the ultra-talented group of female riders competing at Gulfstream this year, went wire-to-wire with J R’s Pride, a 2-year-old colt who was breaking his maiden in start No. 3. The colt bred by DeLuca & Sons Stables zipped past the markers in :21.89 and :45.60, completing the five furlongs in :59.04 and 1 3/4 lengths in front. The $47,000 OBS March 2-year-old paid $7.20 and collected a check for $19,600. Ride On Curlin has 10 winners from only 22 starters thus far this season.

NEOLITHIC – Secret Holiday, a 3-year-old colt who didn’t race at two, broke his maiden at Lone Star in his sixth start after getting two seconds and a third in his first five. The $10,500 OBS June 2-year-old also made every pole a winning one with Anardis Rodriguez aboard, and paid $13.80. He won the $33,000 maiden special at six furlongs by a head in 1:12.58 and the check for $19,680 upped his bank account to $33,717.

Pleasant Acres stallions added a pair of stakes-placed finishes to their ledgers yesterday – Sister Otoole finishing second in the $200,500, Gr. III Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park, and Toddchero doing likewise in the $122,200 Prairie Meadows Gold Juvenile Stakes.

Sister Otoole, a 5-year-old mare by Amira’s Prince bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon and making her 16th start, had to negotiate the rain and a soft turf course in Delaware. With Kendrick Carmouche riding, she was no match for Key Biscayne, by former Pleasant Acres stallion Brethren, but was easily second best in the race at 1-3/8ths miles, and collected a check for $40,000. That raised her earnings to $238,032, with $65,973 coming this year.

Toddchero, a colt by red-hot freshman sire Bucchero, came into his race after breaking his maiden in his debut and was sent off at 4-1. Lane Luzzi guided the $77,000 OBS April 2-year-old to his runner-up finish behind heavy favorite Tyler’s Tribe, and he earned $20,000, bringing his total to $39,740. The 5 1/2 furlongs went in a quick 1:03.64.

Cantankerous Cat became the 10th winner of 2022 for Neolithic yesterday, breaking his maiden in a $40,000 claiming race at Monmouth Park. It was the fourth start at three for the gelding bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, who didn’t race as a 2-year-old.

Paco Lopez rushed the gelding out of the gate and he was wedged between two rivals as they sped to the first quarter in :22.06. After a half in :44.79, Cantankerous Cat edged away from his two challengers and cruised to the wire in mid-track 2 1/4 lengths in front. He paid $3.80 as favorite, clocked in 1:10.10, and earned a check for $20,400. His ‘E’ speed figure of 80 is his career best.

In his first four career starts at two and three, Hard Astray didn’t show much. After his convincing wire-to-wire victory at Mountaineer Park yesterday, the 5-year-old Gone Astray gelding is 5-2-0 in 12 starts since, with a two-race winning streak and four victories in his last five dating back to November.

Ajhari Williams was aboard for yesterday’s laugher, which came off the grass and went at one mile over a muddy track. Hard Astray shot to the lead, was in front by three lengths after a half mile, four lengths at the end of three quarters, and seven lengths as he cruised down the stretch. The final margin was 8 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:39.22, and was worth $10.20 at the mutuel windows. The gelding bred by JDAB Stables now has earnings of $37,474.

As expected, Gone Astray passed the $1 million mark in 2022 progeny earnings yesterday, keyed by Stormy Pattern’s convincing score at Gulfstream Park.

Red-hot Miguel Vasquez was aboard the 3-year-old colt bred by Ruben Valdes in the $$38,000 starter optional claimer at one mile. Vasquez rushed Stormy Pattern out of the gate from the No. 6 post and found himself three wide down the backstretch as they sped past the first quarter. Stormy Pattern picked it up on the turn, still very wide, took the lead into the stretch, and drew off to win by 2 1/2 lengths, paying $16.80.

The $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old raced the mile in 1:35.81 and received an “E’ speed figure of 93, best of eight races in which he has posted a record of 3-3-0. His earnings reached $113,510 while Gone Astray stands at $1,022,570, good for fifth place on Florida’s leading sire list.

On the final day of Florida’s fiscal year, Pleasant Acres’ stallions chipped in with a trifecta. Whiskey Dash (Amira’s Prince) won at Presque Isle Downs, Chiquirin (Gone Astray) won at Tampa Bay Downs and Cowboy at Heart (Ride On Curlin) scored at Charles Town.

PRESQUE ISLE: Whiskey Dash, bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, won by a length to become the third winner this year for Amira’s Prince. The 5-year-old gelding was off well in the 6 1/2-furlong race over the all-weather track, and rider Alberto Burgos eased him back to third. The $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old tracked the two leaders until the turn, where he went wide and ran them down nearing the wire, scoring by a length. He paid $8.40 and collected a check for $9,000, raising his total to $40,818.

TAMPA BAY DOWNS: Chiquirin lit up the tote board while breaking his maiden in his fourth start and lifted Gone Astray’s progeny earnings for the year to $997,644. He should pass the million-dollar mark today. With Marco Meneses up, the 3-year-old colt rebounded from three poor efforts in 2021 after a layoff of 9 1/2 months. He prepped nicely at Classic Mile, and Meneses brought him back from a 10-length deficit on the final turn to win by a nose over 2/5 favorite American Dollar. Chiquirin paid $48.20 after getting six furlongs in 1:12.03, while earning $8,690.

CHARLES TOWN: Cowboy at Heart showed plenty of heart in winning a 6 1/2-furlong race for his third victory, second of this year. The 4-year-old gelding was off second under Christiaan Hiraldo and tracked leader Stretch the Truth until the turn, where he edged into the lead, then opened up a two-length margin and held off three challengers coming to the finish. The 4-year-old gelding paid $7.20 and earned a check for $12,360, increasing his career total to $81,446.

Bucchero gained his third winner in a span of 17 days with the overpowering wire-to-wire debut performance of Gemma’s Curls at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

The filly bred by Ponder Hill jumped out of the gate with Chantal Sutherland, opened up a quick two-length lead, and extended it to five lengths at the wire without a challenge. She passed the furlong markers in :21.96 and :45.11 en route to a final clocking of :58.81 for the five furlongs.

A $25,000 OBS April purchase by Lea Farms, Gemma’s Curls paid $6.00 and earned $23,050, lifting Bucchero’s first-year total to $79,790. He’s in 10th place among all North American freshman sires.

Richard Averill is well-known in thoroughbred circles, especially around Florida, as so many of his runners are stamped with an ‘R’ as their first names. Among his foremost stars are Delaware Oaks winner R Lady Joy, earner of $581,586 and $233,688 earner R Vicarious Girl.

Among the lesser-known runners, but one of the most interesting, is R Averie Lynn, a Gone Astray filly purchased by Averill for $25,000 as a 2-year-old at OBS July. R Averie Lynn raced for Averill in partnership with ATM Racing for the first 14 starts of her career, winning three times. Last October at Delaware Park, in the 14th start, she was claimed away for $12,500 by Old Coach Farm and trainer Michael Gorham.

In Gorham’s care, R Averie Lynn finished third in her first try for the new barn, then racked up six consecutive seconds, and a fourth in her eighth start. Yesterday, the 4-year-old filly finally hit the winner’s circle at Delaware in a $24,000 starter optional claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs. With Jaime Rodriguez aboard, she sat chilly through a quarter in :21.75 and a half in :45.73, then slipped through on the inside and drove to the lead, winning by a length in 1:04.58. The winner’s check of $14,400 increased her bank account to $103,452 on a record of 4-10-2 in 23 starts. o

After Tiz No Clown was disqualified at Laurel in his second career start on May 12, the 2-year-old colt rebounded in a $46,000 maiden special yesterday and gave No Never No More his first winner.

Yomar Ortiz sent the 2-year-old colt right to the lead in the five-furlong test and Tiz No Clown didn’t clown around. The $2,200 Timonium December weanling made every pole a winning one and completed the course in :59.29, winning by 2 1/2 lengths. The colt bred in Maryland by Stephen E. Smith and Denise Jones paid $9.80 and earned a check for $27,600, lifting his total to $33,097. Currently, plans have him heading for the Maryland Million later in the season.