Bernie Dickman

Despite the impressive Keeneland score at odds of 19-1 by Roc’s Princess in her Oct. 10 debut, the 2-year-old filly by Ride On Curlin was allowed to go off at 70-1 in the $125,000 Songbird Stakes preceding Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races. She wasn’t able to handle the first two finishers in the 6 1/2-furlong race, but Jon Court brought her home third, giving Ride On Curlin his first stakes-placed runner in his first crop. She paid $19 to show.

Roc’s Princess left from the rail, and raced on the inside down the backstretch. She moved up on the turn, then found room at the top of the stretch and closed well, but the two leaders were already gone and she out-gamed another pair for third, earning a check for $12,500. With just two races behind her, the filly bred by Kris Del Guidice has now earned $45,920.

After briefly losing his spot on Florida’s general sire list, Handsome Mike re-took ninth place when Caffeine Rush scored a stunning maiden-breaking victory at Gulfstream West, and first-timer Alabama Slammer followed suit four races later. They were the only runners competing yesterday for the son of Scat Daddy.

Racing five furlongs in a race that came off the turf, Caffeine Rush had to overcome the difficult No. 12 post with Leonel Reyes aboard. The 3-year-old filly jumped out of the gate and quickly took the lead, passing the furlong markers in :22.35 and :45.88, never giving anybody a chance to challenge. She opened up daylight on the turn, and in the stretch, just kept widening the lead. By the time she hit the wire, Caffeine Rush was 10 1/4 lengths in front and the teletimer read :58.16.

Caffeine Rush didn’t race at two, and her first victory in five starts this season was worth $14.60 to her backers, and $13,500 and a breeder’s award for Just For Fun Stable.

Alabama Slammer scored in a different fashion in his five-furlong race that also came off the grass, stalking the pace while off the rail with Edgard Zayas and proving best in the stretch to win by three-quarters in :59.77. The 2-year-old colt bred by Dr. Ross Russell earned $14,100 and increased Handsome Mike’s progeny earnings for the year to $1,171,907; he now has 37 winners.

Celtic Treasure surpassed the $100,000 mark in progeny earnings with a game wire-to-wire performance yesterday at Parx Racing.

The 4-year-old gelding by Treasure Beach became his sire’s 38th winner of 2020, earning a check for $13,800 after getting a mile in 1:39.46. Breaking from the No. 9 post with Hector Caballero, Celtic Treasure had to gun it going to the first turn to assume the lead. He then fought off several challenges along the way, holding off both halves of a 2-1 entry at the wire, and winning by half a length.

Celtic Treasure paid $18.80 while raising his record to 5-3-3 in 22 starts. His earnings jumped to $106,655, and put Treasure Beach on the verge of passing $1.4 million for the year.

Naughty Me reinforced her affinity for the all-weather track at Presque Isle Downs yesterday with a stylish six-furlong victory under Pablo Morales.

The 4-year-old filly became Handsome Mike’s 35th winner of 2020, and her love for the surface resulted in her being sent off at odds of 2/5. Naughty Me has started 17 times in her career, posting a record of 5-1-6; at Presque Isle she’s 3-0-2-1 in six tries.

The filly bred by Beth Bayer stalked the early pace through speedy fractions of :22.38 and :45.33, but when Morales attempted to slip her through on the inside down the backstretch, the hole closed and she was forced to steady, dropping back a couple of lengths. But Morales revved her up again and she grabbed the lead in the stretch, then pulled away to prevail by nearly two lengths in 1:09.95.

Naughty Me earned a check for $14,400, increasing her lifetime total to $135,311, third best among Handsome Mike’s runners, and solidifying his hold on ninth place on Florida’s leading sire list.

Running for Riz rocketed out of the gate with Cristian Torres in the sixth race at Gulfstream West yesterday, and the closest anyone ever came to him was when favorite Lusitano closed to within one-half length at the wire.

The 4-year-old Handsome Mike colt was in front by two lengths much of the way in the six-furlong race, speeding past the poles in :22.02, :44.47 and :56.91 en route to a final clocking of 1:10.19. Despite the margin at the finish, the outcome was never in doubt. Oddly enough, Running for Riz’s five rivals were all sent off at odds of between 8/5 and 5-1, but he was 15-1 and paid $32.60.

Running for Riz raised his record to 4-2-2 in 24 starts for owner Linda Riznick, who is also his co-breeder. The $19,100 check increased his total to $173,772, second best among all Handsome Mike runners behind Here Comes Jackie.

Racing has returned to San Isidro in Argentina, and Treasure Beach is off to an excellent start. During opening week, the 4-year-old Milione finished second in the Gr. III Progreso under Eduardo Ortega Pavon. The race was for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/2 miles on the grass.

In addition, the 2-year-old filly Dona Taja broke her maiden in her first start.

Cutie Pie didn’t make the entries for her first race for owner/breeder Just For Fun Stable until Sept. 2, then proceeded to make four starts in the span of five weeks. The 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike finished second in start No. 2 at Indiana Grand, and broke her maiden with style yesterday in her fourth try.

With veteran DeShawn Parker aboard, the Indiana-bred filly broke on top in the six-furlong race contested over a sloppy track. She eased back to second, then stalked the pace-setting favorite, Brookville Storm, until the turn. When Parker put her in overdrive, Cutie Pie blew by the 7/5 shot and widened her lead all the way to the wire, winning by 6 1/4 lengths.

Cutie Pie paid $12, earned a check for $8,400 and became Handsome Mike’s 34th winner of 2020.

Handsome Mike moved up one place on Florida’s leading sire list – from 10th to ninth – with the victories yesterday of Tiz Handsome at Monmouth Park and Big Cyn at Finger Lakes. With the $28,500 earned by Tiz Handsome and the $12,660 by Big Cyn, Handsome Mike’s progeny earnings for 2020 jumped to $1,066,108.

Tiz Handsome was making just his second start in the six-furlong maiden special with a purse of $49,125. The 2-year-old colt was off second under Chris DeCarlo, took over the lead after half a mile, and continued on to win by nearly two lengths. He paid $18.80 after getting the distance in 1:12.04 and becoming Handsome Mike’s 33rd winner this year.

In a $21,100 allowance test, Big Cyn vied for the lead along the rail before taking over by herself on the final turn. Kevin Navarro guided her to a six-length lead in the stretch, and she coasted home to score by two in 1:45.65 for the mile and 70 yards, paying $13. In her last six starts, the 3-year-old New York-bred filly has recorded three victories and two thirds for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio.

Two days after Roc’s Princess became Ride On Curlin’s second winner in his first crop with an impressive score at Keeneland, Uncle Boogie made it three winners with an even more impressive victory yesterday at Santa Anita.

Making his career debut, Uncle Boogie was sent off at 4-1 in the 5 1/2-furlong race after the colt recorded a bullet work of :47.60 for four furlongs at Del Mar. Uncle Boogie broke fifth, but Abel Cedillo quickly moved him up to second as they reached the first quarter in :22.16, and they caught even-money Superduty Justice on the turn. Uncle Boogie put the favorite away in early stretch and drew off easily to prevail by 6 1/4 lengths, with Superduty Justice finishing last, 15 lengths behind.

Uncle Boogie, bred by Pinky Mendoza and a $38,000 OBS July 2-year-old, was clocked in 1:04.39, earning an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 79 and a check for $12,650. With just eight starters, Ride On Curlin has amassed progeny earnings of $104,620 and is ranked 30th in that department among all Florida stallions.

A 2-year-old filly by freshman sire Ride On Curlin rocked the tote board at Keeneland in her career debut yesterday when Roc’s Princess went wire-to-wire in a $70,000 maiden special at 6 1/2 furlongs.

With Jon Court riding, Roc’s Princess shot out of the gate and was in front by a head after a quarter in :22.64 and a half in :46.96. She opened up on the turn and was 3 1/2 in front in mid-stretch, then coasted home by one length.

The filly bred by Kris Del Guidice paid $41.40, somewhat surprising considering her recent morning trials. Roc’s Princess posted three bullet works among five in the span of one month over the Churchill Downs training track. Ride On Curlin’s second winner earned $33,420 for her maiden score.