Bernie Dickman

With two superior rides aboard Handsome Prince, Joseph Trejos has helped stamp himself as arguably the most promising South Florida apprentice since Tyler Gaffalione arrived on the scene several years ago.

After steering the 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike to a sharp second-place finish in his first try aboard the gelding in April, Trejos showed he understands more than most how to negotiate the Gulfstream Park oval by guiding Handsome Prince to his maiden-breaking score yesterday at odds of 7-1.

Trejos settled Handsome Prince into fifth place early in the six-furlong test, about four or five lengths behind the leaders, then let him loose on the turn after a half in a quick :45.50. Nearing the top of the stretch, the young rider yanked his horse to the rail and from there it became no contest. Handsome Prince shot through the opening and coasted down the lane, winning by nearly two lengths in 1:11.28.

The Just For Fun Stable gelding earned $15,380 for his first victory, paid $16.20, and became Handsome Mike’s 20th winner of 2020.

After a less-than-spectacular 10th-place finish at odds of 42-1 in his April 1 debut at Tampa Bay Downs, probably the only reason one could find to bet on Mike is Ready in yesterdays’ fifth race was the presence of Ademar Santos, easily the track’s leader in the ‘return on investment’ department. Santos has consistently scored with long-priced winners at the meeting, and he proved his mettle again aboard Mike is Ready, a 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike.

Sent off at 23-1 in the one-mile turf race, Mike Is Ready got off well from the No. 10 post, tracking the leaders in fifth place down the backstretch. When Santos asked him to run, the gelding looped the field on the turn and powered down the lane to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:36.68. He earned a check for $6,785 and a breeder’s award for Just For Fun Stable, while becoming the 19th winner of 2020 for red-hot Handsome Mike.

One day after an all-Pleasant Acres exacta at Gulfstream Park featuring two fillies by Handsome Mike, Tampa Bay Downs got into the act yesterday with another 1-2 finish fashioned by Amira’s Prince and Handsome Mike.

The winner was Jackies Dream, the 3-year-old Amira’s Prince filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon who went off as the 2-1 favorite in the race at one mile and 40 yards. The runner-up was And I Know, a 3-year-old filly by Handsome Mike, who completed an exacta that paid $26.40.

Jackies Dream was off in mid-pack with Gary Wales, who began moving her up on the outside as the half was reached in :48.74. She powered into the lead on the turn and it was strictly no contest in the stretch as she scored by five widening lengths. She didn’t race at two, and Jackies Dream is 2-3-3 in nine 2020 starts. She collected $5,800 for the victory for owner/trainer Michael Dini.

The tote board was inundated with handsome payoffs after the official sign lit up following the 10th race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, and all were attributed to Handsome Mike.

The winner of the five-furlong turf race for maidens was Cookie Cove, a 4-year-old filly who became Handsome Mike’s 18th winner of 2020. With riding whiz Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Cookie Cove went straight to the lead, and left the field in her wake after a quarter in :22.68. She held a five-length lead in mid-stretch and cruised to the wire under wraps by three. She paid $4.60 as favorite while earning a check for $10,400 for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio.

As Cookie Cove was coasting the last 100 yards, Tomas Mejia was flying down the middle of the track with first-time starter Caffeine Rush. The 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike easily was up for the place, at odds of 31-1, three lengths ahead of the show horse. Among all the juicy returns, the $2 Pleasant Acres exacta paid $113.20, and the $2 quinella returned $98.40.

At 2:24 Saturday afternoon, the Treasure Beach filly Sand Drift crossed under the wire at Gulfstream Park and registered her third victory while posting a 91 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, her career best. Thirteen minutes later at Tampa Bay Downs, the Handsome Mike filly Do What It Takes left the gate in a six-furlong race and went on to score a thrilling nose victory, posting an 83 ‘E’ figure, also her career best.

Sand Drift, bred by former FTBOA president Leverett Miller and his wife Linda, raised her record to 3-2-3 in 14 starts, and the $12,300 check increased her earnings to $68,120. Sent off as a lukewarm $3.50-1 favorite in an evenly-matched field, she was bumped at the start, then settled in sixth place down the backstretch with Tyler Gaffalione. She came off the rail coming to the turn, moved up to third, then ran down the two leaders in mid-stretch and won by three-quarters of a length in a solid 1:34.30 for the one mile on the grass.

With her fourth lifetime victory, Do What It Takes became Handsome Mike’s third repeat winner of 2020, getting up in time at the wire with Tomas Mejia after making up four lengths in the final 150 yards. The 4-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was clocked in 1:12.12 for the six furlongs, earned a check for $6,670, and raised her career total to $49,876. The $10,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $37.20.

Jeeker Joe provided another breeders’ award for the highly successful quartet of Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon, winning a one-mile turf race at Gulfstream Park yesterday under a patient ride by Tyler Gaffalione.

Jeeker Joe had been idle since last August, but showed he was ready for his return with a five-furlong work of :59.40 at the Palm Meadows training facility in March. Based on that trial, the 4-year-old gelding went off at 6/5 and was more than up to the task. Gaffalione settled him into fifth place down the backstretch, made a wide move on the turn, and ran down the leaders in early stretch, scoring by a length in 1:36.99.

While breaking his maiden in his eighth try, Jeeker Joe earned a check for $10,400 and gave Treasure Beach his 11th winner of 2020.

It took Sugar Fix until her fifth race to figure out what the game was all about – the 3-year-old filly by Treasure Beach breaking her maiden on Jan. 22 at Tampa Bay Downs after four mediocre tries. That started her on a streak that now stands at 3-2-0 in her last five starts after an impressive score at a mile on the grass in Oldsmar yesterday.

With Ronnie Allen Jr. in the irons, 9-5 favorite Sugar Fix broke second from the rail and stalked pacesetter Matinee Girl down the backstretch through fractions of :23.43 and :47.58. Allen sent her after the second choice coming to the turn, took the lead heading into the stretch and was hand-ridden over the last 100 yards en route to a four-length victory in 1:37.14.

Sugar Fix earned $10,443 for her third score for Ballybrit Stables, raising her total to $40,168. Unfortunately, her owner/breeder lost her in a claim for $20,000.

With a hard-fought victory yesterday at Tampa Bay Downs, Here Comes Jackie gave Handsome Mike his 17th winner of 2020, and only three Florida stallions have more. One of them is former Pleasant Acres sire Brethren, who has 18.

Tomas Mejia had Here Comes Jackie in mid-pack early in the race that came off the grass and went at one mile and 40 yards on the main track. He urged the 4-year-old filly up to third coming to the turn and went after pacesetter Lady Brexit at the top of the stretch. It took all of Mejia’s skills to get her up by a neck after a stretch-long battle.

Here Comes Jackie, bred at Pleasant Acres by Joe and Helen Barbazon, paid $4.20 as favorite as she raised her record to 3-4-2 in 23 starts. The $8,850 winner’s check boosted her career total to $164,290, most among Handsome Mike’s runners.

After Little Natalia made an unsuccessful debut at Gulfstream Park last July, she went to the bench and didn’t return until yesterday, in the first race at Tampa Bay Downs. Based on that first effort, the 3-year-old Handsome Mike filly should have been a healthy price for her second try, especially after such a long layoff.

But Little Natalia turned in a series of good works at Gulfstream, including a bullet 36.90 for three furlongs on March 26. As a result, she was bet down to a 2-1 second choice for her six-furlong comeback.

With Antonio Gallardo aboard, Little Natalia rushed to the lead from the inside, posting a solid fraction of :23.14 for the first quarter. She continued in front the rest of the way without a real challenge, and as she was drawing off to an easy maiden-breaking score in the stretch, announcer Richard Grunder chimed in with “well-prepared after the layoff.” The final margin was 8 1/2 lengths.

Little Natalia became Handsome Mike’s 16th winner this year, earning a check for $6,900 plus a breeders’ award for Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Danceronthebeach proved to be a dancer on the turf course at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday, with the Treasure Beach colt breaking his maiden via a wire-to-wire score in his fourth start.

After posting two seconds and a third in his first three tries, the 3-year-old colt bred by Robyn Thompson was sent off as the 9/5 favorite in the one-mile race over the excellent grass course in Oldsmar. Raul Mena shot Dancertothebeach to the lead from the No. 4 post and never gave it up, controlling the pace throughout and turning away several challenges before waltzing away in the stretch to win by three lengths.

In becoming Treasure Beach’s 10th winner of 2020, the colt paid $5.80 and earned a check for $8,100.