Bernie Dickman

Bucchero marches on.

The son of Kantharos moved another step closer to the $2 million mark in progeny earnings for 2023, with the wire-to-wire victory of Orphan Exchange, who broke her maiden at Presque Isle yesterday in her seventh start. The 3-year-old filly bred in Tennessee by Dr. Ross Russell became winner No. 39 this year from 75 Bucchero starters.

Gaddiel Martinez was aboard Orphan Exchange, who paid $7.40 after scoring by 1 1/2 lengths, clocked in 1:12.00 for six furlongs over the all-weather track. She earned a check for $9,000 for the Russell family.

Neolithic’s run toward the $1 million mark in 2023 progeny earnings moved forward with the convincing victory of Dancing N Dixie under a picture-perfect ride by Miguel Vasquez in a $50,000 maiden special at Gulfstream Park on Sunday.

Vasquez positioned the 2-year-old filly bred by former NFL player Freddy Hyatt comfortably on the rail down the backstretch, two lengths from the lead. With a strong hold on Dancing N Dixie, the talented rider waited patiently until the field hit the turn in the race at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface, swung her three wide entering the stretch, and she ran away and hid nearing the wire, breaking her maiden by nearly four lengths.

The $35,000 OBS June 2-year-old paid $8.80 and earned a check for $34,000, winning in her third start. She was clocked in 1:42.06 and became winner No. 25 from 48 starters for Neolithic, whose earnings for the year rose to $885,712.

At Caymanas Park in Jamaica, the 4-year-old Jamaican-bred colt Neo Star added to Neolithic’s resume, winning his second in a row in the span of two weeks.

Mattingly captured the $90,000 Hollywood Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday and accomplished the following: he became the third stakes-winner for Bucchero this year, second-best among Florida sires behind Jess’s Dream, who has four; boosted Bucchero into fifth place on Florida’s general sire list with 2023 earnings of $1,777,010; and moved into first place among all Bucchero runners with earnings of $147,028, which is second best among all of Florida’s 2-year-olds this year.

With Samy Camacho in the irons, the 2-year-old colt bred by Lance Colwell stalked the early pace down the backstretch in the race at five furlongs over the Tapeta surface, swung wide turning into the stretch, and proved to be much the best at the wire, scoring by nearly two lengths. He was clocked in :56.67, just 1 1/2 seconds off the Tapeta record for the distance, and collected a check for $64,000.

Owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable and Bucchero’s owner, Harlan Malter, Mattingly raised his record to 2-2-0 in four starts. His resume includes second-place finishes in the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes at Gulfstream and the Victoria at Woodbine. He was a $70,000 OBS March 2-year-old.

It was another good weekend for Bucchero; two more winners, giving him 38 this year from 72 starters, nine of them 2-year-olds.

REZASROLEX – After a second-place finish in his debut, the 2-year-old gelding went wire-to-wire under Julio Felix in a $16,200 maiden special at one mile on the grass at Belterra Park. Rezarolex was clocked in 1:38.12, holding off all challenges to score by a neck and collecting a check for $9,558, lifting his two-race total to $12,798 for owner/breeder Scott Herbertson. He paid $6.00.

ENSIGN SKIP – The 3-year-old gelding was fractious and proved hard to handle in the gate, but Edgard Zayas was still able to get the maiden away quickly in the race at a mile and 70 yards over the Gulfstream Park Tapeta surface. Ensign Skip sat a comfortable second down the backstretch, but wasn’t making progress on the turn and looked well-beaten. Zayas persevered, got the gelding bred by Crystal Lanum rolling again, and he squeezed between horses nearing the wire to win by three-quarters of a length. The $25,000 OBS October yearling paid $3.80 and came away with a record of 1-0-4 in 12 starts. He earned $11,600, raising his total to $32,270.

Back on March 11, Kendrick Carmouche guided Majestic Return to a 6 1/2-length victory over a sloppy track at Aqueduct in just her second start. After a third at Saratoga and a second at Belmont Park in her fifth and sixth starts, Majestic Return and Carmouche encountered the best of both worlds on Sunday: a return to Aqueduct for the Belmont meeting and a sloppy track to boot.

It proved to be the right medicine, and the 3-year-old New York-bred daughter of Long On Value became her sire’s biggest money-winner with a wire-to-wire romp in an $80,000 allowance race at six furlongs. Carmouche hustled her out of the gate and Majestic Return sizzled through fractions of :22.48, :45.68 and :57.52 while getting no real challenges. She opened up heading into the stretch and it became no contest; the filly drew off to score by 7 1/4 lengths and was going away at the finish.

Majestic Return was clocked in 1:10.23, paid $5.10, and earned a check for $44,000, boosting her bank account to $116,288. She received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 88, best of her seven starts.

Devil’s Only Friend, a 3-year-old Long On Value gelding, has won two races in a row, the first at Monmouth Park and last night at the Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meeting.

The $35,000 OBS March 2-year-old bred by Bulldog Racing was ridden by Lane Luzzi in his latest, a neck victory via a wire-to-wire performance at five furlongs on the turf. The gelding was clocked in :58.23, paid $4.20 and earned a check for $12,600, raising his total to $58,050 on a record of 3-0-0 in six starts.

Neolithic has registered six winners between Sept. 2 and Sept. 16, which includes four in the last week, and his 2023 progeny earnings have vaulted to $819,418.

Bedrock Birdie is the latest, winning in wire-to-wire fashion yesterday in a 5 1/2-furlong race over the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Park. With Edgard Zayas aboard, the 2-year-old filly bred by Matalona Thoroughbreds in partnership with Joe and Helen Barbazon went by the furlong markers in :22.77, :46.11 and :57.54, then held off first-time starter Great Venezuela, another Neolithic filly, in a head-bobbing photo. It was another 11 1/4 lengths back to the third-place finisher. The Neolithic $2 exacta paid $43.80.

Included in Neolithic’s September hot streak is a maiden-breaking victory by the 4-year-old Jamaican-bred colt Neo Star at Caymanas Park.

Bedrock Birdie, a $20,000 OBS October yearling, scored in her second start clocked in 1:03.78 and paid $8.60; she earned a check for $19,600 from the $30,200 purse.

With the victory of Hey Boots in his career debut at Charles Town yesterday, Bucchero has hit the 50 percent mark for 2023; 72 starters, 36 winners.

The 2-year-old gelding bred by Lance Colwell and Janine M. Clark went wire-to-wire under Axel Concepcion in a $26,500 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs, winning by 2 1/2 lengths in an excellent :52.42. The $12,000 Timonium 2-year-old had been working well for his first try and paid $5.60, earning a check for $15,819.

Elsewhere, Fairhopecurly was cross-entered in races at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Kentucky Downs, and owner/breeder Scott Herbertson and his crew chose the former. The decision turned out to be the right one, and the 2-year-old Bucchero filly made it 2-for-2 with a half-length score over 6/5 favorite Riparound in a $36,000 allowance test.

Fairhopecurly had captured her debut at Belterra Park by 1 3/4 lengths and has now earned $31,320. She paid $8.60 for this one after getting five furlongs on the grass in :57.71 under Emmanuel Esquivel, and collecting $21,600.

Neolithic is on pace to hit the $1 million mark in progeny earnings for the first time in three seasons. After Bourbon On Ice’s heart-stopping victory racing six furlongs at Thistledown yesterday, the son of Harlan’s Holiday is averaging a little more than $92,000 a month, putting him on pace to reach $1.1 million by year’s end.

With David Haldar in the irons, Bourbon On Ice was shuffled back early, then made a bold four-wide run on the turn to reach contention. He fought gamely down the lane, getting up by a nose at the wire while clocked in 1:12.66. The 4-year-old gelding bred by Belvedere Farm, a $35,000 OBS October yearling, became Neolithic’s 22nd winner this year, and earned a check for $7,560. He paid $7.20 and ran his career record to 4-4-2 in 27 starts with earnings of $75,350.

Poiema took over as Neolithic’s leading money-winner of 2023 after collecting the $36,000 for her wire-to-wire victory in the $60,000 Stormy Embrace overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old filly bred by Cheryl Janine and James Patrick McGuire raised her current-year earnings to $92,250; overall, she’s 5-5-2 in 22 starts with a bank account of $241,685.

Edgar Perez was aboard the $14,000 OBS June 2-year-old in the 6 1/2-furlong handicap and put Poiema on the lead leaving the gate. She passed the furlong markers in :23.19 and :46.30 while opening up daylight over her pursuers and sprinting away to score by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:18.09. She paid $3.