Turf News

Valuable Breigh scored a decisive victory at Monmouth Park yesterday, her first in three races this year, her second in seven career races, and No. 24 this season for her sire, Gone Astray.

The 3-year-old filly went wire-to-wire under Isaac Castillo, flashing by the furlong markers in :22.86 and :46.60 en route to a 2 3/4-length victory in 1:45.23 for the mile and 70 yards. Coming off a second-place finish – by a nose – in her previous start, she was sent off as the 7/5 favorite and paid $4.80. Her owners collected $26,900 – $14,400 for the score and another $12,500 since she was claimed away.

Earlier in the week, Gone Astray grabbed winner No. 23 in Puerto Rico, where Dixieland Union won for the first time since his four-race winning streak from Aug. 21 through November 3 of last year. The 5-year-old horse boosted his record to 7-6-5 in 36 starts, but in the land of inferior purses, he earned just $3,480, raising his total to $39,551.

As Poiema was widening her lead to seven lengths down the stretch in the ninth race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, announcer Pete Aiello brought her home with “the stretchout for Poiema proves a very good move . . . she runs this field off their feet.”

At the wire, Edgar Perez had the 3-year-old Neolithic filly geared down, and she still was able to pick up her second victory by nearly nine lengths. Poiema had been sprinting, and tiring, for owner/trainer Larry Bates, who changed the modus operandi for this race, sending her a flat mile. She responded by getting the distance in 1:34.31, just over a second off the track record, and receiving an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 103, 31 points better than her previous high. She is her sire’s ninth winner of 2022 with just 20 starters.

Poiema is defined as ‘workmanship,’ a fitting description for her best performance in this $51,000 allowance optional claimer. She earned a check for $31,300, increasing her bank account to $98,670. Bred by Cheryl Jane and James Patrick McGuire, she was a $14,000 OBS June 2-year-old.

TODAY’S HEADLINE: Shelly Green’s Curl Talk remains unbeaten – 4-year-old daughter of Ride on Curlin scores by five lengths in $25,900 allowance race at Finger Lakes.

THE SCOOP: Shelly is only a part-time owner and trainer, she works for someone else and in 20 years has only saddled 187 runners, posting an excellent record of 19-31-29 with earnings of $408,421. She purchased Curl Talk for a mere $1,200 from breeder Lonnie Stokes and didn’t race her at two and three because of “poor conformation.” How did she come across the filly who is now a perfect 3-for-3 with one victory at Mountaineer and two at Finger Lakes? “My sister dates Lonnie’s son, Lance.”

THE PRESENT: In her debut at Mountaineer on May 3 Curl Talk won by two lengths, followed by a 7 3/4 victory at Finger Lakes under Emanuel De Diego on May 23. De Diego was aboard again yesterday and Curl Talk was sitting on the tote board at 4/5 as he took her to the gate. The filly shot to the lead and passed the furlong markers in :22.43 and :46.08 while the final odds change showed her to be second choice at 7/5 as a ton of cash flowed in on Pendolino, who was now at even money. Curl Talk coasted to the wire in front by five, clocked in :58.96 for the five furlongs and she paid $4.90. The winner’ check of $13,740 raised her three-race total to $36,990, best for any Ride on Curlin runner thus far in 2022.

THE FUTURE: Shelly lives with her husband David on a five-acre farm with a six-stall barn in Dunnellon, just down the road from Pleasant Acres. Twice in her 20 years she has had three winners, in 2016 and 2018, so Curl Talk could change that in the near future. And, she has never had a stakes-winner or stakes-placed runner . . . so who knows?

It was just a matter of time. After Honey Red and Yvonne’s Miss both finished second in their career debuts, it appeared likely that Bucchero’s first winner couldn’t be far behind. And it happened yesterday at Lone Star Park.

Toddchero, a $77,000 OBS April 2-year-old bred by GDS Stable and purchased by Mark Norman, went wire-to-wire in his first try with Lane Luzzi in the irons, and the only surprise may have been his price. He had sped three furlongs in a bullet :34.84 breezing from the gate, best of 31 runners at Lone Star on May 22, so his $7.40 mutuel seems to be quite generous.

Bucchero’s milestone winner passed the furlong markers in :22.56 and :45.65 en route to a 3 1/2-length victory over 2-1 favorite BWP Spirit, with the third-place finisher another 16 lengths behind. Toddchero was clocked in :58.62 for the five furlongs and collected a check for $19,740, raising Bucchero’s early progeny earnings to $35,140.

Gone Astray has only nine registered 2-year-olds of 2022, but the three who have already competed are off to a blazing start.

After winning in his debut at Laurel Park on May 1, Putthepastbehind made his second start in the $150,000 Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park yesterday and finished a sharp second. Luna West won the first 2-year-old race at Gulfstream Park on April 7 and paid $76.20, and Beautiful Astray, after a fifth in her Gulfstream debut, finished second at Gulfstream yesterday at odds of 22-1. That’s five starts, resulting in two victories and two seconds, one stakes second, and earnings of $102,160.

Putthepastbehind drew the No. 3 post in the 5 1/2-furlong Tremont and was sent off at 24-1 with Jeiron Barbosa. The $4,000 OBS Winter Mixed yearling was purchased by Carl L. Hess Jr., now listed as his co-owner. The gelding was away alertly and settled into third on the rail, chasing 2-1 second choice Two of a Kind through fractions of :22.40, :45.48 and :57;76. Putthepastbehind never left the inside and finished well, two lengths behind the pace-setter and 1 1/4 lengths over the third-place finisher. He paid $15.40 to place and $6.10 to show and collected $30,000, raising his total to $60,360.

The pair of seconds yesterday pushed Gone Astray’s progeny earnings for the year to $904,834.

Ride On Curlin has had 20 starters in 2022, and now he has his eighth winner, as Inspiratus, a 3-year-old filly bred by Casey Seaman, broke her maiden last night amid a mad scramble at Assiniboia Downs in Canada.

Inspiratus broke from the No. 8 post in a nine-horse field and was slammed by the No. 7 horse five feet out of the gate. While rider Chavion Chow was in the process of straightening her out, the No. 9 horse, Zenhi, was lugging in badly and caused a major chain reaction inside her.

Zenhi wound up on the lead going to the first quarter, with Inspiratus moving up to her on the ouside, and the duo continued that way on the turn and into the stretch. Nearing the wire, Inspiratus proved best and won by three quarters of a length with five furlongs in 1:01 flat. She paid $11.10 and earned $4,478 in U. S. dollars, $5,640 Canadian.

Immediately after the finish the objection sign was flashed and after a long look at the start, disqualified Zenhi from second for interfering with everybody inside her.

The most aptly-named filly in racing today considering the current state of the universe is World Gone Wild, the 4-year-old daughter of Gone Astray who won the fourth race at Delaware Park yesterday and has now captured four of her last six races.

The filly bred by Dr. Myron R. Wilson is now 7-3-0 in 20 starts with earnings of $196,760, not bad for a horse who sold for $3,000 as a yearling at the 2019 OBS October sale. The quality of competition she has faced this year alone has resulted in checks totaling $100,490, without benefit of any money from stakes. In her last four visits to the winner’s circle, she won at Gulfstream Park and collected $32,400; added $39,000 at Parx; $45,100 at Aqueduct, and yesterday at Delaware, $15,600.

Jaime Rodriguez was aboard for yesterday’s $26,000 starter optional claiming race at six furlongs. He had 9/5 World Gone Wild sitting third down the backstretch and she coasted up alongside 9/5 co-leader Midtown Rose entering the stretch. After a stirring battle down the lane, World Gone Wild prevailed by a nose and received her highest-ever Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 93. Her previous best had been a 90 when she won at Aqueduct.

Driven One’s owners and trainer had faith in him from the beginning, and his first race as a 2-year-old last year came in the Arlington-Washington Futurity, where the colt by Ride On Curlin finished fifth and earned $2,205. The $22,000 OBS June 2-year-old started seven more times with just a lone second to show for his efforts, but his connections didn’t lose their faith, and start No. 9 at Horseshoe Indianapolis yesterday came in a $34,000 maiden special.

With Santo Sanjur aboard in the one-mile turf race, Driven One broke well despite the No. 11 post, was wide down the backstretch in fifth place, made a strong run coming to the final turn and caught the leaders, then proved best in the stretch to break his maiden by a neck.

The colt bred by Michael Miranda paid $13.80 after reaching the wire in 1:38.25 and earned a check for $20,400. He received his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure – an 86 – pointing to better things to come, and became winner No. 8 from 18 starters for Ride On Curlin this year.

Toretto showed trainer Michelle Nihei he was ready to return to the races after a break of nearly four months with two bullet works on the turf at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach. The 4-year-old gelding by Handsome Mike posted a :48.20 four-furlong trial on May 13, followed by a :35.35 for three furlongs on May 24.

With Edwin Gonzalez aboard, Toretto lived up to his works yesterday, turning in the best performance of his nine-race career in a 5 1/2-furlong test over the Gulfstream Tapeta course. Under 126 pounds, the gelding owned and bred by Troy Levy’s Tropical Racing/Circle 8 operation broke well from the No. 2 post, tracked the leaders in fourth on the inside, edged closer to the top on the turn and powered through on the rail late to score by 3 1/2 widening lengths, clocked in 1:04.61.

Toretto paid $6 and earned $16,000 for his second victory in nine tries, boosting his total to $61,505.

At Golden Gates Field, Quantum Quest continued on the run that has seen him finish in the top four in eight consecutive races, winning two of the last three. The 4-year-old son of Gone Astray bred by W. K. and D. S. France went wire-to-wire in a $22,000 starter allowance, scoring by two lengths under Evin Roman. Under high-weight of 124 pounds, Quantum Quest broke like a shot, opened up a three-length lead in a :22.82 quarter, turned away two challenges in the stretch and boosted his record to 3-0-3 in nine tries. He was clocked in 1:10.90 for the six furlongs and the check for $13,200 increased his bank account to $54,000.

The long-awaited debut of Bucchero’s first runner is now in the books: Yvonne’s Miss turned in a solid runner-up performance in a five-furlong race over the all-weather track at Golden Gate Fields.

The filly bred by Ari F. Herbertson went off at 7/2 for her first try in a $40,350 maiden special and broke well with jockey William Antongeorgi III, who had Yvonne’s Miss on the tail of pace-setter Smiling Lady as they passed the first quarter in a sizzling :21.43. On the turn, Yvonne’s Miss ranged up on the outside of the leader and they battled through the stretch, only to be overtaken nearing the wire by fast-closing Fumano’s Girl.

Despite the torrid pace, Yvonne’s Miss held on for second, worth $7,800 to owner Scott Herbertson.

Gone Astray picked up his 22nd winner when Felon scored his fourth career victory in a six-furlong race at Columbus Races in Nebraska. Carry high-weight of 126 pounds, including jockey Zack Ziegler, the 6-year-old gelding bred by SCF Inc. raised his record to 4-6-11 in 46 starts, and his bank account to $74,721.