Turf News

Neolithic has added two more winners to his resume, and he now has 27 for the year, third best among Florida’s active sires.

BOURBON OVER ICE – The 5-year-old gelding bred by Belvedere Farm is just $764 away from reaching the $100,000 mark in earnings after his strong late run at Thistledown under Rocco Bowen raised his record to 6-5-3 in 34 starts.

The $35,000 OBS October yearling was off well in the race at six furlongs, and settled in fifth place down the backstretch. Bowen sent him after the leaders as they approached the turn, and Bourbon Over Ice, in mid-track, survived a mad four-horse scramble to the wire, winning by a neck. He was clocked in 1:11.82 and collected a check for $7,320.

NEOKING – The 4-year-old gelding owned and bred by long-time Pleasant Acres client Just For Fun Stable was ridden by Andres Ulloa in a five-horse test at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He was off last in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs, moved into contention on the inside, swung out for the stretch run and ran down the 4/5 favorite late to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. Off at 14-1, Neoking paid $30 after getting the distance in 1:05.12; he earned a check for $10,500 while lifting his record to 3-3-3 in 15 starts.

Neolithic added two more winners over the Belmont Stakes weekend, giving the son of Harlan’s Holiday 26 this year, good for third place among Florida’s active sires.

SIR BANANA BRIAN – The 3-year-old colt bred by Patricia Generazio and owned and trained by long-time South Florida horseman Danny Hurtak, was coming off a pair of seconds, and went wire-to-wire in a race at 5 1/2 furlongs over Gulfsream’s Tapeta surface. Under Miguel Vasquez, he passed the markers in :22.85, :46.56 and :58.67 en route to a 2 1/2-length score in 1:04.85, and paid $9.60. Hurtak, who forked over $10,000 for Sir Banana Brian at the 2023 OBS June sale, collected a check for $15,000, which raised his colt’s take to $37,860 on a record of 1-3-3 in 10 starts.

MISS NEO – The 4-year-old filly is another in a long line of winners bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon in partnership with Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson. In a maiden race at six furlongs at Monmouth Park, with Jorge Gonzalez aboard, Miss Neo stalked the early pace in the two path, dueled for the lead and took over in the stretch, then held off the 3/10 favorite by a neck. In her first 2024 start, she paid $22.60 and collected a check for $10,800, lifting her six-race total to $16,325.

Our Fantasy joined the “from last to first club” via her latest score at Finger Lakes, although announcer Tony Calo added a little extra. As the 7-year-old Amira’s Prince mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon barreled past her rivals in mid-stretch, Calo chimed in with, “Our Fantasy – from last to first after an impossible break.”

Kevin Navarro was in the saddle in the $20,000 starter optional claimer to be run at six furlongs. When the gate opened, Our Fantasy was nowhere to be found. Heading down the backstretch, she was a good 10 lengths off the pace, but she put it in overdrive on the turn, caught the pack at the top of the stretch and blew by them all to score by nearly four lengths. The $50,000 OBS April 2-year-old was clocked in 1:12.97, paid $2.50, and earned a check for $12,000. That lifted her career total to $334,759 on an eye-catching record of 11-13-12 in 53 starts. In 2024, she’s 1-3-1 in 8 tries, adding $34,075 to her bank account.

At Mountaineer – In his first 36 starts, not one trainer opted to take a shot with Yeudiel on the turf at Gulfstream West, Tampa Bay Downs, Mountaineer Casino or Mahoning Valley. That changed this week when Wilfrido Montano entered the 7-year-old by Gone Astray in a seven-furlong test on the grass in West Virginia. Based on his blockbuster performance, it shouldn’t be long before the gelding bred by SJT Racing Stables is back on the green.

Brandon Tapara sent Yeudiel away sixth, and the gelding was eight lengths behind when the field headed down the backstretch. He moved up on the inside coming to the turn, went five wide to get in contention, then rolled by the pack and reported home by nearly seven lengths, clocked in a smart 1:23.55. For his third victory in a row, Yeudiel paid $17 and collected a check for $6,264, increasing his career bank account to $71,168 on a record of 8-11-7 in 37 starts.

The wire-to-wire victory of Dialithic at Gulfstream Park over the weekend sent Neolithic over the million-dollar mark in progeny earnings for the 2024 season. The 3-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon earned a check for $16,200, and combined with a runner-up finish by Bedrock Birdie at Gulfstream and a third by Ghost Bike at Belterra, Neolithic heads into June with earnings of $1,020,958. At the same time, his career progeny earnings are less than $20,000 away from hitting $4 million.

Coming off a second-place finish in her previous start, Dialithic scored by half a length under Edgar Perez, getting 1 1/16 miles over the turf course in 1:42.21 and paying $13. The $25,000 OBS October yearling became winner No. 24 for Neolithic this year, third best among active Florida sires. She’s 1-1-1 in four tries.

Richiesonaroll moved within striking distance of the $200,000 mark in earnings with a sharp second in the $75,000 Work All Week Handicap at Hawthorne, the first stakes-placed finish of his 17-race career.

The 4-year-old gelded son of Gone Astray had Emmanuel Giles in the irons, and he was content to assume a stalking position in the six-furlong race over a muddy track. The gelding bred in Illinois by Richard Ravin was the 2-1 second choice, but he was unable to run down 6/5 favorite W W Hotshot in the stretch, falling short by 2 1/4 lengths; the race went in a quick 1:09.37.

Richiesonaroll collected a check for $15,000, increasing his total to $192,585 on an excellent record of 5-6-1 in those 17 tries.

Neolithic is the first Florida sire to get two 2-year-old winners this year. Kip the Distance was first, Lithica became No. 2 yesterday with a highly professional performance in a $30,000 maiden special at Presque Isle Downs.

Lithica, who was bred by Ocala’s SCF Farm (Belinda Kitos), was sent off as the 8/5 favorite in the 4 1/2-furlong test over the all-weather track after posting a sizzling bullet 4-furlong breeze of :45.80 on May 23, best of 23 that day. With Rosario Montanez in the saddle, she battled for the lead down the backstretch in :22.65, took over going to the half in :46.09, and drew off to score by 1 1/2 lengths, clocked in :52.61, a little more than two seconds off the track record.

Lithica collected $18,000 for her maiden-breaker, lifting Neolithic’s progeny earnings for the year to $993,588. He now has 23 winners and is tied for fourth among Florida’s sires in that category.

Meanwhile, at Monmouth Park, Chiquirin tied his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 85 with a victory in a 6-furlong race under Sam Marin. The 5-year-old Gone Astray gelding bred by JJT Racing was off in mid-pack, closed in on the leaders coming to the turn, swung wide for the stretch run and was best in the sprint to the wire by 1 1/4 lengths.

Chiquirin was clocked in 1:11.75 and paid $17.80 for his fifth career victory, first in 2024. He collected $11,400, lifting his total to $74,780 on a record of 5-1-5 in 25 starts.

Neolithic’s run toward his best season shows no letup, as the son of Harlan’s Holiday hurtles full speed ahead to what will wind up in his eclipsing his best number of winners and highest progeny earnings.

With the victories of Mister Abarrio at Gulfstream Park and Neon Sign at Penn National, both accomplished by way of superior clockings, Neolithic now has had 22 winners in 2024, and earnings of $972,553. He’s on pace to easily top his previous bests of 32 winners and $1,422,736.

MISTER ABARRIO – The 4-year-old gelding bred by Dr. Tiffany A. Attebarry and Scott Brown broke well in the race at 7 1/2 furlongs over the turf course, stalked the leaders in mid-pack down the backstretch, made a bold move on the turn to take over the lead into the lane and proved easily best, winning by 3 1/2 lengths with rider Edgard Zayas under wraps. His final time of 1:26.94 is less than one second off the course record of 1:25.98. Mister Abarrio, a $30,000 OBS October yearling, earned a check for $24,100, lifting his total to $108,720 on a record of 2-5-6 in 19 starts.

NEON SIGN – Turned in the best performance of his 12-race career in a $22,000 starter optional claiming race at six furlongs. With Anthony Salgado in the saddle, the 4-year-old gelding bred by Southern Comfort Farm stalked the pace through fractions of :22.51, :44.99 and :57.12, went up to challenge on the turn, then drew off to score by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:09.66. He received a 79 Equibase speed figure, a personal best. The check for $13,200 raised his earnings to $55,510 on a record of 3-2-0 in his 12 starts.

Another pair of very impressive scores on Thursday by a filly and a gelding, and Neolithic now has 20 winners in 2024; he’s almost a cinch to become the fourth active Florida stallion to reach $1 million in progeny earnings in the first five months of the season.

KIP THE DISTANCE – The 2-year-old filly had broken her maiden in her second start at Gulfstream Park after she turned in a smart second-place finish in her May 2 debut. Owned, bred and trained by Angel Rodriguez, Thursday she left from the rail in the $65,000 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs, tracked the leaders while under a strong hold down the backstretch, then squeezed through a small opening on the inside down the lane and won by a length.

Kip the Distance was clocked in :53.33, paid $6.80, and earned a check for $40,000, boosting her two-race total to $50,800. Neolithic’s progeny earnings stand at $919,305.

GHOST BIKE – The 4-year-old gelding scored his second victory of 2024, drawing off in the stretch at Belterra Park after tracking the leader from the outset, taking over the top spot on the turn, and going on to win by 3 1/4 lengths. The $32,000 OBS March 2-year-old bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald paid $3.80 after getting a mile and a sixteenth in 1:47.48 and collected a check for $6,175. He sports a record of 3-1-4 in 20 starts with earnings of $46,348.

The honor of getting the first 2-year-old stakes-winner for a Florida stallion in 2024 goes to Gone Astray.

Gabaldon, bred by Carol Reitman, Susan Gannon and Warren Miller, scored a game front-running victory in the $110,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes in his career debut at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. Emisael Jaramillo was aboard the colt, who was a $9,000 OBS October yearling.

Gabaldon broke well from the No, 7 post in the race at five furlongs on the turf, and went right to the rail. He was joined in the two path by Governor Sam and the two battled head-and-head past the poles in a blazing :21.33 and :43.80, five lengths ahead of the closest pursuers. Gabaldon shook clear of Governor Sam in the stretch and held off the closers late to score by 1 1/4 lengths, clocked in :56.20. He paid $35, earned a check for $57,500, and received an 84 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, along with an invitation to compete at Royal Ascot in June.

After Yeudiel won at Mountaineer Casino and Resort in October of 2022, the Gone Astray gelding added a pair of seconds, then went on an extended vacation of nearly a year. He came back late in 2023 and turned in two poor performances, then won and paid $62, and made it two in a row yesterday with a convincing score under Brandon Tapara.

In a race at one mile, Tapara sat Yeudiel in second place early, sent the now 7-year-old to the lead after three quarters, and Yeudiel left the field behind in the stretch, reaching the wire nearly 10 lengths in front. This time he paid just $6 while earning a check for $4,814, increasing his career total to $64,825 on a record of 7-11-7 in 36 starts.