Turf News

As the 2023 season winds down, it looks as though Neolithic’s best season will fall just short of $3 million.

Bib Bucksalot made it two straight with a convincing victory at Tampa Bay Downs and will end up the year with a record of 4-1-1 in 14 starts. The 3-year-old gelding bred by Julie Jackson scored by 1 3/4 lengths under veteran Jose Ferrer and earned a check for $14,000, bringing his total for the year to $54,130; he didn’t race at two.

Ferrer had Big Bucksalot in a stalking position while three wide down the backstretch, and moved the gelding as they neared the turn. He took the lead, opened up daylight and held it to the wire, clocked in 1:23.38 for the seven furlongs.

With three days remaining, Neolithic’s progeny earnings stand at $2,942,451.

Give It a Go scored his third career victory with a come-from-behind performance under talented Madeleine Rowland at Parx Racing.

Racing a mile and 70 yards, the 4-year-old gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald sat in mid-pack early, made a strong run on the turn to take the lead, then held off a single rival late to win by a neck in 1:48.19. The son of Gone Astray paid a generous $39 and collected a check for $12,600, raising his career total to $72,751 on a record of 3-3-8 33 starts.

Add another Pleasant Acres exacta to the growing list, this one coming in the seventh race at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday.

The winner was High Vibes, a 4-year-old Neolithic filly bred in Maryland by Maria and Mary Haire. The runner-up was the phenomenal Charlotte the Brit, the daughter of former Pleasant Acres stallion Treasure Beach bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon. High Vibes Paid $19.80, and Charlotte the Brit was the 9/10 favorite in the race at a mile on the turf course. The $2 exacta paid $47.80.

High Vibes broke her maiden at Tampa in February of 2022, and this victory under Angel Arroyo raised her record to 4-2-5 in 23 starts. She won by nearly two lengths and raced the distance in 1:34.65, just a little over a second off the course record, receiving her career best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 88. The check for $13,570 increased her earnings to $84,630.

Charlotte the Brit has posted an eye-opening record of 12-14-11 in 62 starts with earnings of $320,995. She has been first, second or third in 13 straight races dating back to October of last year.

Neolithic’s progeny earnings for 2023 jumped to $1,310,724 with the victory of Neolithica at Laurel Park, the second victory in a row for the 2-year-old filly bred in Maryland by Maria M. Haire.

Veteran Horacio Karamanos put Neolithica on the lead early, and she went wire-to-wire in the race at seven furlongs, clocked in 1:26.68. The $30,000 Timonium October yearling defeated the 6/5 favorite by 1 1 /2 lengths and paid $6.20. The $17,940 winner’s check lifted her total for five races to $46,680.

Sunday Diaz is new to Tampa Bay Downs, but he showed he knows the shortest way around the track, piloting Chiquirin to his third victory this year.

In a race at seven furlongs, Diaz never left the inside with the 4-year-old by Gone Astray, and the gelding scored by half a length in 1:26.19. He paid $13.80 and raised his record to 4-1-3 in 19 starts, with the $11,150 check boosting his earnings to $59,070, $40,880 coming this year.

Gone Astray went over the $1 million mark in 2023 progeny earnings his week.

The next son or daughter of Gone Astray who goes to the post this week will probably put the son of Dixie Union over the $1 million mark in 2023 progeny earnings.

Richiesonaroll, Gone Astray’s leading earner this year, is the runner who continued his super season at Fair Grounds and left Gone Astray just $763 short of the magic number.

Emmanuel Giles was aboard Richiesonaroll, who left from the 10 post in a $100,000 starter allowance at six furlongs over a sloppy track. The 3-year-old Illinois-bred gelding tracked the leaders in mid-pack, then looped the field in mid-track and was up in time for a neck victory in 1:10.64.

Richiesonaroll made five starts at two and posted a pair of seconds. This year, he’s 4-3-0 in eight tries, and the $60,000 check for his latest score increased his earnings to $143,170. In his last two victories, he received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 101.

Neolithic’s late-year heroics continued into December when Expecting a Winner broke her maiden at Tampa Bay Downs in her career debut for perennial leading trainer Gerald Bennett and his Winning Stables.

OBS buyers missed the boat with the 2-year-old filly bred by long-time Pleasant Acres client Patricia Generazio; she was RNA’ed for $7,000 at the June sale, and the check for her initial victory is $11,720. Expecting a Winner was bumped at the start, but quickly recovered and wound up third down the backstretch in the race at six furlongs. Sammy Camacho sent her after the leaders on the turn and she took the lead in mid-stretch and coasted to the wire a little more than a length in front, clocked in 1:11.80.

Expecting a Winner paid $5.00 and became winner No. 31 for Neolithic in 2023.

Wire-to-wire was the theme of the day for a pair of Neolithic geldings yesterday, with Big Bucksalot scoring at Tampa Bay Downs and Cantankerous Cat winning at Penn National.

BIG BUCKSALOT – The gelding bred by Julie Jackson didn’t race at two, and is now 3-1-1 in 13 tries at three. With veteran Joe Ferrer aboard, he whizzed past the poles in :22.03, :45.97 and 1:11.04 without getting a challenge, and won by nearly three lengths in 1:24.02. He paid $5.60 and earned a check for $10,500, lifting his total to $40,130.

CANTANKEROUS CAT – As opposed to Big Bucksalot, the 4-year-old bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon strolled through the quarters under Inoel Beato and still didn’t receive a threat. He won by 2 1/4 lengths and collected $6,480, boosting his total to $63,837 on a record of 2-4-1 in 19 starts. He paid $6.20 and became Neolithic’s 30th winner this year.

Neolithic also had a recent wire-to-wire winner at Camarero in Puerto Rico – the 3-year-old filly Dream V. scored by 2 1/4 lengths.

Neolithic’s progeny earnings for 2023 have reached $1,241,727, and he’s ninth on Florida’s general sire list.

With Bucchero now in New York, Long On Value and Neolithic will be two of the stalwarts carrying the Pleasant Acres banner until next year’s freshman crops are ready to roll.

LONG ON VALUE – Don’t Question Me scored his second victory of the year, winning at a mile and 70 yards at Penn National under Richard Chiappe. The 3-year-old gelding bred by Joseph Arboritanza sat a comfortable third early, made a three-wide move on the turn, led into the stretch and won by a length. He was clocked in 1:46.57 and earned a check for $8,640.

NEOLITHIC – The red-hot son of Harlan’s Holiday has a red-hot son of his own in Canada named Neophyte, who won at 5 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather track and is 2-2-1 in his last five starts. Sahin Civaci guided the 4-year-old gelding in a stalking third down the Woodbine backstretch, swung four wide for the stretch run, and Neophyte drew away by 2 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:04.43. He collected $12,345US for the victory, $16,980 Canadian, and raised his career total to $95,444 on a record of 3-3-5 in 16 starts.

Bucchero has left Pleasant Acres for McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in New York and his runners went out with a bang.

It began with Hey Boots winning at Charles Town Thursday night and paying $4.80, followed on Friday by Barb’s Vortex at Horseshoe Indianapolis ($20.40) and Fast Fixer at Gulfstream Park ($8.00). In addition, Copanella Bay finished second at Gulfstream, Meetmeatthebeach second at Laurel and Honey Red at third at Horseshoe.

Bucchero arrived in New York and right off the bat he occupies third place on the state’s general sire list with more than $2.3 million in progeny earnings for 2023. He’ll stand in the Empire State for $7,500 and promises to be among the leaders for years to come.