Turf News

Streaking Bucchero has added two more first-time winners to his ledger far from his home base to give him 25 from 52 starters in his sophomore season, and at the same time, set himself up for a million-dollar year.

At Penn National, Sunshine Harry, a 3-year-old gelding bred by Crimson Gate Stables and Ocala’s Bonnie Heath Farm, broke his maiden in his second try to become winner No. 24. With Anthony Salgado aboard, the Pennyslvania-bred gelding overcame a bumping incident leaving the gate, rushed into the lead and continued on to romp home by 5 1/2 lengths. He was clocked in :58.86 for the five furlongs, paid $23.80, and picked up a check for $10,608.

At Horseshoe Indianapolis, Designated, an 8-1 morning line proposition making her third start, came up a hot item on the tote board even though in her second try she finished third, but nearly 10 lengths behind the winner. With apprentice Hannah Leahey again in the irons, the 2-year-old Kentucky-bred filly hopped at the start of the five-furlong test on the grass, trailed the field by six lengths down the backstretch, swung wide on the turn, then ran down the leaders in deep stretch as announcer John Dooley bellowed, “Designated swooped by them all.”

Designated, a $37,000 Keeneland September RNA, was clocked in 1:01.06, paid $6 and earned a check for $16,800, which raised Bucchero’s progeny earnings for 2023 to $928,582.

R Averie Lynn has won three in a row at Delaware Park, and is now a nine-time winner in her career, after Thursday’s wire-to-wire score by two lengths with Daniel Centeno in the irons.

The 5-year-old Gone Astray mare was never seriously threatened, getting the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.70 and collecting a check for $15,000. Bred by Dancing Wind Stables, R Averie Lynn was a $25,000 OBS July 2-year-old; she has now earned $208,986 while raising her record to 9-12-3 in 35 starts. She has competed at 10 tracks, but eight of the nine victories have come at Delaware, and in this one, she paid $2.80.

In Puerto Rico, another Gone Astray mare, She’s Classy, came from behind to win by a neck at six furlongs. Bred by Craig Wheeler, she boosted her earnings to $105,263 on a record of 5-4-9 in 30 starts.

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After Mattingly finished a strong second in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes in his career debut, anticipation was high regarding the second start for the 2-year-old Bucchero colt. That came yesterday in a 5 1/2-furlong, $65,000 maiden special over the Tapeta course at Gulfstream Park.

Through much of the betting, the $70,000 OBS March colt bred by Lance Colwell was sitting at 1/5 on the tote board, and he eventually drifted up slightly to 2/5. With Edgar Perez aboard, the colt named after former New York Yankees great Don Mattingly took the lead leaving the gate, put up fractions of :22.11, 45.59 and :58.11, then cruised home by nearly six lengths in 1:04.38.

Mattingly became Bucchero’s 23rd winner and earned a check for $43,000, while boosting his two-race total to $64,120, and showed he’ll be a major factor in the upcoming Florida Sire Stakes series.

Bucchero’s 22nd winner is Sharon’s Grey Hope, a 3-year-old Indiana-bred who added to the stallion’s growing reputation of siring runners who have what the TV analysts like to call a great “turn of foot.”

Sharon’s Grey Hope was off in mid-pack in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special race at Horseshoe Indianapolis, and was a good 10 or 11 lengths behind 3-1 pace-setter First Elkton when they hit the quarter in :22.49. Going to the half, Samuel Bermudez sent the 3-year-old filly up on the outside and Sharon’s Grey Hope responded with an Azeri-type move that shot her up to third entering the stretch.

When they straightened out in the lane, the filly bred by Southern Chase Farm and Karen and Greg Dodd was still six lengths behind First Elkton, buts she dug in and went past the leader like she was standing still. Sharon’s Grey Hope won by nearly two lengths clocked in 1:05.52, and earned a check for $21,600, breaking her maiden in her fourth start. Bucchero’s progeny earnings jumped to $828,150 for 2023.

Hard Astray looked more like Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes than a claimer at Mountaineer who was winning for the seventh time in his career and first of 2023.

In a one-mile race with veteran Yuri Yuranga aboard, the 6-year-old gelding by Gone Astray jumped out to the lead, opened up by two lengths in a :23.83 quarter, was 2 1/2 lengths in front after a half in :47.11, stretched it to six lengths with three quarters in 1:12.88. and cruised home by nearly eight lengths in 1:40.75 without receiving a threat.

Hard Astray, bred by JDAB Stables, paid $21.20 and earned a check for $4,814, raising his lifetime total to $52,622 on a record of 7-2-1 in 26 starts. He’s Gone Astray’s 21st winner of 2023.

Bucchero’s sizzling month of June continued yesterday with a maiden-breaking run by New Jersey-bred Delightful Ava at Monmouth Park.

The 3-year-old filly went wire-to-wire with Romero Maragh, racing ‘about’ 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, winning in her fifth try and paying $14. She held off any challengers by passing the markers in :22.54, :45.22 and :57.76, before putting up a final clocking of 1:04.16 and scoring by half a length, worth $15,960 to owner/breeder Gregory Krlka.

Delightful Ava is Bucchero’s 21st winner in his sophomore season, and lifted him within less than $10,000 from reaching $800,000 in 2023 progeny earnings.

At this time of year, few stallions have reached a point where at least half of their runners have won at least one race. Long On Value has defied that statistic. The son of Value Plus has 10 starters and yesterday picked up his fifth winner; he’s 28th on Florida’s general sire list and only one stallion above him is also at 50 percent.

No. 5 for Long On Value is Constitutionalist, a 3-year-old filly who was so well-regarded she went off at 3/10 in a five-furlong maiden special at Mountaineer and paid $2.60. With Charle Oliveros in the saddle, the filly bred by George J. Kerr sat third early, moved after a quarter and was best by nearly three lengths at the wire.

Constitutionalist broke her maiden in her eighth start; she was clocked in 1:00.39 and collected a check of $9,570, boosting her total to $20,810.

The similarities between Oh Donna’s score in the third race at Belmont Park yesterday, and Dream Astray’s in the ninth race at Monmouth Park, were somewhat on the eerie side.

(1) Oh Donna is by Pleasant Acres stallion Bucchero; Dream Astray is by Pleasant Acres stallion Gone Astray.

(2) Oh Donna broke her maiden at the Meadowlands on Oct. 21 of 2022, and hadn’t raced since, a span of eight months. Dream Astray broke his maiden on Sept. 30 of 2022 at the Meadowlands, and hadn’t raced since, a span of 8 1/2 months. So both are now on two-race winning streaks, however far apart.

(3) Oh Donna broke through the gate, then went wire-to-wire in a seven-furlong race that went in 1:26.92, winning by 2 1/4 lengths. Dream Astray went wire-to-wire in a race at 1 1/16 miles on the grass that went in 1:43.24, winning by 3 3/4 lengths.

(4) Oh Donna earned a check for $15,400; Dream Astray earned $14,400.

Non-similar facts: Oh Donna is a 3-year-old filly bred by Edward R. Schuster in Florida – she paid $6.40 and was claimed. Dream Astray is a 5-year-old gelding bred by Kenneth D’Oyen in California – he paid $15.20 and wasn’t claimed.

After seven straight races at Gulfstream Park which produced one second and one third, Pink Party Pants shipped out west to Prairie Meadows and broke her maiden with a wire-to-wire performance in her first try over the track in Altoona, Iowa.

Ramsey Zimmerman carefully guided the 3-year-old filly from the first crop of Bucchero past the furlong markers in :22.80, :46.46 and :58.91 en route to a 2 1/4-length victory in 1:11.68 for the six furlongs and she earned a check for $7,980.

Bucchero has had 43 runners from his initial crop compete thus far in 2023 and 19 have won, resulting in $748,764 in progeny earnings. At that pace, he should wind up with about $1.6 million at year’s end, cementing a very successful sophomore season. However, only four of his 89 2-year-olds have started, so $2 million or more is a distinct possibility.

If anyone was looking for a movie to commemorate the career debut of Sentella, “A Star Is Born” seems highly appropriate.

The 3-year-old Neolithic filly bred by Andy and Susy Cant exploded on the scene at Charles Town last night in a $29,400 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs. With Jose Montano aboard, Sentella broke last of 10 from the No. 2 post, but her rider quickly rushed her up on the rail and she was settled in third under a stranglehold as they hit the quarter.

As the leaders were entering the stretch, they separated and Montano sent Sentella through the opening and into the lead, catching track announcer Paul Espinosa by surprise. When he picked up Sentella’s run, he shouted “Sentella with a huge move . . . she went by . . . just electric the move she put on . . . Sentella is drawing away like a good thing . . . wins by 7.” He was right on, the $11,000 OBS October yearling won by 7 1/4, clocked in :52.64.

The good thing had her final work at Charles Town – 4 furlongs in :47.60, second best of 21 at the distance that day, yet she was allowed to go off at 10-1, and she paid $22.80. Sentella’s initial payday came to $17,478 and it doesn’t appear as though it will be her last.