Turf News

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.

Gone Astray is closing in on two 2023 milestones following the spectacular victory of Richiesonaroll at Fanduel Sportsbook and Horse Racing yesterday.

In a $26,500 allowance optional claimer with Emmanuel Giles in the saddle, Richiesonaroll shot to the lead, put up fractions of :22.92, 46.13 and 58.54, then left the field in the dust, cruising home by 11 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:11.34 for the six furlongs. The 3-year-old Illinois-bred gelding collected a check for $15,900, which jumped his total to $83,170 on a record of 3-5-0 in 12 starts. He received an exceptional Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 101. Coming off two straight seconds, the gelding paid just $2.60.

With the winner’s check added, Gone Astray is closing in on $1 million in progeny earnings for the year, at $912,004, and $16 million lifetime, at $15,917,547.

Neolithic enjoyed a special Breeders’ Cup weekend, getting no less than three winners at Gulfstream Park, including a stakes-winner and a stakes-placed runner.

DANCING N DIXIE – The 2-year-old filly bred by former NFL player Freddy Hyatt captured the $90,000 Our Dear Peggy Stakes under Miguel Vasquez in just her fourth start. She had broken her maiden in her previous try just two weeks before by 3 3/4 lengths.

The $35,000 OBS June 2-year-old went up three wide on the backstretch to take on favored Bubbly Champagne for the lead, then out-gamed the 4/5 shot by half a length at the wire. Dancing N Dixie, trained by Mark Casse, raced a mile and 70 yards on the Tapeta track in 1:42.54 and paid $9.20. The winner’s check of $63,610 upped her total to $89,610.

NEOGEM – Miguel Vasquez was also aboard the 3-year-old filly who came from off the pace at a mile and a sixteenth on the Tapeta course to get her second victory. The filly bred by Just For Fun Stable won by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:45.65, and earned a check for $16,000, raising her bank account to $66,950.

BEDROCK BIRDIE – The 2-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon paid $4.20 and is $21,4000 richer after her second victory in a row. She completed five furlongs over the all-weather surface in :57.47 and won the $35,000 starter optional claimer by 2 1/4 lengths. Her earnings jumped to $41,400.

PREVENT – The 2-year-old colt bred by Katia Perez Ozuna finished second under Luca Panici in the $65,000 Armed Forces Stakes, 1 3/4 lengths behind the 4/5 favorite. With the $12,740 runner-up check, Prevent raised his earnings to $83,250 on a record of 1-3-0 in six starts.

Book’em Danno’s three-race winning streak ended yesterday when he was nailed just before the wire after leading every step of the way in the $150,000 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct.

The 2-year-old New Jersey-bred colt by Bucchero had broken his maiden in his debut, then won a pair of stakes before settling for the runner-up spot in his fourth outing. Leading rider Jose Ortiz put Book’em Danno on the lead in the race at one mile, and he passed the poles while holding off all challenges in :23.50, :47.47, 1:12.02 and 1:24.07, but couldn’t stave off long shot Where’s Chris, who won by three-quarters of a length, clocked in 1:36.95.

Second place was worth $30,000 and sent the colt’s earnings to $230,625. Bucchero’s 2-year-old earnings for 2023 rose to $843,397.