Neolithic ‘blitzes’ the racing scene
Blitz: “A lot of activity to achieve something in a short time, often used in various contexts, like marketing or sports.” Neolithic had six runners compete at four tracks between Wednesday and Friday, resulting in four victories, a second and a third. That’s a blitz!
WEDNESDAY: At Penn National, High Vibes raised her record to 6-3-7 in 38 starts with a sharp performance under Inoel Beato in a race at ‘about’ one mile over the turf course. The 6-year-old mare bred in Maryland by Maria and Mary Haire sat just outside 3-1 pacesetter Sweet No No for half a mile, surged into the lead turning for home and won by half a length in 1:36.51, less than two seconds off the course record. The $45,000 OBS June 2-year-old earned $12,000, increasing her bank account to $116,310.
At Thistledown, Big Bucksalot pressed the pace early in a $20,000 starter optional claimer before tiring to finish third. The 5-year-old gelding bred by Julie Jackson collected $2,000 and jumped his earnings to $101,567.
THURSDAY: A certain sharpie (or sharpies) was/were no doubt expecting a winner in the fifth race at Delaware Park. The 4-year-old filly Expecting a Winner was sitting at 10-1 as the field entered the gate for the race at a mile and 70 yards over the turf course, and the first change of the odds board down the backstretch showed her at 3-1. It wasn’t easy, but the filly bred by Patricia Generazio won it by a nose, and paid $8.60 to satisfy the plunger(s).
Expecting a Winner, a $7,000 RNA at the OBS June sale, was making her fourth start after a break of 8 1/2 months. She lifted her record to 4-1-3 in 15 starts, and the check for $13,200 raised her earnings to $68,700.
FRIDAY: After three ho-hum efforts, Little Torch woke up under Leonel Reyes and went wire-to-wire in a mile and 70-yard race over Gulfstream’s Tapeta surface. The 2-year-old filly was clocked in 1:43.24 and paid $32.20, while earning a check for $22,200 plus a healthy breeders’ award for Joe and Helen Barbazon.
Five races later, the Barbazons added another breeders’ award when Dialithic finished second, also in a mile and 70-yard test over the Tapeta track. The 4-year-old filly earned $5,250, upping her bank account to $74,570.
At Colonial Downs, West Virginia-bred Spotlight Girl was another wire-to-wire and first-time winner, scoring in her sixth career start for owner/breeder/trainer Angel Rodriguez. Under Francisco Arrieta, the 2-year-old filly won by a neck after 5 1/2 furlongs over the inner turf course in 1:03.98, also less than two seconds off the course record. The victory, worth $24,000 to Rodriguez, gave Neolithic 44 winners from 80 starters this year, or 55 percent.