Treasure Beach and Handsome Mike fillies improving with time

At 2:24 Saturday afternoon, the Treasure Beach filly Sand Drift crossed under the wire at Gulfstream Park and registered her third victory while posting a 91 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, her career best. Thirteen minutes later at Tampa Bay Downs, the Handsome Mike filly Do What It Takes left the gate in a six-furlong race and went on to score a thrilling nose victory, posting an 83 ‘E’ figure, also her career best.

Sand Drift, bred by former FTBOA president Leverett Miller and his wife Linda, raised her record to 3-2-3 in 14 starts, and the $12,300 check increased her earnings to $68,120. Sent off as a lukewarm $3.50-1 favorite in an evenly-matched field, she was bumped at the start, then settled in sixth place down the backstretch with Tyler Gaffalione. She came off the rail coming to the turn, moved up to third, then ran down the two leaders in mid-stretch and won by three-quarters of a length in a solid 1:34.30 for the one mile on the grass.

With her fourth lifetime victory, Do What It Takes became Handsome Mike’s third repeat winner of 2020, getting up in time at the wire with Tomas Mejia after making up four lengths in the final 150 yards. The 4-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was clocked in 1:12.12 for the six furlongs, earned a check for $6,670, and raised her career total to $49,876. The $10,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $37.20.