Another huge day at Pleasant Acres: two winners and a stakes-placed filly

Pleasant Acres stallions enjoyed a second straight multiple-winning day yesterday, at the same time adding a stakes-placed filly on Gulfstream Park’s lucrative Claiming Crown program.

Sugar Fix, Treasure Beach’s leading money-winner of 2020, finished a bang-up second in the $95,000 Tiara Stakes, only succumbing to a filly who ran her eyeballs out in the final sixteenth. Red-hot Tyler Gaffalione was aboard Sugar Fix, a 3-year-old filly bred by Ballybrit Stable who came into the 1 1/16-mile turf race approaching the $200,00 mark in earnings. She swept into the lead on the final turn and led by 1 1/2 lengths in mid-stretch, but was unable to hold off the powerful late run of Queen’s Embrace. The $19,646 runner-up check raised her earnings to $195,114 on a record of 7-4-0 in 16 starts.

Earlier in the day, the Treasure Beach colt Formal Treasure broke his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs in his seventh start for Maryolen and Luis Aleman, his owners and breeders. Newcomer Isaac Castillo had to use every trick in the book to maneuver the 2-year-old colt in, out and around traffic for most of the one mile trip on the grass, before guiding Formal Treasure down the middle of the course to win by one length over 2-1 favorite Unidentified Man. The colt paid $46.80 and collected a check for $8,425 while becoming his sire’s 40th winner of 2020.

Three races later, Beauty Genius gave Handsome Mike his 41st winner with a wire-to-wire beauty for Ocala owner/trainer Robert Smith. The 2-year-old filly broke on top with Roberto Alvarado Jr. and held off several challenges en route to a three-length victory in her sixth start, getting the 1 1/16 miles on the turf in 1:45.02 and earning a breeders’ award for Joe and Helen Barbazon.