Gone Astray celebrates Saturday triple

Add a straight Gone Astray trifecta to the three-victory Saturdays previously enjoyed in 2022 by stallions from Pleasant Acres. The son of Dixie Union celebrated a pair of winners ridden by Emisael Jaramillo at Gulfstream Park, and one with Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez at Lone Star Park in Texas.

REGIMENTAL COMMAND: The 3-year-old gelding owned and bred by Lowwood Farm scored his first victory in his fifth start in a $43,000 maiden optional claimer at Gulfstream. With Jaramillo sitting chilly, he went wire-to-wire, putting up sizzling fractions of :21.85 and :44.85, and completing five furlongs on the Tapeta surface in :56.90. He out-gamed four challengers in deep stretch and won by two lengths, paying $7.60 while earning a check for $26,500 and his best ‘E’ speed figure of 78.

NOBLE DRAMA: Coming off a third-place finish in the Gil Campbell Memorial Handicap, Gone Astray’s second highest money-earner was squeezed back leaving the gate in a $52,000 allowance optional claimer and had to take up a position in 10th place in a field of 10 down the backstretch.

Jaramillo was content not to hurry the 7-year-old gelding bred by Harold Queen until the turn in the race at a flat mile. Then, he swung Noble Drama to the far outside as they neared the top of the stretch, and the veteran multiple stakes-winner made up about eight lengths and nailed 8/5 favorite Super Corinto in the shadow of the wire, clocked in 1:35.13. Noble Drama paid $26.20 and earned $31,900 for owner/trainer David Fawkes, raising his career total to $795,057 on a record of 10-7-5 in 34 starts. With both geldings winning for the first time this year, Gone Astray ended the day with 45 winners in 2022.

GONE PARADISE: The 5-year-old gelding bred by JDAB Stables shipped to Lone Star after six races at Arapahoe, where he had captured his last by 4 1/4 lengths. He competed in the Battle of the Breeds Claiming Trial at 870 yards, winning by three-quarters of a length in :46.95 and paying $4 as favorite. He’s 5-6-3 in 29 starts with earnings of $48,407 for owner/trainer Mark Hibdon, and left Gone Astray less than $5,000 short of $1.7 million in 2022 progeny earnings.