Bernie Dickman

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.

Bucchero headed into Breeders’ Cup weekend with another pair of winners, Sherlyn Go Go getting her first victory outside of Florida, and Jocasta breaking her maiden in her second start.

SHERLYN GO GO – The 3-year-old filly bred by Dominique Damico and Fly By Breeding won twice at Gulfstream Park before shipping to the West Coast. In her first start at Santa Anita, in a race at 6 1/2 furlongs, Diego Herrera put her on the lead and Sherlyn Go Go coasted through fractions of :22.62. :45.45 and 1:10.64, then left 6/5 favorite Gypsy Lynn in the dust down the lane to score by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:17.25.

The $22,000 OBS October yearling paid $6.00, while raising her record to 3-2-1 in 10 starts, and the winner’s check of $15,600 increased her career total to $124,250. She received an 83 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, best of her 10 races.

JOCASTA – The 2-year-old filly bred by SCF Inc. finished third in her debut at Canterbury Downs, and was sent off at 3-1 for her second try at Delta Downs, a $35,300 maiden special at seven furlongs. She was off well under Tim Thornton, moved up coming to the turn, battled with and passed 6/5 favorite Taps Mistress in the stretch, and cruising home by 2 1/2 lengths. The $60,000 OBS Open 2-year-old purchase became Bucchero’s 44th winner of 2023, earning $21,000 for the effort.

Handicappers who paid close attention to the morning trials of Meadow Value made a nice score at Horseshoe Indianapolis yesterday.

The 3-year-old gelding by Long On Value had four posted workouts leading up to his debut, each one a little better than the last, and the final prep was a solid :47.60 for four furlongs breezing from the gate, second best of 29 for the day. Meadow Value was off third under McKenna Anderson in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs, quickly slipped through along the rail to open up a three-length lead in a quarter of :22.26, and continued on in front while widening all the way. He reached the wire nearly six lengths ahead of 1/2 favorite Woodythebidspotter.

Meadow Value was clocked in :57.98 and paid a generous $17.60. Bred by Just For Fun Stable, he’s Long On Value’s seventh winner from 15 starters in 2023.

As if spurred on by the World Series, stallions from Pleasant Acres scored another triple on Sunday at three tracks – Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park and Mountaineer Casino and Resort.

GULFSTREAM – Major Pryce became the 43rd winner of 2023 for Bucchero, scoring a 3 1/2-length victory under Angel Morales in a race at 6 1/2 furlongs. The 3-year-old filly bred by Judy Bassett and Debora Morgan raced the distance in 1.18.60 and banked $17,200, increasing her total to $78,235 on a record of 2-3-1 in 20 tries. She paid $6.80.

LAUREL – Neolithica welcomed a drop in company to break her maiden in her fourth start, coming from behind and carrying veteran Horacio Karamanos to a one-half-length victory in a 5 1/2-furlong test which went in 1:08.07. The 2-year-old filly bred by Maria M. Haire is the 29th winner of 2023 for Neolithic, who has registered six winners between Oct. 10 and Oct. 29.

MOUNTAINEER – Guillemo Rodriguez was aboard for the 3 1/2-length victory over the sloppy track by the 6-year-old gelding by Gone Astray, who has now won three of his last five starts. He’s 9-2-1 in 30 career starts and the check for $6,380 raised his bank account to $65,352. Hard Astray received an ‘E’ speed rating of 85 in each of the last three victories. He paid $13.40 Sunday.

It’s the season of Pleasant Acres exactas, and the latest one occurred at Horsehoe Indianapolis in a $38,000 allowance race at a mile and a sixteenth.

Barb’s Vortex went wire-to-wire under Fernando De La Cruz, scoring by six lengths for her second victory in a row. The Indiana-bred Bucchero filly owned and bred by Brian and Aaron Reed and Keith Wexler, earned a check for $22,800 and paid $20.40 as the first half of the exacta. Sharon’s Grey Hope, another daughter of Bucchero, came from behind with a strong run down the inside in the stretch and got up for second at the wire by a neck, collecting a check for $7,600.

The $2 exacta paid a healthy $108.

At Gulfstream Park, Neolithic has unveiled a promising candidate for the TDN “rising star” designation – the 2-year-old filly Great Venezuela. After finishing second and first in her first two tries, and receiving a ’93’ Equibase speed figure for the victory, she came back for her third foray and scored a 5 1/4-length victory in a $51,000 allowance optional claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta course under Leonel Reyes.

Great Venezuela earned $31,300 for the most recent score, raising her total to $60,900 for owner/breeder Orlyana Farm. She sat a stalking second in the two path until they hit the top of the stretch, where she drew off with ease in 1:03.95.

Two Years ago, Neolithic was Florida’s leading freshman sire with progeny earnings of $636,849. Yesterday, Short Straw broke her maiden at Fanduel Sportsbook and sent the son of Harlan’s Holiday over the $1 million mark for 2023.

Short Straw bolted out of the gate under Emmanuel Giles and was in front by four lengths before the other jockeys realized what was happening. The filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds hit the first quarter in :22.94 and nobody ever got close; she reached the wire 4 1/4 lengths in front in 1:15.84 for the six furlongs.

Short Straw paid $3.00 and earned a check for $6,000; she’s Neolithic’s 28th winner this year.

Bentornato proved to be as good as his 4/5 price on the tote board in the $200,000 Affirmed Stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park, second leg of the Florida Sire Stakes, winning the seven-furlong race by nearly three lengths in 1:23.50. But Mattingly finished a game second in the race and collected a check for $40,000 for Ironhorse Racing and Harlow Stables.

Two-time stakes-winner Mattingly, a $70,000 OBS March purchase and the second-leading Bucchero 2-year-old of 2023 behind Book’em Danno, increased his earnings to $187,028 on a record of 2-3-0 in five starts.

The second biggest money-winner by Amira’s Prince is Our Fantasy, who boosted her earnings to $298,014 yesterday by winning a starter optional claimer at Delaware Park, her fourth victory this year. The 6-year-old mare was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, who are also the breeders of the stallion’s highest earner, Sister Otoole, whose bank account of $419,470 was built by a record of 4-5-5 in 22 starts.

John Hiraldo was aboard Our Fantasy, who came from last place in a six-horse field to score by a length in 1:43.35 for the mile and 70 yards. She paid $12.80 and collected a check for $10,800.

Not too far south, at Laurel Park, New Rome made it two victories in a row and three of her last four, also coming from way back under Denis Araujo to get up in time in a race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the turf course. The 3-year-old Neolithic filly bred in Kentucky by owners Michael and Suzanne Masters captured a $40,000 claimer while saddled by the No. 10 post, and racing 5-1/2 furlongs in 1:02.81. She collected a check for $26,400, raising her total to $80,860 on a record of 3-1-1 in seven starts.

Neolithic’s progeny earnings for 2023 ballooned to $998,505.

As the field was approaching the starting gate in the sixth race at Gulfstream Park on Friday, Fast Fixer was sitting at a co-favored 8/5 on the tote board. As they entered the gate, the 3-year-old gelding by Bucchero dropped to 6/5. When the gate was sprung, Fast Fixer was off second, away from the rail, and the tote board now read ‘2/5.’

In his previous start, Fast Fixer had broken his maiden racing 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. He made it two in a row over the all-weather track in this one under Hector Diaz Jr., and earned a check for $12,200. He was clocked in :57.57, paid $2.80, and was claimed out of the race.

Unraced at two, the gelding bred by Good Beginnings Farm is now 2-1-1 in 11 starts with a bank account of $33,800.