Bernie Dickman

When Fast Fixer was disqualified days after his June 2 victory at Gulfstream Park, the only ones who benefitted from his supposed maiden score were those who backed him at the windows. The 3-year-old gelding paid off at $69.80, $27.40 and $13.20, plus a handful of juicy exotics, and after a DQ decision due to a positive test comes down, there’s no way to retrieve the cash from the winning bettors. Only the owners and breeder Good Beginnings Farm have to take the hit.

The gelding by Bucchero came back to get a second and a third, and yesterday made amends by breaking his maiden at Gulfstream in a 5 1/2-furlong race over the Tapeta surface. With Hector Diaz Jr. in the irons, Fast Fixer became Bucchero’s 34th winner with his 1 1/2-length victory, earned a check for $11,600, and left his sire less than $4,000 away from moving up to fifth place on Florida’s leading sire list for 2023. He paid $3.20 as the heavy favorite, was clocked in 1:04.53, increased his earnings total to $21,600, and received his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, an 86.

Bucchero’s 33rd winner was Shards, a 2-year-old colt bred by Craig Wheeler who broke his maiden at Colonial Downs in his third start and also paid $3.20. With Antonio Gallardo up, the $175,000 OBS March purchase made a five-wide run on the turn and inhaled the speed, drawing off by five lengths at the wire. He was clocked in 1:02.90 for the 5 1/2-furlong race on the outer turf course, and the $36,000 paycheck boosted his total to $52,000 on a record of 1-1-1 in three starts.

Calvin Borel has been winning races for more than three decades and has three Kentucky Derby victories on his resume. At Louisiana Downs last night, he showed a little of what has made him one of the top riders in the country over that span.

Aboard the 3-year-old filly Loana in a muddy $27,000 allowance race at a mile and 70 yards, a race that came off the turf, Borel lulled his foes to sleep with a :24.83 first quarter, then put it in overdrive and opened up daylight en route to a 5 3/4-length victory in 1:44 flat.

Loana, a daughter of Neolithic bred by Mary K. Haire, had one second to show for her first six starts, but is 2-2-1 for her next five. The $65,000 Timonium 2-year-old collected a check for $14,400, increasing her career total to $58,534.

After enjoying a highly successful month of August, Neolithic began September on a high note with the convincing victory of first-time starter Private Thoughts at Gulfstream yesterday.

The 2-year-old gelding bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was an $11,000 OBS March 2-year-old. He is owned by former Gulfstream Park and Hialeah Park attorney David Romanik and his trainer, Ron Spatz, and was sent off at 9-1 in the $50,000 maiden special at six furlongs. Romanik was the co-owner of multiple Gr. I winner Caltech, an earner of more than $700,000 in the 1980s.

Leonel Reyes sent Private Thoughts through on the inside down the backstretch and he battled on the lead past a quarter in :23.06 and a half in :47.01 before leaving his challengers behind and sprinting off to a 2 1/4-length victory in 1:12.42. In becoming the 21st winner for Neolithic in 2023, he paid $20.80 and earned a healthy check for $34,000.

Neolithic’s progeny earnings for the year jumped to $710,746 despite his having just 44 starters.

Political Astray tried her first seven races in Florida without success, but she’s shown great improvement since joining up with Henderson Gonzalez at Mountaineer Casino and Resort.

The 4-year-old Gone Astray filly broke her maiden with Gonzalez a month ago, winning by seven lengths, then added a pair of fourths before getting victory No. 2 yesterday. The filly bred by Long Trail Stables battled for the lead through fractions of :23 and :46.85, then turned back two challengers in the stretch and sprinted away to score by 3 1/4 lengths. She was clocked in 1:13.46 for the six furlongs, collected a check for $6,554 and paid $3 as favorite in the race that was originally scheduled for the turf.

Long On Value’s first winner of two races this year is Devil’s Only Friend, a 3-year-old gelding bred by Bulldog Racing who went wire-to-wire at Monmouth Park in his fifth career start.

The $35,000 OBS March 2-year-old jumped into the lead at the break in the race at “about” 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf, and continued on under Paco Lopez to score by two lengths in 1:05.13. Devil’s Only Friend had broken his maiden in his debut at Gulfstream Park earlier in the season. This one was worth $14,400 and raised his total to $45,450; he was claimed out of the race for $16,000.

The mid-August onslaught by sons and daughters of Bucchero is still in full speed ahead mode.

At Charles Town, the headline writers’ dread – Blueskyslookinatme – broke her maiden in her career debut under Cecil Kim, battling for the early lead with Riverview Stevie through fractions of :22.53 and :46.61, then putting the 1/5 favorite in her rearview mirror and drawing off to score by 2 1/2 lengths in :53.07. The 3-year-old filly bred by Gem Racing is owned by Casey Kay Lowery, who purchased her for a mere $1,000 at the OBS Winter Sale earlier this year.

As a 2-year-old last year, Malibu Cowboy raced twice – at Laurel and Charles Town, without success, losing the two races by 35 lengths. He then took a vacation of 10 months, returning in the slop at Mountaineer to break his maiden in a $16,500 maiden special at 5 1/2 furlongs with Jason Shipman aboard. The 3-year-old colt bred by John B. Penn, a $20,000 OBS October yearling, was off ninth, and trailed by about 10 lengths heading down the backstretch before uncorking a monster wide run coming to the turn and running past the pack late to win by three-quarters of a length. He was clocked in 1:05.78, collected a check for $9,570 and paid $7.20 as second choice.

Another day, another impressive maiden winner for sizzling Bucchero.

Buccherino, a $75,000 OBS April 2-year-old, broke his maiden under Dexter Haddock at Parx in his second start and made it look easy. The colt bred by Blue River Bloodstock had finished second in his Monmouth Park debut on Aug. 4, and came back in just 16 days in a $61,5000 maiden special at odds of 4/5; he paid $3.60 and scored by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:07.69 for the 5 1/2 furlongs.

Buccherino earned $36,000, raising his total for the two races to $47,500 and is Bucchero’s 29th winner of 2023, and sixth 2-year-old winner.

After the $62.20 Gulfstream Park debut stunner on Saturday by Brawn (Neolithic), and the $4.20 payoff on Fairhopecurly (Bucchero) at Belterra Park in his first start, it would have been hard to imagine a “Can you top this” day 24 hours later. But Sunday turned out to be something special for Pleasant Acres’ red-hot pair, with Neolithic striking again at Gulfstream Park, and Bucchero hitting a three-bagger at Monmouth Park, Gulfstream and Prairie Meadows.

NELIDA – At 1:51, the 3-year-old filly by Neolithic went wire-to-wire under Leonel Reyes, getting a mile and one-sixteenth on the Tapeta course in 1:44.40 and winning by nearly three lengths. It was just the second start for Nelida, who had finished second in her debut for owner/breeder Just For Fun Stable. She paid $3.40 and earned a check for $17,800, boosting her two-race take to $23,850, but Just For Fun lost her for $25,000.

LOOKIN’ SUPER – At Monmouth Park a little more than an hour later, Lookin’ Super lived up to his name, rallying from eighth and last under Luis Rivera Jr., and winning by 3 1/2 lengths with six furlongs in 1:11.48. It’s the second victory for the 3-year-old gelding, a $25,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Pam Edel, and raised his earnings to $39,840 on a record of 2-0-1 in nine starts. He received his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, an 85.

FREE SMOKE – While Lookin’ Super was headed back to the barn at Monmouth, Sonny Leon was getting every ounce out of Free Smoke, who was up by a neck to get his second victory at Gulfstream and a payoff of $31.60. The 3-year-old colt bred by Phil and Karen Matthews, a $145,000 OBS April 2-year-old, raced a mile and 70 yards in 1:41.03 on the Tapeta track, and earned a check for $25,800, increasing his total to $85,710 on a record of 2-2-2 in seven starts.

PINK PARTY PANTS – That evening, the 3-year-old daughter of Bucchero carried Walter DeLa Cruz to a 2 1/2-length score with 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.46. Winner of two of her last four at Prairie Meadows, the $40,000 OBS March 2-year-old bred by Dominique Damico now sports a record of 2-1-1 in 12 tries with earnings of $26,395.

The August surge by Pleasant Acres’ stallions continued in full force Saturday with 2-year-old first-time starters by Neolithic and Bucchero scoring at very different wagering levels.

GULFSTREAM PARK – Brawn, whose morning trials didn’t reveal a hint to his ability, lit up the tote board at $62.20 in a $58,000 maiden special at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface. Jesus Rios rated Brawn comfortably on the rail down the backstretch, and the colt owned and bred by Just For Fun Stable ran down the two leaders late, closing a four-length gap and winning by three-quarters of a length. He became Neolithic’s 18th winner of 2023 and earned a healthy check for $41,000.

BELTERRA – On the other end of the spectrum, Fairhopecurly, who showed a bullet work of :47.40 for four furlongs at Turfway on her work tab, was sent off at 7/5 in a $16,200 maiden special and justified the bettors’ confidence. With Victor Lebron aboard, she drove past 7-1 shot Anoria down the lane and prevailed by nearly two lengths in :58.70 for five furlongs on the grass. The filly owned and bred by Scott Herbertson paid $4.80, earned $9,700, and is Bucchero’s 28th winner this year, fifth of the 2-year-old variety.

Sister Otoole won the CTT & TOC Stakes as a 5-year-old at Del Mar on Aug. 19 of last year. In an ironic twist, the daughter of Amira’s Prince then went winless, until capturing the $100,000 event again yesterday, exactly 365 days later.

Sister Otoole sat seventh and last in the early going under Antonio Fresu, then mowed’em down in the stretch and won by 1 1/4 lengths with a mile and 3/8ths on the grass in 2:17.45, and paying $12.60. In last year’s win, she came from 8th and last, won by half a length and paid $11.

Sister Otoole earned $60,000 and increased her career bank account to $395,470. The mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon is 4-5-4 in 21 starts; she’s the eighth winner this year for Amira’s Prince and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 100, the fifth time in her career she has reached the magic number.