Bernie Dickman

Prior to the ninth race at Colonial Downs yesterday, there was no reason for the casual fan to get excited about first-time starter Will I Play. The 3-year-old daughter’s sire, No Never No More, had just one winner so far this year, the filly’s works leading up to the race were mediocre at best, and she drew into a race with a field of 13.

But Will I Play, under an exceptional ride by Gavin Ashton, exploded down the stretch in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the outer turf course and caused an explosion on the tote board as well.

The filly bred in Maryland by Winding Creek Farm broke 11th, but Ashton quickly moved her up on the inside as the field approached the turn. Nearing the top of the stretch, she still had eight rivals in front of her and it appeared as though she had no place to go. But Ashton found a hole between runners and urged his filly through, then sent her after the leaders with a powerful move. Nearing the wire, surprised announcer Jason Beem chimed in with . . . “Will I Play emerges from the pack . . . I think between horses it’s Will I Play . . . a big price – 50-1.”

Will I Play, a $9,000 RNA at OBS June, won it by a neck and lit up the tote board – $118.20 – $52.80 – $31.20. She raced the distance in 1:06.94, earned a healthy check for $19,200 and has horsemen and horseplayers anxiously looking ahead to her second start.

Not too far from Colonial, Valuable Breigh went wire-to-wire racing 5 1/2 furlongs at Delaware Park. The 4-year-old Gone Astray filly sizzled past the poles in :21.75, :45.43 and :57.71 under Eliseo Ruiz en route to a 2 1/4-length score in 1:04.01. It was nearly eight lengths back to third.

It was the first try at Delaware for the filly bred by Carol Reitman, Susan Gannon and Warren Miller after eight races at Parx and she earned a check for $8,400, raising her total to $76,070 on a record of 4-2-2 in 21 starts. She paid $5.40.

Another pair of winners for Neolithic have given the son of Harlan’s Holiday 17 for the year.

LOANA – The Pennsylvania-bred filly, a $65,000 Timonium 2-year-old, broke her maiden at Louisiana Downs yesterday in a $24,600 maiden special at six furlongs. With David Cabrera aboard, the 3-year-old filly bred by Mary K. Haire survived a long stretch battle with 7/2 second choice Halfpriced, winning by a nose in 1:12.46. After seconds in her previous two starts, she paid $3.20 as favorite and added $14,400 to her bank account, which has reached $41,384.

EL PROFE – The 4-year-old colt is a solid 3-for-6 after winning a six-furlong test at Camarero in a 14-horse field. The colt bred by Angel Hernandez and Jose Perez was head-and-head for the lead early, opened up by 3 1/2 lengths heading into the stretch and held on late to score by a neck in 1:13.63. He paid $4.50.

Prior to hopping aboard Amber Princess in the third race at Century Mile yesterday, N’Rico Prescod was riding a 13-race losing streak dating back to July 9, but one would never have realized it after watching his perfect handling of the daughter of Amira’s Prince.

Amber Princess was away fourth leaving the gate in the race at seven furlongs, and Prescod was content to let the 6-year-old mare rest comfortably along the rail, about six lengths off the leaders, who were moving along in a :22.65 quarter. Prescod sent Amber Princess into contention on the turn, never leaving the inside, and the mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon took the rail route all the way to the wire, winning by two lengths in 1:25.67.

Amber Princess became winner No. 7 for Amira’s Prince in 2023 from just 11 starters; she paid $47.10 and raised her record to 3-3-4 in 34 tries. She collected a check for $6,300 Canadian, $4,783 in U. S dollars.

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort is the scene of the latest pair of winners by Gone Astray, Political Astray breaking her maiden and Hard Astray making it two victories in a row.

POLITICAL ASTRAY – The 4-year-old filly bred by Long Trail Stables had started seven times at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs with just one third to show for her efforts. The trip north proved to be the right tonic as Henderson Gonzalez took her virtually wire-to-wire in a $16,500 maiden special at five furlongs after the race was taken off the grass. After battling for the early lead and posting fractions of :22.71 and :46.53, Political Astray opened up by four lengths in mid-stretch and widened it to seven at the wire. She was clocked in :59.23, paid $7.40, and earned a check for $9,520 while becoming Gone Astray’s 22nd winner of 2023.

HARD ASTRAY – Yuri Yaranga guided the 6-year-old gelding to a wire-to-wire score by three-quarters of a length, getting a mile in 1:40.78. It was Hard Astray’s second straight score and raised his record to 8-2-1 in 27 starts, with earnings of $57,552. In both of his last two victories he received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 85.

One day after Beauty of the Sea gave Bucchero his first stakes-winner, Mattingly presented him with a stakes-placed runner for the second time this season. The 2-year-old colt bred by Lance Colwell finished second in the $126,000 Victoria Stakes at Woodbine.

With Sahin Ciraci in the saddle, Mattingly went head-and-head for the lead in sizzling fractions of :22.20, :45.13 and :57.29, then tired in deep stretch but held on to the runner-up spot. The final clocking of 1:03.60 is less than one second off the all-weather track record for 5 1/2 furlongs.

Mattingly, a $70,000 OBS March purchase owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable and Harlow Stable, earned $18,908 in U. S. funds and raised his total to $83,028 on a record of 1-2-0 in three starts. In his earlier debut at Gulfstream Park, he finished second in the Royal Palm Juvenile before breaking his maiden in his second try.

Saturday, July 15, 2023 will go down as another of those magnificent days when Pleasant Acres stallions hit a grand slam. There were no less than four winners yesterday, two by Bucchero and two by Amira’s Prince, the latter pair both bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon.

BUCCHERO – The 2-year-old filly Bucchera broke her maiden at Gulfstream Park in her third try, scoring by half a length under Hector Diaz after battling for the lead throughout the 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. She paid $5.20 after getting the distance in 1:06.48, and collected a check for $24,600. The $20,000 OBS October purchase became Bucchero’s 26th winner of 2023.

A little while later, Beauty of the Sea, who didn’t race at two, gave Bucchero his first stakes-winner, extending her winning streak to three straight. She won by a head in the $104,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park with Jairo Rendon, clocked in 1:02.68 for the 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, just 1 1/2 seconds off the course record. The filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds paid $28.20, and the $60,000 winner’s check raised her five-race total to $118,960. At the same time, her sire moved up from seventh to sixth on Florida’s leading sire list with progeny earnings of $1,032,953.

AMIRA’S PRINCE – Three scratches reduced the field to four in a $25,000 starter allowance at Monmouth and Our Fantasy proved to be much the best, winning the mile and one-sixteenth test by nearly four lengths after making a wide, sweeping move on the turn with Samuel Marin aboard. The 6-year-old mare bred by the Barbazons collected $15,000, and her career total soared to $279,694 on an outstanding record of 9-9-9 in 40 starts. The $50,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $5.60 for her third victory of 2023.

At Gulfstream, Pluma Roja, who had lost nine straight, broke that streak with a 3 3/4-length score and paid $38.60. His previous victory came on Dec. 14 of last year and he paid $58 that day. The 4-year-old gelding was clocked in 1:45.99 for the mile and one-sixteenth over the Tapeta course, and earned $12,200.

First-time winners at Laurel and Charles Town vaulted Neolithic over the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings over the weekend.

LAUREL – New Rome, a 3-year-old filly making her fourth start for owners/breeders Michael and Suzanne Masters, went wire-to-wire under Jean Briceno in a 5 1/2-furlong race over the turf course, and her clocking of 1:02.77 was just two seconds off the course record. She won by half a length, paid $6.40 and earned a check for $21,600, boosting her total to $37,960.

CHARLES TOWN – Voice of Now became winner No. 15 for Neolithic with another wire-to-wire performance under Andre Ramgeet. The 4-year-old gelding bred by Elizabeth LaPierre and Jennifer Given, an $11,000 OBS June 2-year-old, won by nearly three lengths, and it was another 8 1/4 back to the third-place finisher. Voice of Now paid $6.60 after getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:21.11, and the winner’s check of $11,100 raised her sire’s career progeny earnings to $2,012,258.

Streaking Bucchero has added two more first-time winners to his ledger far from his home base to give him 25 from 52 starters in his sophomore season, and at the same time, set himself up for a million-dollar year.

At Penn National, Sunshine Harry, a 3-year-old gelding bred by Crimson Gate Stables and Ocala’s Bonnie Heath Farm, broke his maiden in his second try to become winner No. 24. With Anthony Salgado aboard, the Pennyslvania-bred gelding overcame a bumping incident leaving the gate, rushed into the lead and continued on to romp home by 5 1/2 lengths. He was clocked in :58.86 for the five furlongs, paid $23.80, and picked up a check for $10,608.

At Horseshoe Indianapolis, Designated, an 8-1 morning line proposition making her third start, came up a hot item on the tote board even though in her second try she finished third, but nearly 10 lengths behind the winner. With apprentice Hannah Leahey again in the irons, the 2-year-old Kentucky-bred filly hopped at the start of the five-furlong test on the grass, trailed the field by six lengths down the backstretch, swung wide on the turn, then ran down the leaders in deep stretch as announcer John Dooley bellowed, “Designated swooped by them all.”

Designated, a $37,000 Keeneland September RNA, was clocked in 1:01.06, paid $6 and earned a check for $16,800, which raised Bucchero’s progeny earnings for 2023 to $928,582.

R Averie Lynn has won three in a row at Delaware Park, and is now a nine-time winner in her career, after Thursday’s wire-to-wire score by two lengths with Daniel Centeno in the irons.

The 5-year-old Gone Astray mare was never seriously threatened, getting the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.70 and collecting a check for $15,000. Bred by Dancing Wind Stables, R Averie Lynn was a $25,000 OBS July 2-year-old; she has now earned $208,986 while raising her record to 9-12-3 in 35 starts. She has competed at 10 tracks, but eight of the nine victories have come at Delaware, and in this one, she paid $2.80.

In Puerto Rico, another Gone Astray mare, She’s Classy, came from behind to win by a neck at six furlongs. Bred by Craig Wheeler, she boosted her earnings to $105,263 on a record of 5-4-9 in 30 starts.

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After Mattingly finished a strong second in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes in his career debut, anticipation was high regarding the second start for the 2-year-old Bucchero colt. That came yesterday in a 5 1/2-furlong, $65,000 maiden special over the Tapeta course at Gulfstream Park.

Through much of the betting, the $70,000 OBS March colt bred by Lance Colwell was sitting at 1/5 on the tote board, and he eventually drifted up slightly to 2/5. With Edgar Perez aboard, the colt named after former New York Yankees great Don Mattingly took the lead leaving the gate, put up fractions of :22.11, 45.59 and :58.11, then cruised home by nearly six lengths in 1:04.38.

Mattingly became Bucchero’s 23rd winner and earned a check for $43,000, while boosting his two-race total to $64,120, and showed he’ll be a major factor in the upcoming Florida Sire Stakes series.