Bernie Dickman

The first 2-year-old race in Florida this season produced an eye-opening performance by Laki Lio, a Ride On Curlin colt who went wire-to-wire for owner/breeder Bella Inizio Farm at Gulfstream Park in near track-record time.

Angel Arroyo was aboard Laki Lio in the $65,000 maiden special, facing six others by such former Pleasant Acres stallions as Brethren and Long Island Sound, and another by Florida’s leading sire, Khozan.

Laki Lio was off like a shot, opening up daylight on the way to a sizzling quarter in :21.83 and a half in :45.67. He cruised into the stretch without being tested, and crossed the finish line in :52.16 for the 4 1/2 furlongs, 3 1/2 lengths in front, and just one second off the track record set nearly seven years ago.

The victory was worth $40,000, and installed Laki Lio as the leading money-earner in North America among the 13 other juveniles who have won a race.

Our Fantasy’s winning streak reached three in a row and four of her last five as she grabbed another breeders’ award for Joe and Helen Barbazon yesterday in the 10th race at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old daughter of Amira’s Prince had veteran Joe Bravo in the saddle for the first time in the $47,000 allowance optional claimer at one mile over the main track. She broke well and raced for the lead in the early going in the two path on the outside of Subsiding. On the final turn, Our Fantasy swept by the pace-setter and opened up a three-length lead down the lane. At the wire, she was two lengths in front of Don’t Get Khozy, the 3/5 favorite, clocked in 1:37.19.

Our Fantasy was purchased by current owner Stein Racing for $50,000 at the 2019 April OBS sale, and has posted a record of 5-3-1 for them in 15 starts. She paid $8.20 while earning $28,900 for yesterday’s score, boosting her career total to $131,210.

In his first career start racing five furlongs on the turf at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 24, Cowboy at Heart was parked three wide from the outset and was never a contender, defeated by 10 lengths.

It was a different story yesterday, however, as talented Miguel Vasquez shot the 3-year-old gelding by Ride On Curlin to the top from the No. 3 post in the $44,000 maiden special, and the pair never looked back.

Cowboy At Heart sizzled past the furlong markers in :21.39 and :43.78, turned away three challengers at the top of the stretch, and broke his maiden by two lengths, clocked in :55.90. He earned a check for $26,400, rewarded his faithful to the tune of $16.80, and gave his sire his third winner of the year from just seven starters.

Handsome Mike is just $6,289 away from reaching the $3 million mark in career progeny earnings after the victory of his leading money-winner, Here Comes Jackie, in a $27,250 allowance optional claiming race at one mile on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 5-year-old mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was off sixth in a seven-horse field under veteran Ronnie Allen Jr., cruising along in the two path. She moved three-wide on the turn, then ran down the leaders late to score by a length, clocked in 1:35.26 and raising her record to 5-7-2 in 35 starts. The $16,475 check boosted her career total to $234,685.

Here Comes Jackie is the ninth winner of 2021 for Handsome Mike, whose earnings jumped to $2,993,711.

It only took Well Shes Handsome two races to break her maiden, with Miguel Vazquez guiding the 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike to a stylish victory at Gulfstream Park yesterday for Ocala’s Glen View Oaks, her owner and breeder.

After half the field in the 5 1/2-furlong race opted to try for the early lead, Vazquez slipped Well Shes Handsome through on the inside to take over in a :22.67 first quarter. The filly who had finished second in her first start on Jan. 16 then continued on in front and won by three-quarters of a length after turning back Pretzel, a filly by former Pleasant Acres stallion Brethren.

Well She’s Handsome paid $6.60 as second choice while becoming her sire’s eighth winner this year. She earned $12,800 plus a breeder’s award for Glen View. Handsome Mike is now less than $42,000 away from reaching $3 million in lifetime progeny earnings.

Handsome Mike is less than $73,000 from reaching the $3 million mark in progeny earnings after the easy victory of And I Know in the first race at Mahoning Valley yesterday.

The 5-year-old mare bred by Adolpho and Felicia Esposito was off last in a field of six going a mile and 70 yards, and from there, Jose Bracho steadily moved her into contention until she only had one horse left to catch as they turned into the stretch. And I Know disposed of the leader in a matter of seconds and went on to score by three lengths, paying $10.20 and earning a check of $5,880, which brought Handsome Mike’s total to $2,927,895.

And I Know became her sire’s seventh winner of 2021, and she was claimed out of the race based on her recent record of 1-3-2-2 in her last eight starts.

As the afternoon’s racing programs were coming to a close, Laurel Park switched to the simulcasting of races from San Isidro, Argentina, and it was only fitting that the Treasure Beach filly Laguardia ‘flew’ down the stretch to win a maiden special weight test at seven furlongs on the turf.

The 4-year-old filly was a good eight lengths from the front as the bulky field of 12 hit the long stretch after they had passed six furlongs in 1:11.97. Jockey Brian Enrique sent her after the leaders and Laguardia was able to get up in time to win by three-quarters in 1:24.22.

After sitting on the board at 5-1 for much of the betting, just after the field left the gate Laguardia’s odds dropped to 8/5 and she wound up paying just $5.40.

Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Joe and Helen Barbazon collected their fourth February breeder’s award when Beach Chick broke her maiden with a wire-to-wire performance in the first race at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

Hall of Fame rider Edgar Prado was aboard the 3-year-old filly who broke on top from the No. 8 post and maintained a daylight lead at every call in the one-mile race on the grass. She sprinted away on the final turn, then beat two fast-closing rivals to the wire to win by half a length.

Beach Chick became the eighth winner of 2021 for Treasure Beach, paying $11.60 and earning a check for $14,100.

It only took 10 seconds for the stewards to put up the inquiry sign following the fourth race at Mahoning Valley yesterday.

Watch Your Step, who had led every step of the way in the race at a mile and 70 yards, crossed the finish line 1 1/4 lengths in front of Weber, the greatly improved Handsome Mike gelding. But Watch Your Step interfered with Weber so many times in the stretch, the stewards may have set a record for taking the shortest time to announce a disqualification.

Watch Your Step, a 19-1 shot, shot out of the gate and took an easy lead while Weber was settling into fourth place on the rail with David Haldar. There were no challenges to the pacesetter down the backstretch, and it was left up to Weber to go after Watch Your Step on the turn. In the stretch, as Weber tried to get by, Watch Your Step bore out into the gelding several times, and taking him down was an easy decision.

Weber, a 4-year-old Indiana-bred who was blanked in his first 13 starts for owner/breeder/trainer Michelle Elliott, is now 3-1-1 in his last seven. He paid $12.40.

Our Fantasy became the first $100,000 earner for Amira’s Prince yesterday with a decisive victory in a one-mile race at Gulfstream Park.

Our Fantasy stalked the early pace while four wide under Tyler Gaffalione, move up to third coming to the final turn, and took the lead at the quarter pole. She then proved to be easily best in the lane, winning by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:37.29 for the mile.

The improving 4-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon has won two in a row and three of her last four, boosting her record to 4-3-1 in 14 starts. The winner’s check for $26,400 raised her earnings to $102,310. She was a $50,000 OBS April 2-year-old in 2019.

One day after notching two route winners, Treasure Beach added a third yesterday when Optimistic scored a convincing wire-to-wire victory in a one-mile race over a sloppy race track at Delta Downs.

Optimistic hadn’t been able to break his maiden while racing in Florida, but he took care of that detail in his first try in Cajun country. With Tim Thornton aboard, the 4-year-old gelding bred by Leverett and Linda Miller and Adam and Suzette Parker rocketed to the lead from the No. 10 post and by the time he reached the half in :47.86, had stretched his margin to five lengths. The closest anybody got was when Florida-bred Gaspergou came within two non-threatening lengths on the final turn. The final margin was 2 1/4.

Optimistic paid $4.80 as favorite and earned a check for $6,000, while getting Treasure Beach his seventh winner of 2021.