Bernie Dickman

Before yesterday’s ninth race at Gulfstream, other than a race where she clipped heels and lost her rider, Charlotte the Brit hadn’t finished worse than fifth in 18 consecutive starts. In that span, she posted six seconds, four thirds, two fourths and six fifths, slowly adding to a bank account that was inching toward the $200,000 level.

Yesterday, the 6-year-old mare by Treasure Beach, bred at Pleasant Acres by Joe and Helen Barbazon, had the services of Jose Ortiz, an Eclipse Award rider and a terror when he gets his mount to the front. And Ortiz displayed why he has achieved that reputation. He put Charlotte the Brit on the lead and lulled his fellow riders to sleep with a quarter in :25.60 and a half in :49.41 in the race at ‘about’ one mile over the turf course.

Charlotte the Brit responded by continuing on for a game neck victory, and rewarded her backers with a payoff of $43.60. While earning an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 86, she collected a check for $14,700, which increased her total to $174,525 on a record of 3-10-6 in 40 starts.

At Fair Grounds a short time later, the 4-year-old Treasure Beach filly Blissful Change, under Deshawn Parker, won for the second time in eight starts in a $51,000 allowance optional claimer. Bred by the Barbazons in partnership with Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson, she paid $26 and earned a check for $28,200.

John Bisono was able to accomplish at Tampa Bay Downs what jockey Mychel Sanchez wasn’t able to at Monmouth Park and Feargal Lynch wasn’t able to at Laurel.

After three unsuccessful attempts as a 2-year-old, followed by a layoff of nearly four months, High Vibes returned at Tampa yesterday and Bisono showed that the 3-year-old Maryland-bred daughter of Neolithic is capable of bigger and better things. Racing 1 1/16 miles over Tampa’s superior turf course, High Vibes sat well off the early pace, moved up to sixth coming to the final turn, circled the field into the stretch and inhaled the final two pacesetters with a slick move to the inside by her veteran rider in the last sixteenth of a mile.

High Vibes, a $45,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Maria M. and Mary Haire, won by three-quarters of a length and her maiden-breaker was worth $8,850. She completed the course in 1:44.84 and paid $39.40, while becoming Neolithic’s third winner of the new year.

Coop Tries Harder might have set two records with his victory in the third race at Gulfstream yesterday.

First, the 7-year-old gelding by Gone Astray lowered the record for ‘about’ five furlongs over the new Tapeta surface to :57.63 seconds. Then, he might have enjoyed the shortest reign ever as a record-holder when Fawning lowered the mark to :57.25 just five races later.

Coop Tries Harder was sent off as the 3/2 favorite with Junior Alvarado aboard after having finished second in his 2022 debut. The gelding bred by Dr. Thomas Brokken came from off the pace to score by 1 1/4 lengths, paying $5 and collecting a check for $22,100, which raised his career bank account to a healthy $207,472, while his record jumped to 5-6-8 in 34 starts.

It might not have been a surprise, if, on the way back to trainer Jane Cibelli’s barn, Coop Tries Harder was heard singing the old Sinatra favorite with a little change of words, “The way I traveled the track, the way I went 57.63, the memory of all that, no, no, they can’t take that away from me.”

Bettors on the races from Charles Town who sent Dealer’s Girl off at 2/5 in last night’s third race had to be more than a little concerned when the 8-year-old daughter of Gone Astray was away last in the race at 4 1/2 furlongs. But Marshall Mendez rushed the New Jersey-bred up on the inside, and when they passed the quarter in :22.67, she was head-and-head for the lead with 3-1 shot Bring It On.

Dealer’s Girl edged away on the turn and continued on the lead, reaching the finish three-quarters of a length ahead of a fast-closing runner-up. She was clocked in :54.49, paid $2.80 and collected $5,199 for the score, ballooning her career total to $207,357. Bred by Richard Malouf in New Jersey, Dealer’s Girl is 6-8-6 in 46 starts.

If Luis Rivera is asked how he came to win two in a row at Parx Racing with a 5-year-old Handsome Mike gelding, he might get a laugh with the comeback “I took a cab.”

Rivera had a fairly easy time yesterday with Took a Cab, who out-gamed a slew of rivals to the first quarter, all of whom had designs on the lead. But Took a Cab beat them to the front in a first quarter of :22.53 seconds, and never looked back. In the stretch, the gelding bred by long-time Florida horseman Joel W. Sainer held off four rivals, including 1/2 favorite Irish Colonel, who had been chasing him throughout the six-furlong trip. He prevailed by three-quarters of a length in 1:11.86, and his Equibase speed figure of ’84’ is his best ever over 35 starts.

With his second victory of 2022, Took a Cab earned a check for $10,800, increasing his career total to $96,150. In his 35 starts, he’s amassed a record of 5-4-8. Despite his previous score on Jan. 12, when he paid $10.80, this time his faithful backers were able to cash in to the tune of $26.

Long-time client Patricia Generazio has been successfully breeding and/or campaigning sons and daughters of Pleasant Acres stallions for many years, and, although it’s way too early to make a true determination, a filly she sold for just $10,000 could turn out to be one of her best ever matings.

Ms. Generazio sold the 3-year-old Neon Summer to Darren Barnes (from Tulsa) and his Trojan Thoroughbreds for the bargain price at last year’s OBS June sale, and the daughter of Neolithic-Mommie’s Summer, by In Summation responded with a stunning victory in her career debut yesterday, a $36,000 maiden special at Sam Houston Race Park, collecting a generous $21,360.

Neon Summer’s morning trials for trainer Scott Young were just average, and she was sent off at 7-1 in the race at five furlongs over the turf course. Rider Floyd Wethey Jr. sent her to the lead early, and Neon Summer coasted along two lengths in front behind fractions of :22.41 and :45.92. But that was as close as anyone came, and she jogged off to a 6-length lead in mid-stretch without the need of urging, crossing under the wire by 7 1/4 despite leaping over the finish light, clocked in :58.30.

Neon Summer has two winning siblings by one-time Pleasant Acre sires, Couple of Nikki’s, by Treasure Beach, and Lolanita, an earner of $95,819, by Poseidon’s Warrior.

Cowboy at Heart picked up his second victory and increased his earnings to $66,774 with a convincing score in a $30,800 allowance race at Charles Town last night.

The 4-year-old gelding by Ride On Curlin had recorded two seconds, a third and three fourths in his previous six races and was sent off as the 6/5 favorite with Christian Hiraldo riding in the race at 4 1/2 furlongs. Cowboy At Heart was off slowly from the No. 2 post, but Hiraldo sent him through on the inside to battle for the lead in a :22.14 quarter. The gelding bred by Stephen H. Smith powered to the front in the turn and drew off to win by 2 1/4 lengths in :52.36, earning an ’85’ Equibase speed figure. He paid $4.60 and collected a check for $18,324.

Trainer Steven Dye found out yesterday at Gulfstream Park what so many before him have discovered; if your horse hasn’t broken its maiden after seven starts, get Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for No. 8.

It worked to perfection for Dye with Regal Holiday in the first race, a maiden claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs over the main track. The 3-year-old Neolithic colt had posted two seconds and a third in his previous three tries, but each time came up short when it counted.

Regal Holiday broke a step slowly for Ortiz, but the country’s leading rider rushed him up on the rail to take the lead before the first quarter, which went in :22.75. The colt bred by Mary K. Haire slowly increased his advantage past a half in :46.07, and the issue was never in doubt as Regal Holiday cruised to the wire nearly five lengths in front, clocked in :1:05.38.

The victory was worth $12,800, and Regal Holiday paid $5.20 as favorite.

Stayin or Strayin became Gone Astray’s fifth winner of 2022 with a game come-from-behind victory at Tampa Bay Downs, breaking his maiden in his fifth try.

The 4-year-old gelding had the services of talented Pablo Morales, who had to call upon all of his riding acumen to get the job done. Stayin or Strayin was off fifth and Morales was content to sit on the rail within hailing distance of the leaders down the backstretch. Blocked on the final turn, Morales had to send his horse between rivals approaching the stretch, then swung out four wide and ran down the pacesetter nearing the wire, winning by half a length.

Stayin or Strayin raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:48.24, paid $9.20, and earned a check for $7,850.

All it took for The Biggest One to gain her second victory was a change in riders, who employed a change in tactics.

Mychal Sanchez had guided the 3-year-old filly by Gone Astray to a second, third and fourth without grabbing an early lead in her three starts at Parx after she left Gulfstream Park. In start No. 4, new rider Gerardo Milan took The Biggest One out quickly from the No. 1 post and she sailed up on the inside to grab the front before the first quarter.

The Biggest One opened up daylight on the backstretch and increased the margin at every pole, then swung to mid-track in the stretch and left her nine rivals in the dust, reaching the finish line 7 1/4 lengths in front. She was clocked in 1:28.69 for the seven furlongs and paid $5.40 as favorite, while adding $12,000 to her bank account, raising it to $47,540.