Bernie Dickman

On March 21, Blue Mistress broke her maiden on the grass impressively at Tampa Bay Downs while racing for a claiming price of $16,000. So it would seem that trainer Lester Barbazon Jr. sliding her way up the ladder into the $60,000 Portofino Bay Stakes at Gulfstream yesterday was a very ambitious move.

Considering the major jump in class, the 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike handled herself well, finishing third in the 1 1/16th-mile race on the grass that went in 1:43.30. Harry Hernandez took her away quickly and Blue Mistress settled into third place down the backstretch. Hernandez moved her on the turn, and – at odds of 27-1 – she made a strong run at the leaders and actually took the lead at the top of the stretch. However, she was unable to hold off the first two finishers in deep stretch.

The improving filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon earned a check for $5,880.

The 3-year-old Treasure Beach filly Josefa showed she was moving in the right direction in her last race on June 21 when she finished third at Gulfstream Park and received a 72 ‘E’ rating from Equibase, easily her best in her first nine races.

Sharp handicappers who picked up on that statistic were rewarded with a $15.60 payoff yesterday when Josefa romped racing a mile on the turf course, breaking her maiden while earning a new high rating of 85.

With red-hot apprentice Joseph Trejos riding, Josefa sat a close-up third on the inside in the early going. Trejos sent her through an opening between the two leaders turning for home and from there to the wire, it was strictly no contest.

The filly bred by Eduardo Soto was nearly five lengths in front at the finish clocked in 1:35.80, and she collected a check for $12,800. Treasure Beach went over the $605,000 mark in 2020 progeny earnings and moved up to eighth on Florida’s sire list.

Winter’s Wonder accomplished three objectives yesterday while winning the second race at Gulfstream Park, a $45,000 maiden special at one mile over the turf course.

First, the 4-year-old gelding broke his maiden and became Handsome Mike’s 23rd winner this year. Second, he earned a check for $27,500 to raise Handsome Mike’s progeny earnings for the year to $538,763, moving the son of Scat Daddy from 13th to 10th on Florida’s General Sire list, right behind Treasure Beach. Third, he earned Joe and Helen Barbazon an eye-opening eighth breeders’ award (five at Gulfstream and three at Tampa Bay Downs) in the last 16 days.

Winter’s Wonder sat a comfortable third on the rail under Cristian Torres, three lengths off the lead, for most of the one-mile trip. Torres rushed him up three wide to battle for the lead on the turn, and the $10,000 OBS March 2-year-old held off 9/10 favorite Mony by 1 1/2 lengths at the wire, clocked in 1:37.79 and paying $6.20 as second choice.

The hot streak of Sir Seamus continued at Gulfstream Park yesterday, with the 4-year-old Handsome Mike gelding winning his second straight race and third in his last four starts.

Samy Camacho took Sir Seamus wire-to-wire with a mile on the grass in an excellent 1:34.97. The $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old was never challenged, earning a check for $15,400 and raising his career total to $76,140. He received an excellent Equibase ‘E’ rating of 108 for his four-length score, easily best of his 12-race career.

The fourth career victory for Sir Seamus translated into a seventh breeders’ award for Joe and Helen Barbazon in a span of 16 days; a streak begun by Til the End at Gulfstream on June 19.

In her first nine career starts in Florida dating back to October, Amber Princess had just a single “1” listed on any of her past performance lines. The daughter of Amira’s Prince was first by a head at Gulfstream West after an initial quarter run in a snail’s pace :25.17 in start No. 2 in November. However, by the time they dawdled to the half, the 2-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon had already dropped back to third.

In those nine starts, the best Amber Princess could muster up was three fourth-place finishes.

But a funny thing happened at Gulfstream Park yesterday in Amber Princesses’ 10th try. Marco Meneses, who had been aboard the filly more than once previously, actually took her to the lead – and she stayed there – at odds of 36-1. As the saying goes, “Amber Princess made every pole a winning one,” rating well along the inside and breaking her maiden by one-half length in 1:39.52 for the mile.

Amber Princess became winner No. 8 for Amira’s Prince this year despite the stallion having just 16 runners thus far. She lit up the tote board at $75.60, collected a check for $9,000 and added to the unbelievable string of breeders’ awards earned by the Barbazons in the past three weeks.

Don’t Spin Me artfully spun her way around the tight turns at Charles Town last night and came away with her fourth career victory, a nearly wire-to-wire effort at seven furlongs.

Wesley Ho was aboard the 4-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike, who was bred by the familiar quartet of Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon. She was away quickly from the No. 3 post and as the field started down the backstretch Ho let her cruise to the front. Don’t Spin Me opened up a two-length lead, which she held into deep stretch, finally prevailing by one length.

Don’t Spin Me became winner No. 22 for Handsome Mike this year as the son of Scat Daddy approaches the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings, despite being barely into his third season. The winner’s check of $7,725 lifted Handsome Mike’s 2020 total to $493,243.

It took Mike Allen and Whiskey Dash just one race to get acquainted at Tampa Bay Downs.

After a less-than-satisfying debut at six furlongs on May 10, in which he finished a distant fifth, Whiskey Dash responded to the guidance of the veteran rider and broke his maiden at the same distance in his second try yesterday. The victory gave Amira’s Prince his seventh winner of 2020 and Joe and Helen Barbazon another breeders’ award, their fifth in about two weeks.

Allen shot the 3-year-old gelding to the lead within two jumps out of the gate, and Whiskey Dash never gave it up. He posted fractions of :23.03 and :46.89, turned away a lone challenge on the turn for home, then scooted off in the lane to win by nearly seven lengths, “geared down” as announced Richard Grunder called it. The $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old paid $27.60 and earned a check for $6,670 at a time when Tampa’s purses are way down due to the absence of on-track wagering.

Red-hot Treasure Beach struck again at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday when the wonderfully-named Ella’s Island broke her maiden in her third start for owner/breeder Debora C. Morgan.

The 3-year-old filly, who didn’t race at two, was ridden by Harry Hernandez in the one-mile race on the turf and he gunned her right to the lead out of the gate. Ella’s Island was in front by two lengths the entire length of the backstretch and on the turn, despite posting sizzling fractions of :22.84, :46.41 and 1:10.45. In the stretch, she turned away the lone late challenge, and went on to win by one length in 1:36.22.

Ella’s Island became Treasure Beach’s 20th winner of 2020 and her check of $6,670 increased her sire’s progeny earnings to $552,958, putting more distance between him and the four stallions chasing him for ninth place on Florida’s sire list.

With his sharp score in a $35,000 allowance race on the grass at Lone Star Park yesterday, Tigerbeach (1) became Treasure Beach’s first runner to reach six career victories, (2) moved into second place behind Saratoga Treasure among his sire’s money-winners with $179,637 in the bank, and (3) became winner No. 19 this year for Treasure Beach, continuing a highly-successful month of June that has moved him up to ninth place on the Florida general sire list.

David Cabrera broke out quickly with Tigerbeach from the No. 9 post, and the 5-year-old gelding raced down the backstretch just off the two leaders in the three path. They went up to battle 9/5 Mister Kelly on the turn and the two were nose-to-nose the entire length of the stretch. At the wire, Tigerbeach was a neck ahead of the favorite, and a head in front of fast-closing Bob’s Bad Boy, who got up for second.

Tigerbeach, bred by John Pereira, raced the five furlongs in :56.30 and earned a check for $20,600, while raising his record to 6-11-4 in 33 starts.

Handsome Girl moved Handsome Mike a little closer to the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings with a gutsy, wire-to-wire performance in a one-mile race that came off the turf at Evangeline Downs last night.

With Puerto Rican rider Wallynette Rodriguez aboard, the 4-year-old filly bred by Ponder Hill jumped out to an early lead and controlled the race throughout. She held a three-length lead in mid-stretch and coasted home by 1 1/2 to score her second victory of 2020 and fourth overall.

Handsome Girl paid $17 and earned $9,600 for the effort, raising her career total to $49,368 on a record of 4-3-3 in 20 starts. Handsome Mike is less than $78,000 from reaching $2 million lifetime.