Bernie Dickman

Do What It Takes did what it takes for the second time at the Tampa Bay Downs meeting yesterday, coming from five lengths back on the turn to score by nearly four lengths under Tomas Mejias.

The 4-year-old filly, bred in New York by Joe and Helen Barbazon, gave Handsome Mike his ninth winner of the young season, collecting a check for $6,180 while raising her record to 3-3-5 in 18 starts.

Do What It Takes broke on top in the six-furlong race and quickly dropped back to co-third while in the two-path down the backstretch. A powerful three-wide move on the turn brought her to even terms with the leader, and in the lane it was strictly no contest. Handsome Mike already has $147,259 in 2020 progeny earnings.

Most horsemen don’t relish the thought of running their horses on sloppy tracks, but owner/trainer Analia Larossa will no doubt change his mind regarding Go Venezuela Go after the daughter of Treasure Beach broke her maiden at Charles Town last night.

In her first 11 starts, the 4-year-old filly had raced on the turf and over fast surfaces, and even one labeled ‘good,’ but never one with the ‘sloppy’ designation. Turns out she loves it.

With son Gustavo Larossa aboard, Go Venezuela Go was off last in the 7-furlong race, but she began to move closer to the pace while in the two path down the backstretch. On the turn, she uncorked a monster five-wide run, swept into the lead at the top of the stretch and waltzed to the wire 4 3/4 lengths in front. She paid $25.80, earned a check of $6,450 for her owner/trainer and became Treasure Beach’s fifth winner of the year. Analia Larossa will probably be checking the weather reports looking for the filly’s next outing.

Amira’s Prince picked up his third winner and fourth victory in the past month when Rikki’s Gift scored a game victory under Deshawn Parker yesterday at Sam Houston Race Park to break her maiden in her fourth start.

The 3-year-old filly bred and co-owned by Wayne Detmar, who had finished second in her debut at Remington Park, broke quickly from the No. 4 post in the 5 1/2-furlong race and was immediately joined by 7/2 shot Sailsinthesunset. They passed the quarter in :23.03 and the half in :47.49 glued to each other’s flanks and raced that way all the way to the wire, with Rikki’s Gift getting the nod by a nose, clocked in 1:06.51.

Rikki’s gift paid $8 as the second choice and earned a check for $9,240.

If any horse has subscribed to the old adage “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” it has been Classy Nekia. It took the 5-year-old Treasure Beach gelding 22 races to break his maiden, but when he accomplished the feat at Mahoning Valley yesterday, he literally blew up the tote board.

With Luis Gonzalez aboard in the one-mile race, 29-1 shot Classy Nekia tracked in second place behind pace-setter Coletta, went up to battle for the lead entering the stretch, and out-gamed the 6/5 favorite to the wire to score by one-half length, becoming Treasure Beach’s fourth U. S. winner of the new year. The $15,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $61.40, $15.60 and $5.20 and earned a check for $6,600, lifting Treasure Beach over the $100,000 mark for the first 34 days of the season.

Treasure Beach’s Argentinian runners have a penchant for turning in huge performances on the days when the races from San Isidro are simulcast back to Gulfstream Park or Laurel. Imperador added his name – again – to a long list yesterday.

The 4-year-old colt had Altair Domingos in the saddle in the Gr. I Gran Premio Miguel Alfredo Martinez De Hoz at 1 1/4 miles on the turf. Imperador, already a Gr. II winner in the Dos Mil Guineas on Aug. 28, was sent off as the 5/2 second choice in the race for 4-year-olds and up competing for $53,700, which is a monster purse on the Argentine calendar.

Domingos took Imperador away quickly from the No. 8 post and the colt quickly opened up by two lengths down the backstretch. He retained that lead and wasn’t seriously threatened until the turn, when Jolly Good, part of the favored 2-1 entry, came up alongside him. But Domingos turned him away and kept Imperador going for the length of the long stretch after racing a mile in 1:35.13, despite the colt drifting to the middle of the course. He won by about a length in 1:57.87, paid $7.40, $4.60 and $3.00, and gave Treasure Beach six Gr. I winners down south.

With two more winners at Delta Downs in the past two days, Handsome Mike is still tied for first place among Florida’s stallions with a total of eight in January.

After winning at the Louisiana track on Nov. 16, Handsome Girl shipped to Tampa Bay Downs for a pair of races and posted a second and a third. Returning to Delta last night and racing 6 1/2 furlongs under Wallynette Rodriguez, the 4-year-old filly bred by Ponder Hill Farm scored by 2 3/4 lengths over even-money favorite Vagary and paid $12.60. The $8,400 winner’s check for Handsome Girl’s third career victory raised her earnings to $37,953.

Slammin’ Mike, a 4-year-old gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, was off quickly in a one-mile test with Tim Thornton aboard, and was head-and-head for the lead after a quarter. He drove clear at the half and sprinted away from the field, opening up a seven-length margin in the stretch and crossing the line 8 1/4 lengths in front for his second victory.

Handsome Mike has a 3-up winners’ lead among Florida’s third-crop sires.

Fanny Olsson gave her more famous colleagues in the Gulfstream Park jockeys’ colony a lesson on finding the shortest route to the finish line in yesterday’s third race.

The 26-year-old Swedish rider, aboard the 5-year-old Treasure Beach mare Beach Dreaming, settled in fifth place on the hedge shortly after leaving the gate in the 7 1/2-furlong turf race, and never strayed from the inside all the way to the wire. As the rest of the field went wide chasing pacesetter Adamant into the lane, Olsson hugged the hedge and out-gamed the leader by three-quarters of a length.

It marked the fifth career victory for Beach Dreaming, who paid $20 to win, and her $13,800 check boosted her total to $89,390. Bred by Tom Cross, she’s 5-3-5 in 20 starts.

Handsome Mike added two more winners to his January ledger yesterday, giving him six for the month and tieing him for first place among Florida’s active sires. He just missed a third, which would have given him the outright lead.

At Tampa Bay Downs, Darlindiva made it two victories and a second in three starts at the meeting, scoring by one-half length over fast-closing West Horizon with a mile and 40 yards in a good 1:42.34. After beginning her career with four off-the-board finishes, the 4-year-old filly owned and bred by Joe and Vivi Serena is 3-3-1 in her last eight. She earned a check for $6,460, and paid $7 as second choice.

In the evening, Saint Michael went wire-to-wire in a 5 1/2-furlong race at Penn National, holding on by a length under David Cora despite sizzling fractions of :22.05, :46.15 and :58.56 en route to a final clocking of 1:05.17. The 4-year-old colt, a $9,500 OBS Winter yearling, is 4-2-2 in 18 starts with earnings of $60,895.

La Flamenca made a valiant effort at Gulfstream Park to give Handsome Mike three winners for the day, battling an even-money favorite all the way to the wire before succumbing by three-quarters of a length. Handsome Mike’s progeny earnings for the month stand at $106,129.

Lalali returned from a five-month vacation to break her maiden with authority at Gulfstream Park yesterday, becoming the fourth winner for Handsome Mike in January.

The 3-year-old filly bred by the highly successful quartet of Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon had finished third and second in her first two starts in August and was sent off at odds of 2/5 in her five-furlong return. Hector Berrios sent her to the lead out of the gate and Lalali battled with 26-1 shot Nice Adventure until the turn, when she drew off under mild urging and prevailed by nearly three lengths, clocked in :58.59. It was another six lengths back to the third-place finisher.

The filly earned $33,700 in her three starts for Super Super Stable, which lost her for $25,000 in a claim yesterday by owner Kenneth Fishbein and trainer Cheryl Winebaugh.

Treasure Beach’s mutuel followers received a mid-week present on two continents yesterday. One of the stallion’s runners competed and won at Tampa Bay Downs, and three competed at San Isidro in Argentina with two winning, including one of the blockbuster variety.

At Tampa, the 3-year-old filly Sugar Fix broke her maiden in her fifth start with Jesus Castanon riding in the one-mile test over the turf course. Sugar Fix broke on top from the No. 2 post, and Castanon eased her back to third on the rail where she remained until the top of the stretch. When he let her roll, the filly split horses and drew off without the need of urging, scoring by 4 1/4 lengths. She earned $9,020 for owner/breeder Ballybrit Stable.

The fourth race at San Isidro, simulcast to Gulfstream Park, was at a flat mile for 5-year-old maiden colts and geldings. Tothemoonandback, with Luis Vai aboard, stalked Rock In Action on the rail until the turn, then ran down the pacesetter in a long stretch battle to win by two lengths. They were co-favored at 5/2 and Tothemoonandback paid $7.60.

Eight races later, Logging On, 50-1 in the morning line and 29-1 at post time, went wire-to-wire under Carlos Benitez to score by one length, getting six furlongs in 1:10.96. The 5-year-old son of Treasure Beach lit up the tote board, checking in at $60.20, $21.60 and $9.60.