Bernie Dickman

J’s Handsome Fana pulled the old ‘last-to-first’ trick with Ronnie Allen Jr. at Presque Isle Downs and Handsome Mike came away with his 11th winner this year.

Racing one mile and 70 yards, Allen settled the 3-year-old filly in seventh place for more than half a mile in the seven-horse field, and didn’t go after the leaders until making a four-wide move on the turn. J’s Handsome Fana remained wide heading down the lane, took the lead in mid-stretch and held off the closers to score by a neck. It was her first victory of 2019 and second of her career.

Since shipping to Belterra Park for her first try over the track on May 11, Nymue’s Treasure has become a noticeably different horse. In the short span of 44 days, the 4-year-old daughter of Treasure Beach has run up a record of 3-1-1 in five starts.

Her latest score came yesterday in a starter allowance at one mile and 70 yards and made it three straight for the filly bred by Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon. With Sonny Leon aboard again, Nymue’s Treasure sat third down the backstretch, moved three wide on the turn, and took the lead heading into the lane. Midway down the stretch, she gave it up to My Dark Secret and appeared to be destined for second. But Leon never gave up on her and the filly responded gamely to re-take the lead, going on to win by one-half length.

Nymue’s Treasure paid a generous $8.40 and earned a check for $8,340. As a 4-year-old, she hasn’t finished worse than fourth, posting a record of 3-3-2-1 in nine starts.

Treasure Beach’s runners have continued to excel recently south of the border – in three countries. Capo Beach, a 2-year-old colt, finished third in the Manuel Anasagasti Stakes at San Isidro in Argentina; Indian Maharaja, a 3-year-old colt, won an allowance race at Hipodromo De Monterrico in Peru, and Idola Portena, a 3-year-old filly, won an allowance race at Maronas in Uruguay.

Handsome Mike added two more winners to his ledger over the weekend, Do What It Takes breaking her maiden at Monmouth Park and Saint Michael making it two victories in a row at Penn National.

Do What It Takes, a 3-year-old filly bred in New York by Joe and Helen Barbazon, was a $10,000 OBS April purchase last year. After finishing second in her previous start, she went off at even money in this six-furlong race.

She was bumped leaving the gate, then was rushed up by Reylu Gutierrez to take the lead going to the first quarter. Around the turn, Gutierrez gave up the lead to Breath of Dawn and Do What It Takes dropped back to second. But the rider never gave up, angling his filly out to mid-track for the stretch run, and she came again, going on to score by 2 1/4 lengths and becoming Handsome Mike’s 10th winner this year.

Saint Michael, bred by Jeannine Strauss McGinn, was consigned by Pleasant Acres to the OBS Winter Sale in 2017 and was purchased for $9,500 by long-time Ocala breeder Frank Bertolino, owner of Monarch Stables. After the colt broke his maiden, Bertolino lost him in a claim for $20,000.

In his new silks, Saint Michael won his last by six lengths, then made it two straight in Pennsylvania with a hard-fought victory by half a length, clocked in a quick 1:10.82 for the six furlongs. In winning for the third time in nine starts, he earned his highest ‘E’ rating on Equibase, an 86.

Two weeks ago, Levy Land turned in a powerful, wire-to-wire performance at Gulfstream Park, drawing off to win by 5 1/4 lengths for the Rose Family Stable and trainer Barry Rose. In yesterday’s second race, the horde of “bounce” theorists no doubt dismissed the daughter of Handsome Mike, assuming she couldn’t win the one-mile race because she was returning too soon after her previous score. How wrong they were.

With Jairo Rendon riding, the 3-year-old filly bred by Midwest Thoroughbreds outdid her last, firing to the lead out of the gate and increasing her margin all the way to the wire. Levy Land was 6 1/2 lengths in front in mid-stretch and widened it to 9 1/4 at the finish. She earned $10,400 for her fourth career victory, raising her total to $60,760.

At Monmouth Park, Treasure Beach added an impressive winner of his own, as Newfound Treasure came from off the pace under Wilmer Garcia to record her third career victory. Racing one mile over the turf course, the 3-year-old filly bred by Stonehedge Farm made a strong move on the turn, then ran over Glamorous Thunder in the stretch to win by two lengths. She earned $12,600 for the victory and boosted her total to $52,286.

Laurel Park’s simulcasting of the races from San Isidro on Wednesdays gives racegoers a chance to see some of the many sharp Treasure Beach colts and fillies who perform in Argentina.

Those who tuned in yesterday got a real treat while watching a maiden race for fillies and mares at 1,600 meters, equal to about 40 feet short of one mile. The race was won by Cone’s Magic, a 4-year-old Treasure Beach filly who looked like Silky Sullivan cruising down the long San Isidro stretch.

Gabriel Bonasola had the filly in seventh place in a field of nine for most of the trip, and turning for home she appeared to have no chance to finish anywhere near the leaders. But Bonasola shifted her into another gear and Cone’s Magic mowed down the pacesetters with an eye-opening run through the mud in the last eighth of a mile. Sent off at 9/5, she paid $5.60 after completing the course in 1:37.85.

Winning his first race since an injury sidelined him last July, and overcoming a bumping incident in the stretch, Kyle Frey guided Tigerbeach to his first victory this year, and fourth of his career, in a turf sprint at Golden Gate Fields.

On his second day back, Frey had the 4-year-old Treasure Beach gelding hugging the hedge on the turn, and when the rail opened at the top of the stretch, Tigerbeach shot through to take the lead. He won by 1 1/2 lengths despite incurring a bad bump mid-way down the stretch.

John Pereira is the breeder of Tigerbeach, whose clocking of :56.32 is just one second off the five-furlong course record. The $10,800 winner’s check raised his earnings to $119,937 on a record of 4-8-3 in 22 starts.

In Argentina, Treasure Beach added two more winners, the 3-year-old filly Coolest Girl breaking her maiden at Hipodromo Argentino De Palermo on Friday and the 3-year-old colt Branded winning at La Plata on Thursday.

Except for being on the wrong end of a head bob in her previous race, Nymue’s Treasure would be riding a three-race winning streak at Belterra Park. The 4-year-old filly by Treasure Beach made it two victories in her last three tries yesterday via a heads-up ride by Sonny Leon in a turf race at 1 1/16 miles.

Leon had Nymue’s Treasure sitting in a perfect spot along the rail, about three lengths off the leader, down the backstretch and into the turn. When he angled off the rail looking for racing room heading into the stretch, no hole opened and he deftly shot his filly back to the hedge. Nymue’s Treasure did the rest, passing the field on the inside and prevailing by one length, collecting a check for $9,660.

It was the fourth career victory for the filly bred by Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon and she’s posted a record of 2-3-1 in her last six starts.

Treasure Beach’s great success south of the border has shown no signs of letting up, with two more of his 3-year-olds winning in Argentina this week, and another finishing second in a Gr. I stakes, all at different tracks.

The filly French Beach was the runner-up in the Gr. I Particula at San Isidro; the colt Narrow Beach won at Hipodromo Argentino De Palermo, and the colt Danzarin scored at La Punta.

Many of the most eye-catching performances by confirmed closers occur when they are forced to overcome a slow start in an over-crowded field. That’s what happened to Beach Dreaming in the fifth race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, an ‘about’ 7 1/2-furlong test on the grass.

With Jose Batista aboard, the 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Treasure Beach was off last in the 11-horse field, and was still there passing the half. But Batista put her in passing gear on the turn and Beach Dreaming roared past the field, moving toward the leader at the top of the stretch. She closed 3 1/2 lengths from the eighth pole to the wire, and scored her second victory at the meeting. She paid $8 as favorite and earned a check for $11,400 for owner/breeder Thomas Cross.

In the previous race, Beau Trace, who had been threatening to break his maiden for his first seven tries, relished a switch to the barn of owner Frank C. Calabrese and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. to accomplish the feat. Calabrese claimed the son of Beau Choix for $35,000 out of his last race and Beau Trace rewarded him with a 2 1/4-length victory racing a flat mile on the main track. The 3-year-old colt earned back $19,700 of his purchase price, but only rewarded his backers with a $2.60 win payoff.

Levy Land’s first victory at Gulfstream Park this year came on March 29 and was a wire-to-wire beauty – a 3 1/2-length score at seven furlongs. Yesterday, the 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike went one better, getting her second victory of the year – and third lifetime at Gulfstream – this time with a 5 1/2-length, wire-to-wire romp at a flat mile with Jairo Rendon riding.

The filly bred by Midwest Thoroughbreds earned $10,400 for her effort, and lifted her career total to $50,360 after just nine races, an average of $5,595 per start.