Bernie Dickman

Handsome Mike gained his 12th winner of the 2020 season plus his first repeat winner when La Flamenca scored at Gulfstream Park yesterday and Slammin’ Mike went back-to-back at Delta Downs.

La Flamenca was sent off as the even-money favorite racing a flat mile under Paco Lopez due to second and third-place finishes in her previous two races. Lopez put her on the lead early and the 3-year-old filly went wire-to-wire to break her maiden in her 10th try, scoring by one length and earning a check for $12,800.

Slammin’ Mike came right back from an 8 1/4-length victory on Jan. 29 to win his latest under Devin Magnon by 3 1/2 under highweight of 123 pounds. It was the third career victory for the 4-year-old gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds; he paid $13.40 and collected a check for $8,400.

Handsome Mike’s progeny earnings since Jan. 1 have reached $213,659, 11th best on Florida’s leading sire list, but less than $6,000 away from eighth place.

Box of Gold scored a hard-fought victory at Penn National on Saturday night, but the lateness of the race, followed by President’s Day, caused the Blood-Horse to be several days late reporting Treasure Beach’s seventh winner of the year.

The 4-year-old filly bred by Stonehedge Farm sat off the pace early in the mile and 70-yard race, and began to move up three wide with Julio Hernandez down the backstretch. Box of Gold reached the lead at the top of the stretch and an all-out battle to the wire against Miss Cinderella ensued, with the Treasure Beach filly prevailing by half a length for her second career victory, She raised her earnings to $46,299, while Treasure Beach has surpassed $207,000 for the first seven weeks of the season.

Amira’s Prince continued his January surge by getting his fourth winner, the 3-year-old filly Adelina Star, at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.

Roberto Gaud was aboard Adelina’s Star in her fifth try, and tracked the pacesetter going to the first quarter in the six-furlong race. Gaud rushed her up to assume the lead at the half and Adelina’s Star coasted through the stretch, winning by 5 1/2 lengths. Bred by Linda Evans, the filly was a $10,000 OBS June 2-year-old.

The last time Joey Martinez hopped aboard Big Cyn – at Aqueduct on Jan. 17 – the New York-bred daughter of Handsome Mike ducked in leaving the gate and unceremoniously dumped the rider onto the track.

There was no such problem at the Big A yesterday as Martinez guided Big Cyn to her maiden-breaking victory in her sixth career start. Possibly scared off by her actions in her previous race, the bettors let the 3-year-old filly get away at odds of 14-1, and it turned out to be a major mistake, for them.

Martinez settled Big Cyn in mid-pack down the backstretch in the six-furlong race, moved her wide on the turn, and the filly left the field behind en route to a 1 1/2-length score. The victory was worth $18,150 to owner/breeder Patricia Generazio, and $30.60 to the bettors.

Handsome Mike now has 10 winners this season and is in a battle for the Florida lead in that category. His progeny earnings of $165,964 ranks him ninth among Florida’s active sires.

As La Renoleta was leaving seven other fillies in her wake down the stretch in the sixth race at Oaklawn Park yesterday, announcer Vic Stauffer called her “a good-looking filly,” which may turn out to be the understatement of the week, or longer.

The 5-year-old Argentine-bred daughter of Treasure Beach came up from her home base in South America sporting a record of 4-for-4, with one Gr. I victory, and earnings of $44,126. Unraced at two and three, she won her four races between March and June of last year at Hipodromo Argentino De Palermo. Her last victory came on June 29 in the Gr. I Estrellas Distaff.

After a layoff of more than seven months, La Renoleta turned up in an $88,000 allowance optional claimer in Hot Springs yesterday, in the barn of top trainer Steve Asmussen.

With Ricardo Santana Jr. getting a rocking-chair ride, La Renoleta left no doubt she may be more than just “a good-looking filly,” winning the 1 1/16ths-mile race by nearly 10 lengths after cruising into the lead at the top of the stretch. Based on her spotless record in Palermo, and a subsequent series of excellent works at Fair Grounds, she went off as the 6/5 favorite and paid $4.40. The winner’s check of $52,800 boosted her total to $96,926.

What’s next for this ‘good-looking filly?’ The Gr. II Azeri for fillies and mares is coming up at Oaklawn on March 14, and the Gr. I Apple Blossom is set for April 18. Stay tuned.

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.