Bernie Dickman

In the space of a few hours out west on Saturday, Bodexpress made a statement – adding one stakes-winner, one stakes-placed runner and one first-time winner, all 3-year-olds bred in California by Richard Barton, and Bodexpress is firmly entrenched as Florida’s No. 2 second-crop sire.

At 1:20 p. m., Distorted Cat broke her maiden under Jacquelyn Bobroff at Sunray Park and Casino in Farmington, New Mexico, getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:20.57. In her fourth start, the filly came from mid-pack, made a strong five-wide move and was up to win by 1 1/2 lengths. The $5,500 California Breeders yearling paid $8.80 and earned a check for $7,635.

At 4:12, Going Deep, a $10,000 Fasig-Tipton California Fall yearling bred by Barton in partnership with Robert Traynor, finished second in the $125,000 Melair Stakes at Santa Anita and earned a check for $25,000. With Edwin Maldonado in the saddle in the race at a mile and one sixteenth, Going Deep, a 15-1 proposition, raced in second until the stretch, took the lead heading for the wire, and was nailed by half a length by Om N Joy. She’s 2-3-0 in eight starts with earnings of $128,400, second most among all Bodexpress runners.

An hour and a half later, Santa Barbarian, who had broken his maiden in his fourth start, won the $125,000 Snow Chief Stakes under Kazushi Kimura in start No. 5, racing 1 1/8 miles on the grass in 1:49.80. At odds of 43-1, the gelding was eighth and last after a quarter, made a three-wide move to reach contention, and went on to win by half a length, good for a juicy $75,000 payday, which increased his bank account to $113,260. He paid $89.20.

Latch the Hatch became the second runner by Curlin’s Honor to pass the $100,000 mark in earnings with a victory in a $43,000 allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park.

Edgard Zayas was aboard the 3-year-old gelding, a $22,000 OBS October yearling bred by John B. Penn. Zayas sent Latch the House out for a stalking position at the quarter, took over the lead with a three-wide move at the half, then annihilated the field in the stretch and won by 5 1/2 lengths with six furlongs in 1:10.81. The victory was worth $25,800 and raised Latch the Hatch’s total to $100,190 on a record of 2-2-1 in five starts. He paid $3.60 and received a 90 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, best of his seven races.

It will be difficult for Leinster to continue to remain atop the country’s freshman sire list for any lengthy period; he has 20 named foals, while many of the Kentuckians have 70 to 85. But for the present time, the Pleasant Acres stalwart is a mile ahead of the competition.

When Monster won the second race at Gulfstream on Friday, he became Leinster’s third winner of the young season; nobody else has more than one. As the lone stakes-winner, his progeny have already accrued $219,426 in earnings – nobody else is even close.

Monster, a colt bred by Dr. Ross Russell and Deeann Smith Cavanaugh, was purchased by Arindel for $25,000 at the OBS Winter sale. With Edgard Zayas aboard, at odds of 3/5 in the $70,000 maiden special, he broke in front, put up serious fractions of :22.39 and :43.21, then sprinted away from the field to break his maiden by nine lengths. He raced the five furlongs on the grass in :55.14, paid $3.40 and earned a check of $54,000 for Arindel.

Neolithic’s runners continue to impress, and his lifetime progeny earnings are currently less than $19,000 from reaching $7 million.

On Thursday, Fulanito won the sixth race at odds of 5/2 at Gulfstream Park, and If Not For Luck finished third. Then, Mister Abarrio finished second in the eighth race. On Friday, Bayou Brigid was second in Gulfstream’s second race, and on Saturday, Zaddy won the third at Belterra Park and increased Neolithic’s progeny earnings to $6,981,120.

ZADDY – The 3-year-old gelding bred by Paradisus Acres Thoroughbred broke his maiden in his 11th start. Albin Jiminez took him wire-to-wire in a race at 6 1/2 furlongs that went in 1:19.87, and he became Neolithic’s 24th winner of 2025. Zaddy won by 4 1/4 lengths and earned a check for $5,890.

FULANITO – The 4-year-old gelding bred by Angel Roman, a $50,000 OBS June 2-year-old, has won two of his last three, raising his record to 3-1-2 in nine starts. With Edgard Zayas aboard, he went wire-to-wire with five furlongs over the Tapeta surface in :56.70 and won by a neck. The check for $23,600 boosted his total to $101,610.

Most Handsome is less than $10,000 away from joining First Dude’s $200,000 club after his near-record performance for the duo of attorney David Romanik and trainer Ron Spatz in the $75,000 Roar Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Emisael Jaramillo was in the saddle aboard Most Handsome, a 3-year-old gelding who had previously won the Hollywood Beach Stakes during a short career in which he has posted a record of 4-0-1 n in seven starts. Coming off a victory where he received his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 91, the gelding bred by Julie Ann Jackson added an 89 after racing five furlongs on the turf in :54.65; missing the course record (:53.61) by just one second. He sizzled past the poles in :20.63 and :43.02 in his wire-to-wire effort.

The winner’s check of $44,550 boosted his two-season total to $190,910, with $90,330 coming this season. 

In the three-day span from Thursday through Saturday, Pleasant Acres stallions went bananas!

On Thursday, Iconic Rock (Neolithic) won the second race at Belterra Park. On Friday, Miss Emily (Gunnevera) won the third race at Evangeline Downs and Santa Barbarian (Bodexpress) won the first race at Santa Anita, but the big day came Saturday. Chill Bean (Gunnevera) captured the second race at Gulfstream Park, followed by Lennilu (Leinster) winning the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, and Squire finishing second in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile. Neolithica (Neolithic) put a cap on the day with a score in the 10th race at Pimlico.

ICONIC ROCK – The 4-year-old gelding bred by Joan A. DiLibero won by two lengths in a one-mile race under Lexander Sanchez, clocked in 1:41.91. The $15,000 OBS October yearling has won two of his last three and is 2-3-1 in his last seven. He paid $15.20 and collected a check for $8,450, increasing his career total to $38,765.

MISS EMILY – The 3-year-old filly was the poster girl for “from first to last,” getting off sixth and last from the No. 1 post in a race at 6 1/2 furlongs, and falling 10 lengths behind at the first quarter. Out of the TV picture until the final turn, she made a monster wide run and swept by the field in mid-stretch, breaking her maiden by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:21.13. She paid $7.40 and earned a check for $8,400.

SANTA BARBARIAN – Another winner from the highly-successful Richard Barton barn of California-bred runners by Bodexpress. The 3-year-old gelding chased High King for the entire mile on the grass in the $60,500 maiden special, then out-gamed the 11-1 shot to the wire by a neck to break his maiden in his fourth start, clocked in 1:36.91. Santa Barbarian paid $29.80 and the Barton bank account prospered by $36,000.

CHILL BEAN – The 3-year-old filly didn’t run at two for Amy Dunne and her trainer/co-owner Patrick Biancone. After a pair of thirds at three, Chill Bean broke her maiden to kick off the big Saturday Gulfstream card. With Jonathan Ocasio up, she pressed the pace in a mile and 70-yard race on the Tapeta surface, and proved best in the lane, winning by a length in 1:44.08. She paid $4.60 and earned a check for $15,750, but the co-owners lost her for $12,500.

LENNILU – The daughter of Leinster has put Pleasant Acres atop all freshman sire categories early in 2025. After breaking her maiden at Keeneland, the filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon won the $100,000 Royal Palm Stakes at Gulfstream under Luis Saez, getting five furlongs on the grass in :56.99, and scoring by nearly four lengths. She earned $47,500, increasing her two-race take to $81,615, and putting Leinster in the U. S. lead with $157,926. Lennilu is trained by Biancone and owned by Amy Dunne and seven partners.

SQUIRE – Another from the Dunne/Biancone stable, the Leinster colt was favored in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile but fell 1 1/2 lengths short. He earned $21,560 for second and has $71,560 overall.

NEOLITHICA – Add the 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly to the growing list of Neolithic runners being claimed. Coming off a seven-length score in a $26,460 starter optional claimer, she went for a bargain $12,500. The $30,000 Timonium yearling bred by Maria Haire paid $7.80 and earned a check for $16,560, boosting her total to $130,000 on a record of 6-2-1 in 16 starts.

Robert G. Smith is a long-time Marion County horseman who has raced with great success at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs, and many of his winning performers have been sired by Pleasant Acres stallions. The latest is Derby Effort, a 3-year-old filly by Curlin’s Honor who was the recipient of a great deal of patience from Smith, who is her breeder, trainer and co-owner.

In her first nine starts, Derby Effort managed just a single third-place finish. That ended on Tampa’s closing weekend, where she broke her maiden at odds of 15-1, paying a generous $33.80. Marcos Meneses was aboard Derby Effort, who set a pressured pace in a race at one mile over the turf course, and held off 7/5 favorite Michaela late to win by three-quarters of a length.

Derby Effort was clocked in 1:37.22 and her first winner’s check came to $11,700, raising her total to $17,655.

Ladys Chant won the first race at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday and earned a check for $10,850, then Notable Exchange finished second in the fourth race good for another $6,600, and Neolithic rolled past the $1 million mark in 2025 progeny earnings at $1,011,128.

Ronnie Allen Jr. was aboard Ladys Chant, a 4-year-old filly bred by Martin and Emily Goodell who had finished second in her previous start and was sent off at odds of 4/5. She battled head-and-head for the lead early, took over after a quarter, continued to battle with 10-1 Chilling Factor and beat her to the wire by a nose, clocked in 1:41.71 for the mile and 40 yards. She’s now 3-4-6 in 20 starts with earnings of $61,525.

Notable Exchange, a 3-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, has banked $48,100.

Neolithic is less than $7,000 away from reaching the $1 million mark in 2025 progeny earnings after the huge upset by Willow Case in a $70,000 maiden special at Gulfstream Park.

The 2-year-old filly bred by the veteran breeding team of Sherry R. Mansfield and Kenneth H. Davis, in her second start, won a stretch duel by a neck over Drama, the prohibitive favorite at 20 cents to a dollar. It was 14 1/2 lengths back to the third finisher.

With Edgar Perez aboard, Willow Case chased Drama through fractions of :22.69 and :47.57, then out-gamed the favorite to the wire in :54.21 to pick up a check for $40,000. After a fourth-place finish in her debut in which she lost by 16 lengths at odds of 30-1, Willow Case paid $31.80 in this one. She became Neolithic’s 23rd winner this year, second best among all Florida sires. .

Just Trust Me is the leading race winner and second-leading money-winner for Bodexpress following his wire-to-wire score in a $28,000 allowance race on the grass at Turf Paradise.

Kevin Krigger was aboard the 3-year-old colt bred in California by Richard Barton Enterprises, and he kept Just Trust Me going for the entire 7 1/2 furlongs, winning by a head in 1:30.47 and paying $4.00. He’s won two in a row, upping his record to 4-4-1 in 13 starts, and the check for $16,800 increased his earnings to $107,540.