Turf News

Gulfstream Park picked Kentucky Derby day to kick off its 2026 2-year-old program, and freshman sire Magic On Tap’s first runner finished second in the initial $55,000 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs, which went in :54.75.

The 2-year-old filly owned and bred by Rick Arnold had posted several good a. m. trials leading up to the race, including a :36.45 breezing from the gate, ninth best of 73 at the distance that day at the Palm Meadows training complex. Nik Juarez was in the saddle for the filly’s debut, in which she went off as the 7/5 favorite, but after a quarter in :22.12, she was unable to carry her speed to the wire, settling for the runner-up check of $17,800. That was not far off the Kentucky-bred winner’s take of $24,000, since as a Florida-bred she was eligible for all the Florida incentives.

The most surprising aspect of Timshel’s second straight victory was that after breaking his maiden in a race at one mile over the turf course at Tampa Bay Downs, the 3-year-old Neolithic gelding was allowed to go off at 10-1 in a four-horse race at Gulfstream Park under the same conditions.

With Diego Herrera aboard, the gelding owned and bred by Dr. Tiffany Atteberry and Scott Brown contested the early lead in the $42,000 starter optional claiming race, then proved best by a neck and paid $23.60. He was clocked in 1:34.63 and earned a check for $24,200, raising his three-race total to $42,975.

Aside from a slew of handicappers, there are four entities most concerned with the running and outcome of races – namely, breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys.

On a recent afternoon at Gulfstream Park, in a span of two hours and 11 minutes, two Neolithic 3-year-olds were responsible for filling seven of the eight most important slots. Both are owned by Tom McCrocklin, who is also the breeder of one, both are trained by Fernando Abreu, and both were ridden by Diego Herrera.

VIABLE ASSET: The 3-year-old filly bred by Mike Whieldon went wire-to-wire in a $50,000 starter optional claimer at five furlongs on the grass. She scored by 2 1/4 lengths, and was clocked in :55.52, less than two seconds off the course record. She paid $4.40 and earned a check for $19,200, lifting her total to $60,650. She’s won 3-of-4 starts, her only loss a fourth in the Leinster Melody of Colors Stakes at Gulfstream, and her Equibase ‘E’ speed figures have improved with every race – 72-77-80-84.

CHICKEN DANCE – The 3-year-old all-McCrocklin gelding sports a record remarkably similar to that of Viable Asset. He has won 4-of-6 starts, with one third, and the only off-the-board performance resulting in a fourth place finish in the Lambholm South Sophomore Turf Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. He captured a $65,000 allowance test at one mile on the turf by a head, clocked in 1:34.85, while paying $18.40. The winner’s check of $39,000 increased his career total to $108,550, with $94,150 coming this year. Like Viable Asset, his ‘E’ speed figures have improved with each race (56-63-70-74-85-91).

It’s been a profitable week for Neolithic, and he has surpassed the $1 million mark in 2026 progeny earnings, the fastest he has accomplished the feat since beginning his stud career at Pleasant Acres.

Landman Friday made it two victories and a third in his last three starts with a strong come-from-behind performance in a $41,000 starter allowance at 1 1/16 miles over the Gulfstream Park turf course. Bumped early under Rajiv Maragh and trailing in seventh place, Maragh revved up the 4-year-old colt with a four-wide sweep on the turn, and Landman Friday was able to run down the leaders and prevail by one length.

The colt bred by Grassroots Training & Sales, a $175,000 OBS April 2-year-old, paid $12 and was clocked in 1:40.32. He collected a check for $23,700, boosting his lifetime take to $98,050 on a record of 3-1-2 in 10 starts. His excellent 94 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure is a career best.

It’s always difficult for a buyer to purchase a horse at the sales, then when he tries to sell it, have to settle for an RNA. That’s what happened to owner/trainer Rohan Crichton with Ababajoni, whom he bought for $30,000 at the OBS April sale last year, then had to bring the Neolithic colt home after he RNA’ed at $75,000.

Since then, Ababajoni has been very good to Crichton. In a span of six starts he has racked up three victories and a second, with earnings of $136,700. His latest score came in a $60,250 allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park in which Anthony Thomas took the 3-year-old colt wire-to-wire with a mile on the grass in 1:33.87, winning by nearly two lengths. After finishing second in his previous start, the $175,000 Cutler Bay Stakes, he paid just $4.40 and collected a check for $39,500. His Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 95 is best of his six races.

I Forgot to Ask forgot to stop and made it two victories in a row, winning at 5 1/2 furlongs under Luis Contreras at Horseshoe Indianapolis. In his previous start, the 3-year-old Neolithic gelding went wire-to-wire going five furlongs over the all-weather track at Turfway Park.

I Forgot to Ask broke alertly and settled into a stalking position three wide as the leaders carved out a quarter in :21.77. The gelding bred by Kelly Lynn Lupton ran down the top two on the turn and into the stretch and pulled away to a 3 1/2-length score, clocked in 1:05.63. He paid $8.60 and collected a check for $8,100, raising his total to $28,262 on a record of 2-1-0 in five starts.

In his career debut at Tampa Bay Downs under Sonny Leon, Timshel stumbled out of the gate and soon found himself 12 to 15 lengths behind heading down the backstretch in the race at one mile over the turf course. But Leon shifted the 3-year-old Neolithic gelding into high gear on the turn and Timshel finished fourth with a strong stretch run.

Sharp handicappers who viewed the promising debut bet the gelding down to 5/2 for his second try and this time Leon had him in mid-pack down the backstretch, stalking the leaders. Timshel again shifted into high gear, ran over the pacesetters in deep stretch and scored by nearly two lengths. He was clocked in 1:37.58, paid $7.40 and earned a check of $17,365 for owners and breeders Dr. Tiffany A. Atteberry and Scott Brown.

Timshel is the 21st 2026 winner for Neolithic.

On the same day that Timshel broke his maiden, Venezuelan-bred Pontevecchio won the 1,600 meters, Gr. III Clasico Juan Vicente Tovar at Venezuela’s La Rinconada course in Caracas. The 3-year-old colt broke alertly, quickly dropped back five lengths, then rushed up on the inside, came out for the stretch run and drew off late to score by three lengths in 1:39.29.

In the mid-1959s, Silky Sullivan rocked the racing world with a series of legendary finishes from out of the stratosphere, including one from an estimated 40 lengths behind in the 1958 Santa Anita Derby. He wound up his career with a record of 12-1-5 in 27 starts with earnings of $151,700 in an era before purses began climbing.

Ghost Bike looked like a Silky Sullivan double at Mahoning Valley on Monday in a race at a flat mile with Elijah Greenridge in the saddle. The 6-year-old gelding by Neolithic broke alertly, but by the time the field reached the backstretch, he had fallen many lengths behind, at its worst point, 15 or more lengths. But Greenridge revved him up, and Ghost Bike closed like a rocket, caught the pack at the top of the stretch, then surged between horses and drew off to score by 3 1/2 lengths, clocked in 1:40.83.

Ghost Bike, who was bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald, paid $9.20 after winning for the second time in his last three starts. He collected $7,800 for owner /trainer Gerald Crawford, increasing his earnings to $78,637 on a record of 6-3-7 in 36 starts.

Neolithic’s top earner, Neoequos, added $47,500 to his career total with a solid third-place finish in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes.

With the nation’s leading rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., making the trip to Hot Springs, the 4-year-old colt bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon in partnership with Matalona Thoroughbreds closed well to wind up just 1 1/2 lengths behind Nu What’s New at the end of the mile clocked in 1:37.34. Coming off his victory in the Sunshine Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his previous start, Neoequos was sent off at odds of 7/2, defying the morning line-maker, who had him pegged at 12-1.

Neoequos, a $22,000 OBS October yearling, banked $47,500, increasing his earnings to a healthy $549,225 on a record of 4-3-3 in 14 starts. He’s added $91,675 in his two 2026 starts.

On the same day, Ababajoni finished second by a head in a three-horse photo under Anthony Thomas in the $175,000 Cutler Bay Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs over the Gulfstream turf course. The 3-year-old colt bred by Hallmarc Stallions and owned and trained by Rohan Crichton led every step of the way into the stretch with fractions of :23.42, :46.81 and 1:09.82, before being nailed at the wire. The final clocking of 1:27.24 is just one and 3/10th seconds off the course record.

Ababajoni, a $30,000 OBS April 2-year-old, picked up a check for $34,400, raising his total to $97,200 on a record of 2-1-0 in five tries. Neoequos has passed the $10 million mark in lifetime progeny earnings and is a stone’s throw from $800,000 in 2026.

Debora Corral Morgan gets the last laugh.

At the 2024 OBS October sale, she took home Cassadaga after the Neolithic filly RNA’ed at $2,500. On Thursday, Cassadaga broke her maiden in her career debut at Gulfstream Park for owner/breeder Morgan and trainer Patrick Biancone, worth a check for $15,750 and a breeder’s award.

Apparently based on the RNA price, Morgan and Biancone had no problem entering Cassadaga for a $12,500 claiming tag. She wasn’t claimed. With Romero Maragh aboard, she won by one-half length in 1:13.44 for six furlongs and paid $7.40. She became Neolithic’s 19th winner of 2026 and raised his progeny earnings t0 $704,721.