Turf News

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.

Treasure Beach’s wide-ranging influence in Argentina continued this week with another Gr. I stakes-placed runner added to his ledger, along with another 2-year-old winner.

At San Isidro, the 3-year-old colt Glorious Moment finished second in the Gr. I Gran Premio 25 De Mayo, while the 2-year-old colt Trae El Efectivo scored at Hipodromo Argentino De Palermo.

Closer to home, Treasure Mine broke his maiden at Presque Isle Downs, and became winner No. 21 for Treasure Beach this year. The 4-year-old gelding slipped through on the inside on the turn under Walber Alencar and drew off late to win by 3 1/4 lengths, getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.09.

Bodie Cody broke his maiden in his fifth start for owner Frank Bertolino yesterday at Gulfstream Park in a game performance racing one mile on the grass. The 3-year-old gelding became the ninth winner this year for Handsome Mike, who is sitting in fourth place among Florida’s second-crop sires.

Miguel Vasquez sent Bodie Cody out quickly from the No. 9 post and settled the 8/5 favorite onto the rail in third place, about seven or eight lengths behind the pacesetter. He moved the gelding up on the outside midway down the backstretch, picked off the top two horses on the turn, and took the lead entering the stretch while being dogged by 2-1 second choice Alperes. But Bodie Cody held off Alperes all the way to the wire to score by half a length.

The victory was worth $11,600 to Bertolino’s Monarch Stable, which purchased Bodie Cody for $25,000 at the OBS June sale in 2018.

Paul Mouttet’s Love Daddy overcame a layoff of more than five months and broke her maiden yesterday with a strong stretch run in her third career start at Woodbine. The 3-year-old filly by Handsome Mike had finished second and third in her previous two starts, and was sent off at 7/5 in the 1 1/16-mile turf race.

Kazushi Kimura settled Love Daddy in mid-pack along the rail, and the filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon broke free heading into the stretch. She proved best in the final sixteenth, winning by three-quarters of a length.

The disparity in U. S. vs. Canadian currency became apparent when the winner’s check of $19,500 in Canadian funds was translated into $14,475 in U.S. dollars. Mouttet bought Love Daddy for $9,000 at the OBS June sale in 2018. All told, she’s earned $28,317 in the former currency and $21,097 in the latter, so her owner is in good shape – he lives in Canada.