Pleasant Acres stallions go wild for three days
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.