Bernie Dickman

On Friday, in her third start, Double Magic turned in one of the most game performances of the Gulfstream meeting, at the same time giving freshman sire Magic on Tap his second winner.

In a race at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface, Edgar Perez sent the filly bred by DSR Inc. and Rock and Horse LLC to the lead from the break and she continued on in front past every pole with all her rivals sitting right on her tail. At the end, only 6/5 Cathedral Sun had enough left for the stretch battle, and Double Magic held her off and hit the wire half a length in front.

The $65,000 OBS October yearling was clocked in 1:44.32, paid $7.60 and earned a check for $15,750.

Last Wednesday, Shesa Mischieflady (Delaware Park), Courageous Diane (Delaware Park) and Spotlight Girl (Charles Town) all finished second in their respective races, as a prelude to setting up another highly successful weekend for Neolithic.

DIALITHIC- The 5-year-old mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon has been a victim of the minute purses in Puerto Rico since leaving Florida. She’s posted a record of 3-1-0 in five starts at Camarero, the latest score in a 5-furlong sprint in the mud on Saturday under Juan Diaz. She tracked the pace in second through a :22.38 quarter, went six wide into the stretch and won by 1 3/4 lengths, clocked in :57.56. The $25,000 OBS October yearling paid $6.60 and collected a meager check of $4,350, lifting her career bank account to $114,746 on a record of 6-8-3 in 31 starts. This year, she’s 4-1-1 in nine tries, with earnings of $33,536.

GAMAY – The next day, in her 10th start, the 4-year-old maiden filly bred by Belinda Kitos at SCF went bananas in a one-mile test at Mountaineer Park. With odds of 1/2 showing on the tote board, she became fractious in the gate, and when the field left, she didn’t. Brandon Tapara was content to let her relax in eighth place through fractions of :25.02 and :50.13, and when he finally let her roll from 10 lengths back, Gamay inhaled the field while six wide and coasted to the wire an eye-opening 10 1/4 lengths in front. Neolithic’s 51st winner of 2026 paid $3 and earned a check for $4,930.

BIG BUCKSALOT – On Monday, the 6-year-old went off at a surprising 6-1 in a $25,000 allowance at Mahoning Valley considering he was 3-2-1 in his previous six tries. With Deshawn Parker in the irons, the gelding bred by Julie Jackson raced just off the pace in the 6-furlong test, came between rivals at the top of the stretch, and went on to win by three-quarters of a length, clocked in 1:12.16. He paid $14 and collected a check for $15,281, increasing his lifetime total to $142,358 on an impressive record of 10-6-6 in 42 starts. This year alone, he’s 3-2-2 in nine starts with earnings of $39,631.

Neolithic now has 51 winners in 2026, just two off his best year set in 2025.

After winning her previous start at Belterra Park by six lengths in near-record time, Vanishing Wish was sent off at odds of 2-1 in a six-furlong test over the all-weather track at Presque Isle Downs.

With Santiago Gonzalez in the saddle again, the 5-year-old Neolithic mare took the lead early, passed the poles in :22.11, :45.38 and :57.34, but lost the lead to Undergrad in the stretch. She then battled back and defeated the 13-1 shot in a bob of heads.

Vanishing Wish, bred by Just for Fun Stable, was clocked in 1:09.84, just two seconds off the track record. She paid $6.20 and earned a check for $9,000, increasing her career total to $67,440 on a record of $3-3-5 in 26 starts. In 2026, she’s 2-1-1 in seven starts with earnings of $26,780.

Guns and Roses finished third in his debut, then broke his maiden by 2 1/4 lengths in his second start in a clocking nearly five lengths over the track record. His owners and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. apparently thought they would be safe sending the 3-year-old Neolithic gelding back in $35,000 claiming company. How wrong they were.

The gelding bred by Patrick Hoppel not only went wire-to-wire in start No. 3, he coasted to the finish line an eye-opening 12 1/2 lengths in front. The $21,000 OBS Open 2-year-old paid $4.40 and posted a clocking of 1:15.89 on the tote board, a little less than 1 1/2 seconds off Gulfstream Park’s track record for 6 1/2 furlongs. Guns and Roses earned a check for $28,350, making it a $63,350 payday for the old owners, and the loss of a potential major money-maker in their barn.

At 3:36 p. m. on Wednesday, Iconic Rock broke from the gate in the seventh race at Belterra Park in Ohio, and a minute forty-three and a fraction later the 5-year-old Neolithic gelding had made the mile and 70-yard test his third career victory, and first of 2026. At nearby Thistledown, as Iconic Rock arrived back at his barn, the 3-year-old Neolithic filly Ravishing Ruby was breaking her maiden going 5 1/2 furlongs, and brought her sire to within three winners of his best season.

Eder Luis Martinez was aboard Iconic Rock, who is owned and trained by Eider Martinez. The gelding, a $15,000 OBS October yearling bred by Joan Angelina DiLibero, came from off the pace to score by 5 1/4 lengths, earning a personal best 74 Equibase speed figure and a check for $4,800. He raised his record to 3-6-3 in 39 starts and his bank account to $54,599. He paid $7 after racking up three seconds, two thirds and a fourth in his previous six tries.

Ravishing Ruby, bred by W. John Bourke, used a three-wide move under Luis Batista to win by a length in 1:07.96. She paid $3.20 and collected $10,200, lifting her total to $34,490 on a record of 1-2-3 in 14 starts. Neolithic now has 50 winners this year; his best was 53 in 2025.

Freshman Sire Magic on Tap celebrated his first winner when Caribbean Comet finished second in a $45,000 maiden optional claimer at Gulfstream Park and was moved up to first after the winner was disqualified.

J. G. Torrealba was aboard the 2-year-old colt bred by Matalona Thoroughbreds, who was making his third start. He had Caribbean Comet sitting comfortably in fourth in the two path early down the backstretch in the race at one mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface. The colt moved to the inside nearing the turn as he went after the battling leaders, 5/2 Souper Handsome and 3-1 Strike. In the stretch, Souper Handsome bore out on Strike, causing him to check and Caribbean Comet closed well to be second, then was awarded the victory with the disqualification of Souper Handsome, who was placed third.

Caribbean Comet, a $27,000 OBS October yearling, paid $8.20 and earned a check for $25,750, lifting his total to $29,050: if he had remained in second the check would have been $10,900.

Neoking was the recipient of the owners’ and trainers’ dream scenario at Gulfstream Park – a seven-horse field reduced to four after three scratches.

Gaddiel Martinez was aboard the 6-year-old gelding in the race at 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta surface. He hustled Neoking out of the gate and the gelding bred by Just For Fun Stable settled into third place on the inside down the backstretch. Martinez eased him into the two path approaching the turn, where Neoking wound up in a three-way battle to the wire. Between horses nearing the finish, he out-gamed the other pair, one by a head and the other by a neck in 1:43.25, just two seconds off the track record.

Neoking paid $6.80, and the winner’s check of $10,800 increased his lifetime earnings to $137,333 on a record of 7-7-8 in 45 starts. Of that, $53,186 has come this season, in which he’s 3-2-2 in 12 tries.

Kip the Distance lifted Neolithic closer to his personal best in the number of winners department with her first 2026 victory in a $27,000 starter optional claimer at Gulfstream Park. Neolithic had 53 winners last year – Kip the Distance became No. 48 of this year.

In a race at six furlongs, Carlos Martinez was in the irons on the 4-year-old filly and he got her away quickly, racing in the three path down the backstretch. Kip the Distance made an early wide move, took the lead on the turn and won decisively by 2 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:10.85. The filly bred and trained by Angel Rodriguez paid a generous $23.60 and earned a check for $15,750, increasing her total to $238,551 on a record of 5-5-6 in 32 starts.

Neolithic passed the $12 million mark in career progeny earnings in the past week, and one of his helpers was Sisterlithic, who proved to be much the best in a 5-furlong test at Belterra Park, a race originally scheduled for the grass.

Joe Stokes was aboard Sisterlithic, who has now won three of her last five starts for co-owners Liz and Norman Wilson, also partners in her breeding. She got off well and tracked the leaders in the three path down the backstretch. A well-timed move on the turn shot the 3-year-old filly to the lead and she sprinted away late to score by four lengths in :58.95.

She paid $6.80 and collected a check for $4,800, lifting her total to $26,580 on a record of 3-2-1 in 12 starts.

Joe and Helen Barbazon and Matalona Thoroughbreds are the co-breeders of Neoequos, Neolithic’s top money-winner, who added $90,000 to his bank account with a near record-breaking performance in the $150,000 Presque Isle Mile Stakes.

With Paco Lopez in the saddle, the 4-year-old colt, a $22,000 OBS October yearling, tracked the pace just behind 5-1 pacesetter Grounded until the turn. Lopez swung him out to mid-track for the stretch run and Neoequos sprinted away, winning by nearly five lengths in 1:41.56, just 33 hundredths of a second off the track record.

He paid $5.20, and the healthy paycheck jumped his career earnings to $741,550 on a record of 5-4-4 in 18 starts, with $284,000 coming this year, during which Neoequos has gone 2-1-2 in six tries.