Bernie Dickman

Saturday, July 15, 2023 will go down as another of those magnificent days when Pleasant Acres stallions hit a grand slam. There were no less than four winners yesterday, two by Bucchero and two by Amira’s Prince, the latter pair both bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon.

BUCCHERO – The 2-year-old filly Bucchera broke her maiden at Gulfstream Park in her third try, scoring by half a length under Hector Diaz after battling for the lead throughout the 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. She paid $5.20 after getting the distance in 1:06.48, and collected a check for $24,600. The $20,000 OBS October purchase became Bucchero’s 26th winner of 2023.

A little while later, Beauty of the Sea, who didn’t race at two, gave Bucchero his first stakes-winner, extending her winning streak to three straight. She won by a head in the $104,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park with Jairo Rendon, clocked in 1:02.68 for the 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, just 1 1/2 seconds off the course record. The filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds paid $28.20, and the $60,000 winner’s check raised her five-race total to $118,960. At the same time, her sire moved up from seventh to sixth on Florida’s leading sire list with progeny earnings of $1,032,953.

AMIRA’S PRINCE – Three scratches reduced the field to four in a $25,000 starter allowance at Monmouth and Our Fantasy proved to be much the best, winning the mile and one-sixteenth test by nearly four lengths after making a wide, sweeping move on the turn with Samuel Marin aboard. The 6-year-old mare bred by the Barbazons collected $15,000, and her career total soared to $279,694 on an outstanding record of 9-9-9 in 40 starts. The $50,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $5.60 for her third victory of 2023.

At Gulfstream, Pluma Roja, who had lost nine straight, broke that streak with a 3 3/4-length score and paid $38.60. His previous victory came on Dec. 14 of last year and he paid $58 that day. The 4-year-old gelding was clocked in 1:45.99 for the mile and one-sixteenth over the Tapeta course, and earned $12,200.

First-time winners at Laurel and Charles Town vaulted Neolithic over the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings over the weekend.

LAUREL – New Rome, a 3-year-old filly making her fourth start for owners/breeders Michael and Suzanne Masters, went wire-to-wire under Jean Briceno in a 5 1/2-furlong race over the turf course, and her clocking of 1:02.77 was just two seconds off the course record. She won by half a length, paid $6.40 and earned a check for $21,600, boosting her total to $37,960.

CHARLES TOWN – Voice of Now became winner No. 15 for Neolithic with another wire-to-wire performance under Andre Ramgeet. The 4-year-old gelding bred by Elizabeth LaPierre and Jennifer Given, an $11,000 OBS June 2-year-old, won by nearly three lengths, and it was another 8 1/4 back to the third-place finisher. Voice of Now paid $6.60 after getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:21.11, and the winner’s check of $11,100 raised her sire’s career progeny earnings to $2,012,258.

Streaking Bucchero has added two more first-time winners to his ledger far from his home base to give him 25 from 52 starters in his sophomore season, and at the same time, set himself up for a million-dollar year.

At Penn National, Sunshine Harry, a 3-year-old gelding bred by Crimson Gate Stables and Ocala’s Bonnie Heath Farm, broke his maiden in his second try to become winner No. 24. With Anthony Salgado aboard, the Pennyslvania-bred gelding overcame a bumping incident leaving the gate, rushed into the lead and continued on to romp home by 5 1/2 lengths. He was clocked in :58.86 for the five furlongs, paid $23.80, and picked up a check for $10,608.

At Horseshoe Indianapolis, Designated, an 8-1 morning line proposition making her third start, came up a hot item on the tote board even though in her second try she finished third, but nearly 10 lengths behind the winner. With apprentice Hannah Leahey again in the irons, the 2-year-old Kentucky-bred filly hopped at the start of the five-furlong test on the grass, trailed the field by six lengths down the backstretch, swung wide on the turn, then ran down the leaders in deep stretch as announcer John Dooley bellowed, “Designated swooped by them all.”

Designated, a $37,000 Keeneland September RNA, was clocked in 1:01.06, paid $6 and earned a check for $16,800, which raised Bucchero’s progeny earnings for 2023 to $928,582.

R Averie Lynn has won three in a row at Delaware Park, and is now a nine-time winner in her career, after Thursday’s wire-to-wire score by two lengths with Daniel Centeno in the irons.

The 5-year-old Gone Astray mare was never seriously threatened, getting the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.70 and collecting a check for $15,000. Bred by Dancing Wind Stables, R Averie Lynn was a $25,000 OBS July 2-year-old; she has now earned $208,986 while raising her record to 9-12-3 in 35 starts. She has competed at 10 tracks, but eight of the nine victories have come at Delaware, and in this one, she paid $2.80.

In Puerto Rico, another Gone Astray mare, She’s Classy, came from behind to win by a neck at six furlongs. Bred by Craig Wheeler, she boosted her earnings to $105,263 on a record of 5-4-9 in 30 starts.

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After Mattingly finished a strong second in the $100,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes in his career debut, anticipation was high regarding the second start for the 2-year-old Bucchero colt. That came yesterday in a 5 1/2-furlong, $65,000 maiden special over the Tapeta course at Gulfstream Park.

Through much of the betting, the $70,000 OBS March colt bred by Lance Colwell was sitting at 1/5 on the tote board, and he eventually drifted up slightly to 2/5. With Edgar Perez aboard, the colt named after former New York Yankees great Don Mattingly took the lead leaving the gate, put up fractions of :22.11, 45.59 and :58.11, then cruised home by nearly six lengths in 1:04.38.

Mattingly became Bucchero’s 23rd winner and earned a check for $43,000, while boosting his two-race total to $64,120, and showed he’ll be a major factor in the upcoming Florida Sire Stakes series.

Bucchero’s 22nd winner is Sharon’s Grey Hope, a 3-year-old Indiana-bred who added to the stallion’s growing reputation of siring runners who have what the TV analysts like to call a great “turn of foot.”

Sharon’s Grey Hope was off in mid-pack in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special race at Horseshoe Indianapolis, and was a good 10 or 11 lengths behind 3-1 pace-setter First Elkton when they hit the quarter in :22.49. Going to the half, Samuel Bermudez sent the 3-year-old filly up on the outside and Sharon’s Grey Hope responded with an Azeri-type move that shot her up to third entering the stretch.

When they straightened out in the lane, the filly bred by Southern Chase Farm and Karen and Greg Dodd was still six lengths behind First Elkton, buts she dug in and went past the leader like she was standing still. Sharon’s Grey Hope won by nearly two lengths clocked in 1:05.52, and earned a check for $21,600, breaking her maiden in her fourth start. Bucchero’s progeny earnings jumped to $828,150 for 2023.

Hard Astray looked more like Secretariat in the Belmont Stakes than a claimer at Mountaineer who was winning for the seventh time in his career and first of 2023.

In a one-mile race with veteran Yuri Yuranga aboard, the 6-year-old gelding by Gone Astray jumped out to the lead, opened up by two lengths in a :23.83 quarter, was 2 1/2 lengths in front after a half in :47.11, stretched it to six lengths with three quarters in 1:12.88. and cruised home by nearly eight lengths in 1:40.75 without receiving a threat.

Hard Astray, bred by JDAB Stables, paid $21.20 and earned a check for $4,814, raising his lifetime total to $52,622 on a record of 7-2-1 in 26 starts. He’s Gone Astray’s 21st winner of 2023.

Bucchero’s sizzling month of June continued yesterday with a maiden-breaking run by New Jersey-bred Delightful Ava at Monmouth Park.

The 3-year-old filly went wire-to-wire with Romero Maragh, racing ‘about’ 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, winning in her fifth try and paying $14. She held off any challengers by passing the markers in :22.54, :45.22 and :57.76, before putting up a final clocking of 1:04.16 and scoring by half a length, worth $15,960 to owner/breeder Gregory Krlka.

Delightful Ava is Bucchero’s 21st winner in his sophomore season, and lifted him within less than $10,000 from reaching $800,000 in 2023 progeny earnings.

At this time of year, few stallions have reached a point where at least half of their runners have won at least one race. Long On Value has defied that statistic. The son of Value Plus has 10 starters and yesterday picked up his fifth winner; he’s 28th on Florida’s general sire list and only one stallion above him is also at 50 percent.

No. 5 for Long On Value is Constitutionalist, a 3-year-old filly who was so well-regarded she went off at 3/10 in a five-furlong maiden special at Mountaineer and paid $2.60. With Charle Oliveros in the saddle, the filly bred by George J. Kerr sat third early, moved after a quarter and was best by nearly three lengths at the wire.

Constitutionalist broke her maiden in her eighth start; she was clocked in 1:00.39 and collected a check of $9,570, boosting her total to $20,810.

The similarities between Oh Donna’s score in the third race at Belmont Park yesterday, and Dream Astray’s in the ninth race at Monmouth Park, were somewhat on the eerie side.

(1) Oh Donna is by Pleasant Acres stallion Bucchero; Dream Astray is by Pleasant Acres stallion Gone Astray.

(2) Oh Donna broke her maiden at the Meadowlands on Oct. 21 of 2022, and hadn’t raced since, a span of eight months. Dream Astray broke his maiden on Sept. 30 of 2022 at the Meadowlands, and hadn’t raced since, a span of 8 1/2 months. So both are now on two-race winning streaks, however far apart.

(3) Oh Donna broke through the gate, then went wire-to-wire in a seven-furlong race that went in 1:26.92, winning by 2 1/4 lengths. Dream Astray went wire-to-wire in a race at 1 1/16 miles on the grass that went in 1:43.24, winning by 3 3/4 lengths.

(4) Oh Donna earned a check for $15,400; Dream Astray earned $14,400.

Non-similar facts: Oh Donna is a 3-year-old filly bred by Edward R. Schuster in Florida – she paid $6.40 and was claimed. Dream Astray is a 5-year-old gelding bred by Kenneth D’Oyen in California – he paid $15.20 and wasn’t claimed.