Bernie Dickman

One of the toughest assignments for morning line-makers at every track around the country is getting a good handle on first-time starters. The line-maker at Mountaineer Casino and Race Track missed the boat by a mile last night with Curl Talk, a debut filly by Ride On Curlin.

Curl Talk, who turned four on April 2, was the only first-timer in the field of eight for the five-furlong maiden special with a purse of $16,500, a race that was taken off the turf due to rain. Despite three pretty fair works listed at Starting Point Training Center, Curl Talk was listed at 8-1 in the morning line. However, at post time, the filly bred by Lonnie Stokes was on the board as the slight favorite at 2-1.

Luis Batista sent her right to the lead and Curl Talk led through fractions of :22.75 and :47.85 over the sloppy track, reaching the wire three lengths in front even after she ducked in and barely missed hitting the rail at the top of the stretch. She was clocked in 1:01.32, paid $6 and collected a check for $9,570.

It took owner Carl L. Hess Jr. just one race to realize what a bargain he got when he purchased Putthepastbehind as a yearling for $4,000 at the OBS winter sale in 2021.

The 2-year-old Gone Astray gelding broke his maiden in his career debut at Laurel Park yesterday and earned a check for $30,360, while giving his sire the distinction of being the first in North America to get two juvenile winners in 2022. The stallion by Dixie Union previously saw Luna West score at Gulfstream Park in April.

Putthepastbehind broke well under Jeiron Barbosa and tracked the pacesetter in second through a :23.15 quarter. As they neared the half, the gelding bred by Dancing Wind Stables closed the gap, took the lead in mid-stretch and held it to the wire, winning by three-quarters of a length, clocked in :52.90 for the 4 1/2 furlongs. He paid $17.80 and became the 19th winner this year for Gone Astray, who is fourth on Florida’s leading sire list with progeny earnings of $690,481.

Neolithic’s highly-promising 3-year-old, Cattin, passed the $200,000 mark in earnings in just his seventh start yesterday, a victory in a $38,000 starter optional claiming race at the distance of one mile at Gulfstream Park.

The $25,000 OBS Winter purchase bred by Curtis Mikkelsen and Patricia Horth broke on top from the No. 6 post, settled back in third in the three path down the backstretch, and when Emisael Jaramillo let him loose on the turn, Cattin took the lead into the stretch and went on to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. He was clocked in 1:35.59 and received a 97 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, best of his short career.

The $23,300 winner’s check boosted Cattin’s bank account to $202,850, second only to Red Oak Stable’s stakes-winner Make It Big among Neolithic’s runners. He’s won one stakes – the Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs – and has been stakes-placed in three others while running up a record of 3-0-3 in his seven tries.

Pleasant Acres stallions struck at venues 3,000 miles apart on Sunday, with Quantum Quest winning in his first try after being claimed at Golden Gate Fields, and Darlindiva making it two victories in a row at Mounaineer Race Track Casino and Resort.

After trainer Bill McLean claimed Quantum Quest for himself for $12,500 on April 3, he sent the 4-year-old by Gone Astray back 21 days later for $20,000 and it paid off. Quantum Quest flew to the lead with Pedro Terrera, sped past the furlong markers in :21.85, :44.84 and :56.86, and was hand-ridden to the wire to win by three lengths. The clocking of 1:03.27 is just one and 34 hundredths of a second off the track record for 5 1/2 furlongs. The gelding bred by W. K. and D. S. France earned $12,600, paid $10.20 and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 95, best of his seven-race career. He is Gone Astray’s 18th winner of 2022.

Despite winning her last at a mile by 3 1/2 lengths, Darlindiva paid a generous $11.20 after scoring by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:13.78 for the six furlongs. The 6-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike hooked up in an early duel with Ready to Play, and after a quarter in :22.69, put her rival away on the turn and went on to score under Charle Oliveros without being threatened. She raised her earnings to $69,042 on a record of 6-4-7 in 31 starts.

After finishing fourth in her debut at odds of 22-1, Happy Ride revved it up several notches in her second try and showed great promise while breaking her maiden yesterday in a $40,000 claimer at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 3-year-old filly bred by long-time partners Joe and Helen Barbazon, Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson, received another textbook ride from apprentice sensation Madeline Rowland. She paid $26.40 and became the fifth winner this year for Ride On Curlin.

Rowland sent Happy Ride out quickly from the No. 4 post and she took up a stalking position behind 2-1 shot Adios Baby. The filly moved up on the turn, took the lead at the top of the stretch, and proved best at the wire by 2 1/2 lengths. She was clocked in 1:11.31 for the six furlongs and collected a check for $13,400.

Gone Astray’s success since relocating to Pleasant Acres has stretched all the way to Puerto Rico where Gone South broke her maiden in her career debut at Camarero Race Track and boosted her sire’s number of winners for 2022 to 17.

The 3-year-old filly bred by Long Trail Stables left from post 6 in the six-furlong race and Carlos Rivera had her pressing the pace while three wide for the first half-mile, which went in :48.15. From there, Gone South surged into the lead and coasted to the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front, clocked in 1:13.95. She paid $21.90 and earned a check for $4,350.

Fast Loaded was 7-1 on the tote board and facing a 3/5 shot as the field left the gate in the last race at Charles Town last night. But in the stretch, it looked more like Fast Loaded was odds-on as favored Sheriff Chip struggled to finish fifth after pushing the pace from the start of the 6 1/2-furlong race.

Fast Loaded, a 5-year-old gelding by Gone Astray, was away third under Gerald Almodovar and tracked the leaders three lengths off the pace down the backstretch. His rider swung him off the rail on the turn and Fast Loaded rallied between horses in the lane, drawing off late to score by two lengths.

In becoming Gone Astray’s 16th winner of 2022, Fast Loaded collected a check for $10,059 and left his sire less than $8,000 short of the $600,000 mark in progeny earnings. The gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds paid $17.40 and is 8-3-2 in 24 starts with earnings of $171,883.

The back end of Gulfstream Park’s Sunday program proved to be a bonanza for one Pleasant Acres stallion and a long-time Pleasant Acres client.

The seventh and ninth races were won by a filly and gelding by Handsome Mike, who added $49,600 to his progeny earnings, Just For Fun Stable earned a winner’s check and two breeders’ awards, and a track record was set.

Race 7 – Sophia’s Storm, who finished fourth in her career debut at odds of 53-1 on March 18, came back to break her maiden in a $39,000 optional claimer under Leonel Reyes in her second try. Owned and bred by Just For Fun Stable, the 3-year-old filly won by three-quarters of a length with six furlongs in 1:12.64, paid $16.20, and earned a check for $23,800.

Race 9 – Handsome Prince, also bred by Just For Fun, boosted his record to 4-4-7 in 29 starts with a one-length victory in a $43,000 allowance race, setting a track record of 1:05.05 for ‘about’ 5 1/2 furlongs over the new Tapeta surface. The 5-year-old gelding paid $20.60 and collected $25,800, increasing his total to $120,880. He earned an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 98.

The 5-year-old mare Karatbars has had a sparse racing career since she sold for $8,000 as a yearling at the October OBS sale in 2018. The daughter of Gone Astray raced just once as a 2-year-old, twice at three, and three times at four, and was just concluding a six-month layoff when she showed up in the second race at Gulfstream yesterday.

Karatbars was listed at 8-1 in the morning line for the race at 5 1/2 furlongs and trainer Juan Arias tapped Luis Reyes to guide her in her return. When the field left the gate, somebody who obviously knew something more than the average player knocked her price down to 6/5, and she didn’t disappoint.

Reyes put her on the lead and Karatbars went wire-to-wire, clocked in 1:05.85 and nearly two lengths in front. It was another nine lengths back to the third-place finisher. The victory was worth $10,400 to owner Larry Bell and his mare became Gone Astray’s 15th winner of 2022.

Splenda Gail rallied from way back in the $60,000 Acadiana Stakes at Evangeline Downs last night, and finished third at odds of 13-1 under rider C. J. McMahon. The 6-furlong race went in 1:11.32.

The 3-year-old filly by Neolithic was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon and was a $70,000 OBS June 2-year-old. Third place was worth $6,000, and Splenda Gail’s earnings jumped to $37,430 in nine races, an average of $4,158 per race.