Bernie Dickman

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.

Bourbon Over Ice was off slowly from the No. 1 post going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park Saturday, but Edgar Perez put the 3-year-old gelding in overdrive quickly and the son of Neolithic surged to the lead on the inside before they hit the first quarter.

From there on, it was all Bourbon Over Ice, who fought off one challenge on the turn before turning the race into a rout to gain his first victory. At the wire, the 4/5 favorite bred by Belvedere Farm was 5 1/2 lengths in front, clocked in 1:13.59. He became the sixth winner this year for Neolithic, and earned a check for $11,600.

After winning at Gulfstream Park, and two races later at Parx Racing, World Gone Wild graduated to Aqueduct yesterday for an allowance race with a purse of $82,000. With Ruben Silvera riding, the 4-year-old filly by Gone Astray wired the field, winning by two lengths and collecting a check for $45,100.

Silvera sent World Gone Wild out quickly and she led past quarters of :22.91 and :46.47 with the rider sitting chilly. When they hit the top of the stretch, Silvera began working on his filly and she was never in danger, finishing with a final clocking of 1:10.94.

World Gone Wild won just once in her first 10 starts, but the $3,000 OBS October yearling has now won two in a row, three of her last four and five of her last eight, and her earnings have ballooned to $180,910.

The honor of getting the first 2-year-old winner of 2022 in Florida goes to Gone Astray, whose daughter, Luna West, wired a seven-horse field that included four colts in yesterday’s second race at Gulfstream Park, a $55,000 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs. To be eligible for the race, each entrant had to have already reached their actual birth date. Luna West’s is March 29.

With just two listed morning trials at the Nelson Jones Training Center – both of 38 seconds breezing – the filly bred by Long Trail Stable was sent off at 37-1, highest price on the tote board. But she rocketed out of the gate under Jose Alonso, pushed along by 4/5 favorite Cajun Hope, retained the lead through fractions of :21.55 and :46.05, and paid $76.20.

In the stretch, the favorite closed the gap late, but fell short at the wire by half a length; it was another four lengths back to the third-place finisher. The victory, achieved in :53.24, was worth $31,000 and helped Gone Astray pass the $500,000 mark in seasonal progeny earnings.

Heading into his engagement in the eighth race at Mahoning Valley yesterday, Gio Sammy had run up a record of one victory, four seconds, four thirds and two fourths in his previous 12 races. The 5-year-old Gone Astray gelding was primed for a sharp effort – and he didn’t disappoint as the 2-1 favorite.

Racing six furlongs with Luis Rivera in the saddle, Gio Sammy broke quickly from the No. 2 post, briefly engaged Hit This Town for the lead, then slid back to second during a :23.12 first quarter. After a half in :45.71, Rivera swung the gelding off the rail, went by Hit This Town in mid-stretch and won under restraint by 3 1/4 lengths.

Gio Sammy, bred in Maryland by Ocala’s Best A Luck Farm, was clocked in 1:11.50 and earned a check for $8,940. He raised his record to 4-4-7 in 25 starts while becoming Gone Astray’s 13th winner of 2022.

Track records for the various distances over the new Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Park have been falling almost weekly, and the Gone Astray gelding Meteorito added his name to the record-breaking list with a stunning performance yesterday.

The 5-year-old bred by the JDAB Stables took off like a shot with Jose Ortiz and held a one-length lead past a quarter in :24.64 and a half in :48.53. Coming to the final turn, Meteorito opened the margin to 2 1/2 lengths, and Ortiz put him on cruise control. The gelding who had finished second in his previous three races scooted away to win by 10 1/2 widening lengths with colorful announcer Pete Aiello proclaiming, “Meteorito has blown this wide open,” followed by “This one is over – it’s been over for a while now,” as the gelding lowered the Tapeta record for ‘about’ 1 1/16 miles to 1:43.63.

In becoming Gone Astray’s 13th winner of 2022, Meteorito paid $5.20 and earned a check for $14,700, increasing his total to $53,870 on a record of 2-5-1 in 16 starts. He earned an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 90, tied with his prior race for his best ever, and was claimed for the third straight time.