Bernie Dickman

The tote board was inundated with handsome payoffs after the official sign lit up following the 10th race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, and all were attributed to Handsome Mike.

The winner of the five-furlong turf race for maidens was Cookie Cove, a 4-year-old filly who became Handsome Mike’s 18th winner of 2020. With riding whiz Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Cookie Cove went straight to the lead, and left the field in her wake after a quarter in :22.68. She held a five-length lead in mid-stretch and cruised to the wire under wraps by three. She paid $4.60 as favorite while earning a check for $10,400 for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio.

As Cookie Cove was coasting the last 100 yards, Tomas Mejia was flying down the middle of the track with first-time starter Caffeine Rush. The 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike easily was up for the place, at odds of 31-1, three lengths ahead of the show horse. Among all the juicy returns, the $2 Pleasant Acres exacta paid $113.20, and the $2 quinella returned $98.40.

At 2:24 Saturday afternoon, the Treasure Beach filly Sand Drift crossed under the wire at Gulfstream Park and registered her third victory while posting a 91 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, her career best. Thirteen minutes later at Tampa Bay Downs, the Handsome Mike filly Do What It Takes left the gate in a six-furlong race and went on to score a thrilling nose victory, posting an 83 ‘E’ figure, also her career best.

Sand Drift, bred by former FTBOA president Leverett Miller and his wife Linda, raised her record to 3-2-3 in 14 starts, and the $12,300 check increased her earnings to $68,120. Sent off as a lukewarm $3.50-1 favorite in an evenly-matched field, she was bumped at the start, then settled in sixth place down the backstretch with Tyler Gaffalione. She came off the rail coming to the turn, moved up to third, then ran down the two leaders in mid-stretch and won by three-quarters of a length in a solid 1:34.30 for the one mile on the grass.

With her fourth lifetime victory, Do What It Takes became Handsome Mike’s third repeat winner of 2020, getting up in time at the wire with Tomas Mejia after making up four lengths in the final 150 yards. The 4-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was clocked in 1:12.12 for the six furlongs, earned a check for $6,670, and raised her career total to $49,876. The $10,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $37.20.

Jeeker Joe provided another breeders’ award for the highly successful quartet of Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon, winning a one-mile turf race at Gulfstream Park yesterday under a patient ride by Tyler Gaffalione.

Jeeker Joe had been idle since last August, but showed he was ready for his return with a five-furlong work of :59.40 at the Palm Meadows training facility in March. Based on that trial, the 4-year-old gelding went off at 6/5 and was more than up to the task. Gaffalione settled him into fifth place down the backstretch, made a wide move on the turn, and ran down the leaders in early stretch, scoring by a length in 1:36.99.

While breaking his maiden in his eighth try, Jeeker Joe earned a check for $10,400 and gave Treasure Beach his 11th winner of 2020.

It took Sugar Fix until her fifth race to figure out what the game was all about – the 3-year-old filly by Treasure Beach breaking her maiden on Jan. 22 at Tampa Bay Downs after four mediocre tries. That started her on a streak that now stands at 3-2-0 in her last five starts after an impressive score at a mile on the grass in Oldsmar yesterday.

With Ronnie Allen Jr. in the irons, 9-5 favorite Sugar Fix broke second from the rail and stalked pacesetter Matinee Girl down the backstretch through fractions of :23.43 and :47.58. Allen sent her after the second choice coming to the turn, took the lead heading into the stretch and was hand-ridden over the last 100 yards en route to a four-length victory in 1:37.14.

Sugar Fix earned $10,443 for her third score for Ballybrit Stables, raising her total to $40,168. Unfortunately, her owner/breeder lost her in a claim for $20,000.

With a hard-fought victory yesterday at Tampa Bay Downs, Here Comes Jackie gave Handsome Mike his 17th winner of 2020, and only three Florida stallions have more. One of them is former Pleasant Acres sire Brethren, who has 18.

Tomas Mejia had Here Comes Jackie in mid-pack early in the race that came off the grass and went at one mile and 40 yards on the main track. He urged the 4-year-old filly up to third coming to the turn and went after pacesetter Lady Brexit at the top of the stretch. It took all of Mejia’s skills to get her up by a neck after a stretch-long battle.

Here Comes Jackie, bred at Pleasant Acres by Joe and Helen Barbazon, paid $4.20 as favorite as she raised her record to 3-4-2 in 23 starts. The $8,850 winner’s check boosted her career total to $164,290, most among Handsome Mike’s runners.

After Little Natalia made an unsuccessful debut at Gulfstream Park last July, she went to the bench and didn’t return until yesterday, in the first race at Tampa Bay Downs. Based on that first effort, the 3-year-old Handsome Mike filly should have been a healthy price for her second try, especially after such a long layoff.

But Little Natalia turned in a series of good works at Gulfstream, including a bullet 36.90 for three furlongs on March 26. As a result, she was bet down to a 2-1 second choice for her six-furlong comeback.

With Antonio Gallardo aboard, Little Natalia rushed to the lead from the inside, posting a solid fraction of :23.14 for the first quarter. She continued in front the rest of the way without a real challenge, and as she was drawing off to an easy maiden-breaking score in the stretch, announcer Richard Grunder chimed in with “well-prepared after the layoff.” The final margin was 8 1/2 lengths.

Little Natalia became Handsome Mike’s 16th winner this year, earning a check for $6,900 plus a breeders’ award for Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Danceronthebeach proved to be a dancer on the turf course at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday, with the Treasure Beach colt breaking his maiden via a wire-to-wire score in his fourth start.

After posting two seconds and a third in his first three tries, the 3-year-old colt bred by Robyn Thompson was sent off as the 9/5 favorite in the one-mile race over the excellent grass course in Oldsmar. Raul Mena shot Dancertothebeach to the lead from the No. 4 post and never gave it up, controlling the pace throughout and turning away several challenges before waltzing away in the stretch to win by three lengths.

In becoming Treasure Beach’s 10th winner of 2020, the colt paid $5.80 and earned a check for $8,100.

One of the best indicators of any horse’s progress is the ‘E’ figure awarded by Equibase after every race. When the Treasure Beach filly Sugar Fix made her career debut for Ballybrit Stable at Monmouth Park last September, she finished a distant fourth and received an ‘E’ of 37.

Shipped to Tampa Bay Downs, the 3-year-old filly has since raced six more times, and her ‘E’ figure has gone up in every start, culminating with a solid 84 for her sharp victory yesterday at one mile over the turf course.

Jesus Castanon took Sugar Fix away from the gate quickly and she ducked to the rail in fourth place down the backstretch. Castanon sent her after the leaders on the turn and it became strictly no contest in the race to the wire, with Sugar Fix going away at the finish by two lengths over 7/10 favorite Vaunt.

Sugar Fix has won two of her last three, along with a second, increasing her earnings to $25,735 for Ballybrit. Treasure Beach is now less than $3,700 from reaching the $300,000 mark in progeny earnings for 2020.

Sister Otoole was sent off at even money in the fifth race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, a $43,000 maiden special at one mile on the turf, and the 3-year-old filly more than lived up to expectations, getting winner No. 5 this season for Amira’s Prince.

With Luis Saez aboard for the filly’s third start, Sister Otoole broke beautifully from the No. 4 post and tucked in second on the rail behind Undercover Outlaw. Saez was content to follow about four lengths behind the 240-1 shot down the backstretch, and went after her after fractions of :23.07 and :47.08.

Sister Otoole grabbed the lead on the turn with two challengers to her outside, but Saez let her out down the lane and she drew off easily to score by nearly two lengths over Circle 8 Ranch’s Aizu. Clocked in 1:35.64, she paid $4.80, while earning a juicy check of $25,800, plus a breeder’s award for Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Sister Otoole is now 1-1-1 in three starts and is the leading earner for Amira’s Prince ($31,725).

In his first two trips aboard Fledermaus at Tampa Bay Downs, Wilmer Garcia settled the 5-year-old son of Treasure Beach into mid-pack early, and they weren’t able get a big piece of the purse in either race. The third time proved to be the charm, however, as Garcia switched tactics, shooting the 5-year-old gelding to the lead from the No. 3 post, and Fledermaus took it from there, going on to nail down his second career victory for owner/breeder Glen View Oaks.

Fledermaus had plenty of company throughout the mile and 40-yard trip, but he turned away every challenge before leaving the field behind at the top of the stretch, and he drew off to prevail by 6 1/4 widening lengths. He paid $14.20 and became the ninth winner of the year for Treasure Beach, plus providing Glen View Oaks with a check for $6,000 and a breeder’s award.