Bernie Dickman

For the first 11 races of her career – eight at Gulfstream Park and three at Gulfstream West – Jeanie’s Angel was able to post just one victory and one second for owners John Nitolo and Joseph Stone. After the 11th start, back in December, she went on a vacation and didn’t show up again until May 23 at Pimlico.

The five months off proved to be the right medicine for the 5-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike, and she won in her return by four lengths with new rider Jorge Ruiz in the irons. Jeanie’s Angel then added a second, half a length behind the winner, with Ruiz aboard on June 13. Yesterday, Ruiz guided her to a 4 1/2-length score, adding $10,830 to her earnings.

Under high-weight of 126 pounds, Jeanie’s Angel forced the pace in the two-path in the 5 1/2-furlong race, made a bold wide move nearing the top of the stretch, and drew away with ease in the lane, clocked in 1:05.31. She’s now 3-2-0 in 14 tries with earnings of $42,510, with $22,530 coming in her three Pimlico outings. The $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old purchase was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Striking Mike scored his second victory of 2021 yesterday, going wire-to-wire in a strong performance at six furlongs at Finger Lakes.

The 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike went off at 4-1 with Emanuel De Diego, who sent the gelding out quickly and he assumed a lead he was never in danger of losing.

Striking Mile passed the furlong markers in :23.72 and :47.63, turned into the stretch with a daylight lead, and continued on to the wire to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:12.63. He paid $10 and earned a check of $10,680 for his owners and breeders, Kathryn Wright and Samantha Vitalone.

My Little Rosy is a perfect example of the old adage, “if you don’t succeed at first, try, try, again.”

The daughter of Handsome Mike broke her maiden as a 3-year-old at Tampa Bay Downs in January of 2019 and paid $84.40. She hadn’t won again until yesterday at Evangeline Downs, but not for the lack of trying. The 5-year-old mare scored in a runaway under Wallynette Rodriguez and raised her record to 2-1-4-6 in 24 starts.

My Litle Rosy raced just six times in 2020, finishing fourth in the first three and third in the last three. She was then laid up for nearly nine months until returning at Louisiana Downs and adding another fourth to her ledger. Yesterday, the mare bred by Ponder Hill made her second start of 2021 and was sent off as the 4/5 favorite in the race at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf. She sat second early, went after the pace-setter after a half, then blew by and won by nearly six lengths.

My Little Rosy became Handsome Mike’s 17th winner this year, and the winner’s check of $8,400 raised his progeny earnings to $508,086. He’s currently the 9th-leading active stallion on Florida’s sire list for 2021.

Handsome Mike will pass the $500,000 mark in 2021 progeny earnings today after his leading money-winner, Here Comes Jackie, scored her sixth career victory in Belmont Park’s second race yesterday.

The 5-year-old mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon collected a check for $33,000 after winning the $32,000 claiming race on the turf by 1 1/4 lengths under Joel Rosario, arguably the best rider in North America. Here Comes Jackie’s bank account swelled to $274,285 on a record of 6-7-3 in 38 starts.

It proved to be a sweet monetary return for Zilla Racing Stables, Acqua Nova Stable and PlayingTheField Racing, who had claimed Here Comes Jackie for $25,000 out of her last race at Belmont on May 20.

Rosario settled Here Comes Jackie into fifth place on the inside early in the 7-furlong race, and they remained there until well into the turn. Then he swung her out to mid-track and ran down the leaders in the final eighth, clocked in an excellent 1:21.67.

Handsome Mike’s earnings reached $499,236 and he’ll pass the half-million mark today if either of his two runners – My Little Rosy at Evangeline Downs, or Running for Riz at Gulfstream Park – finish on the board.

Based on the recent schedule of Big Cyn, Beth Miller-Saul apparently doesn’t hold to the thinking of the great number of trainers who believe their horses need a month or so between races.

Big Cyn became Handsome Mike’s 16th winner of 2021 yesterday, scoring a powerful wire-to-wire victory in a $24,000 allowance race at Finger Lakes. It marked the 4-year-old New York-bred filly’s third start in a span of 36 days for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio. Miller-Saul has taken advantage of the current state of racing, with the steady decline in the average number of starters per race; Big Cyn has faced a total of just 13 (4-5-4) other runners in her last three tries.

Kevin Navarro was aboard Big Cyn in yesterday’s race at a mile and 70 yards, and he enjoyed a rocking-chair ride as Big Cyn made every pole a winning one. She cruised to the wire nearly four lengths in front, paid $3.80 as favorite and earned a check for $14,400, raising her career total to $69,080 on a record of 4-0-3 in 14 starts.

The English translation of the Spanish term “El Profe” is “The Professor,” and Neolithic’s first starter, the 2-year-old colt El Profe, certainly taught his six rivals a lesson in yesterday’s second race at Gulfstream Park.

El Profe came into his debut in the $50,000 maiden claiming race with a good workout tab, including a :47.09 4-furlong breeze from the gate at Gulfstream on May 14, second best among 36 who worked at the distance that day. He was sent off as the 4-1 third choice in the 5-furlong race with apprentice Gaddiel Martinez in the irons.

Martinez shot El Profe to the lead from the No. 3 post, and the colt opened up a 3-length lead after a quarter in :22.56. From there, he was never seriously threatened, holding off three minor challenges at the top of the stretch, and winning by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:00.51.

El Profe, bred by his trainer, Angel Hernandez, in partnership with Jose Perez, paid $10 and earned a check for $28,550.

With just one victory to show for 26 starts in South Florida for owner/breeder Joel W. Sainer and trainer Dave Braddy, Took a Cab took a van ride north to Parx Racing for new owners DDEH Stable and John M. Rodriguez. The move proved to be just what the 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike needed, making his initial effort a winning one in Pennsylvania yesterday.

Luis Rivera contributed a picture-perfect ride aboard the gelding, settling in on the rail just behind the leaders racing up the backstretch, and making a strong three-wide move on the turn after a half in :45.3. From there, Took a Cab cruised to his second victory by 2 1/2 lengths, clocked in 1:11.08 for six furlongs. He paid $12, matched by a $12,000 check for his new owners.

Took a Cab is now 2-4-8 in 27 tries with earnings of $60,700 and is Handsome Mike’s 15th winner this year.

Sharp handicappers must have been paying close attention to the morning trials of Where U B, because the 3-year-old gelding by Ride On Curlin was bet down to 2-1 favoritism in his career debut yesterday at Parx Racing.

Ruben Silvera was aboard Where U B, who was purchased for a bargain $5,000 by current owner Joseph Besecker at the OBS July sale in 2020. Silvera put the gelding on the lead at the break and Where U B never gave it up, repelling all challenges and going on to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:04.83 for the 4 1/2 furlongs. He paid $6 and earned $11,400.

Where U B is the fifth winner from just 10 starters this year for Ride On Curlin.

In her first start away from Florida, Jeanie’s Angel scored her second career victory yesterday, a sharp wire-to-wire performance at Pimlico Race Course.

The 5-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike had been able to win just once in 11 tries at Gulfstream Park and Gulfstream West, but after a five-month layoff, made it look easy in Baltimore. With Jorge Ruiz in the irons, the mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon shot to the front from the No. 6 post, received one minor challenge while passing the furlong markers in :23.68 and :47.59, and coasted to the wire four lengths in front with six furlongs in 1:13.13.

Jeanie’s Angel, a $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old in 2018, paid $5 as favorite and earned a check for $8,550, becoming Handsome Mike’s 14th winner of the year.

The 4-year-old colt Complex System has more than emulated his name – his eight-race career can be rated as somewhat complex.

Breeder Beth Bayer sold the son of Amira’s Prince for $25,000 at the 2018 OBS October sale. Six months later, high-profile Klaravich Stable purchased him for $210,000 at the OBS April sale. Racing in the Klaravich colors for his first five starts, Complex System finished second four times and third once and never went off at odds higher than 7/2 – twice he was odds-on.

The Klaravich group apparently soured on the colt and in his fifth race, when he was 5/2, he was claimed by Joe Sharp at Belmont Park for $40,000, for owner/trainer Louis Roussel III.

Roussel shipped Complex System to Fair Grounds and in his sixth start, the colt broke his maiden at odds of 50 cents to a dollar. An eventful seventh start produced his first off-the-board finish, but yesterday he made amends for that one, going wire-to-wire in a $47,000 allowance optional claimer over the Gulfstream Park grass course and winning by 2 1/4 lengths without ever being tested, getting his highest Equibase “E” rating, a 96. He paid $11, raised his record to a solid 2-4-1 and the $28,700 winner’s check lifted his earnings to $104,500.

Complex System looks like a colt who has not yet reached his potential.