Bernie Dickman

The Isabel Astray didn’t get to the races until she was almost four years old, at Monmouth Park in September of 2022, and she broke her maiden in her first try. Coming up to yesterday at Tampa Bay Downs, she had only raced five more times, without a victory, but with two seconds and a third to her credit at Mountaineer Park, all under Carlos Lugo.

Lugo was aboard again yesterday in a mile and 40-yard test that came off the grass, and he guided the 5-year-old Gone Astray mare to her second score. He took her away third at the break, but The Isabel Astray dropped back to seventh on the rail early. Heading down the backstretch, Lugo got her in gear three wide and she began picking off rivals one by one. By the time they hit the top of the stretch, the mare bred by Inversiones Fl was moving into the lead, and she ran away and hid in the final sixteenth, 3 1/4 lengths in front.

The Isabel Astray boosted her record to 2-2-1 in seven starts, and the check for $12,425 raised her earnings to $33,180. She paid $14.60 and received a 74 Equibase speed figure for the effort, best of her seven races.

Ramiro Rosas Medina, owner and breeder of Florindia, has been the epitome of patience with his 3-year-old Gone Astray filly, Florindia.

Florindia raced eight times as a 2-year-old and won just once, at Gulfstream Park in June. She’s raced five more times this season, and scored victory No. 2 in her 13th try. With Hector Diaz aboard, Florindia became Gone Astray’s fifth winner of 2024, getting up by half a length in a mile and 40-yard test at Tampa Bay Downs that went in 1:41.93. She paid $21.80 and earned a check for $10,675, and her owner/breeder’s patience has paid off to the tune of $81,170.

Gone Astray also had a recent winner in Puerto Rico, the consistent 6-year-old She’s Classy scoring again at Camarero. The mare bred by Craig Wheeler now sports a record of 8-6-9 in 39 starts with earnings of $120,143, and she’s 4-2-0-2 in her last 10 tries.

After his blazing start in the first two months of the new year, during which he had 13 winners and moved into fourth place on Florida’s general sire list, Neolithic tailed off briefly and dropped back to ninth place. But a spate of sharp finishes on Saturday, although without a winner, elevated him back up to sixth.

DANCING N DIXIE – The 3-year-old filly bred by the late Freddie Hyatt was sent off at mammoth odds of 68-1 in the $200,000, Gr. III Florida Oaks over the slick Tampa Bay Downs turf course. With Gabriel Maldonado riding, the Mark Casse trainee hit the gate at the break and was away 11th and last in the race at 1 1/16 miles. The $35,000 OBS June 2-year-old remained last down the backstretch, about 10 lengths behind the leaders, but Maldonado set her down nearing the turn, and Dancing N Dixie gobbled up groun while very wide, then came barreling down the lane and finished third, a length and a head behind favored Waskesiu. She earned a check for $20,000, raising her career total to $110,860, and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 96.

PRIVATE THOUGHTS – The 3-year-old gelding is a 100% Pleasant Acres product, bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon. Trained and co-owned by Ron Spatz in partnership with attorney David Romanik, he went off at 5-1 and stalked the leaders early, then took the lead entering the stretch in the $59,000 allowance optional claimer at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta track. But he was nailed at the wire and wound up second by a neck to Live Oak Stud’s Crystal Quest. Private Thoughts collected a check for $11,340 and received his best ‘E’ speed figure of 81. He’s 1-1-1 in five starts with a bank account of $53,654.

BRAWN – the 3-year-old colt was the pacesetter under Jesus Rios in the same race as Private Thoughts but could not sustain it in the stretch and he finished fourth, collecting $2,700 and increasing his earnings to $52,803 for owner/breeder Just For Fun Stable.

POIEMA – Neophyte’s second-leading money-winner added $8,400 to her earnings with a second-place finish in a 7-furlong, $50,000 Handicap at Tampa Bay Downs. The 5-year-old mare took the lead at the start under Jose Ortiz, put up fractions of :22.42, :45.15 and 1:09.37, then was oufinished by a head in the final strides by 8/5 favorite Sterling Silver. The $14,000 OBS June 2-year-old raised her record to 5-7-2 in 26 tries, and her earnings to $264,153. Her 103 ‘E’ speed figure is the best of her career.

NEOPHYTE – The 5-year-old gelding bred by SCF Inc. (Belinda Kitos) led all the way into the stretch with Edgard Zayas aboard in a $10,000 claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream. He was caught nearing the wire after passing the poles in :22.10, :44.75 and :56.68, and wound up second by three-quarters of a length. Neophyte earned $5,200, lifting his total to $107,037 on a record of 3-5-5 in 20 starts.

The five paychecks added up to nearly $48,000, and Neolithic’s 2024 progeny earnings jumped to $381,772.

While Neolithic was racking up 13 winners in January and February, he also added a pair of stakes-placed runners, Jordi’s Dream and Loana.

JORDI’S DREAM – The 4-year-old filly bred by Ian Parsard led into the stretch under Charlie Marquez before tiring late to finish third in the $100,000 Leinster Lightning City Stakes over the Tampa Bay Downs turf course. Not too shabby for a 50-1 shot. The race went in :55.98, just two seconds off the five-furlong course record. Jordi’s Dream collected a check for $10,000, and now sports a record of 1-1-1 in six starts with earnings of $63,490.

LOANA – The 4-year-old filly bred by Mary K. Haire in Pennsylvania was a $65,000 Timonium 2-year-old, and despite an impressive recent slate, was sent off at 32-1. She missed second place by a nose in the $100,000 Harry Henson Handicap at Sunland Park, a one-mile race that went in 1:35.98 and was won by a 1/9 shot. Loana has finished in the top three in eight consecutive races, three of them winning efforts, and the $10,000 check in the Henson increased her earnings to $97,966. She received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 92, her best in 14 starts.

With the ease that Rubysa handled a sloppy track and her rivals in a six-furlong test at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday one would never have guessed she was breaking an extended losing streak.

With Gabriel Maldonado aboard, the 6-year-old old daughter of Gone Astray broke a step slowly from the rail, gunned up to second on the inside, stalked 7-1 shot Royal to Be on the turn, then opened up into the stretch and coasted home by nearly four lengths. She was clocked in 1:12.39, paid $5.80 and earned a check for $10,850. That increased her career bank account to $89,155 on a record of 4-5-6 in 27 starts.

After Platinum Rocker had led every step of the way until the top of the stretch in the fifth race at Gulfstream on Friday, the 3-year-old Neolithic filly lost the lead to House of Melody as they headed for home. But Miguel Vasquez, who never gives an inch, kept her just inside her only rival and she battled back gamely while announcer Pete Aiello screamed into the microphone, “Platinum Rocker’s coming back now and she’s 45-1!”

At the wire, Platinum Rocker was half a length in front in a time of 1:36.99 for the one mile over the turf course. She earned a check for $19,200 and the 45-1 payoff Aiello referred to turned out to be a juicy $96.80. It was the first victory in seven starts for the filly bred at Flamingo Farm by retired 93-year-old dentist Cornelius (Sonny) Link and his late wife, Doris.

Platinum Rocker, a $20,000 OBS June 2-year-old, became winner No. 13 for Neolithic since Jan. 1 and the stallion is tied for second in that category among Florida’s general sires behind the 16 of leader Khozan. Neolithic is currently fifth on the list with progeny earnings of $313,814, less than $4,000 from fourth.

Neolithic’s early-season heroics are coming so fast and furious that the Bloodhorse stallion list and the Stallion Register statistics page hadn’t caught up with each other for several hours today. After Trumpets went wire-to-wire under Edgar Perez in the second race at Gulfstream Park yesterday to become 2024 winner No. 11, and New Rome followed with a wire-to-wire score under Javier Castellano in the ninth to become No. 12, there proved to be a discrepancy in both the number of winners column and in 2024 progeny earnings.

But just before 2 p. m., somebody discovered the errors and now Neolithic is listed with 12 winners on both lists, and earnings of $294,314. Plus, he’s moved up to fifth place on Florida’s general sire list.

Trumpets, an $8,000 OBS October yearling bred by Matalona Thoroughbreds, had finished a strong second with Perez at odds of 40-1 in her debut in December. The 3-year-old filly came back in a $50,000 maiden optional claimer going five furlongs over the Tapeta surface and scored at 4/5, winning by nearly six lengths in :55.36. That’s just .47 hundredths of a second off the course record. She earned $30,000, giving her a two-race total of $40,430.

New Rome was never threatened in her journey in a $37,000 allowance race at one mile over the turf course. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred filly bred by Michael and Suzanne Masters won in her first try at Gulfstream after her first eight came at Laurel Park. With Javier Castellano riding, she went by the poles with fractions of :23.32. :47.88 and :1:11.79 en route to a 1 1/4-length score in 1:23.31 and paying $13.60. The check for $19,800 increased her bank account to $103,360 on a record of 4-1-1 in those nine starts.

Sizzling Neolithic added 2024 winner No. 10 yesterday at Gulfstream Park and moved up one more spot into sixth place on Florida’s early general sire list.

Prevent, a 3-year-old stakes-placed colt bred by Katia Perez Ozuna, went wire-to-wire under John Velazquez in a $59,000 allowance optional claimer at one mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface. He nosed out 8/5 favorite Northshore Drive at the wire, then survived a foul claim lodged by the runner-ups’ jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr., the country’s leading rider. The two colts had exchanged mild bumps in mid-stretch, and it took the stewards many minutes to decide the outcome, even though it was obvious Prevent hadn’t caused the minor problem and was never in danger of coming down. He paid $8.40.

Prevent, a $15,000 OBS Winter purchase, was clocked in 1:39.11, just a little more than one second off the course record for the distance. He earned a check for $37,400, increasing his bank account to $122,460 on a record of 2-3-0 in nine starts, all made at Gulfstream.

Mr Ramirez became winner No. 9 for Neolithic since Jan.1, holding off all challenges in a 6 1/2-furlong race at Delta Downs and scoring by three widening lengths in 1:22.67.

The 3-year-old colt bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson was away quickly under Joel Dominguez and held a slight advantage going into the first turn. He led by about a length for much of the run down the backstretch, and left four rivals in the dust in the lane.

Mr Ramirez paid $15.20 while breaking his maiden in his third try. The victory was worth $9,600 as Neolithic moved up to seventh on the 2024 Florida sire list with earnings of $191,000. He’s third on the list with his nine winners.

Song on the Radio is as ‘Pleasant Acres’ as a thoroughbred can get.

He’s by former Pleasant Acres stallion Long On Value; was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon; is owned by the farm’s advertising director, Tandra Downs; and competes in the colors of her Shark Pit Racing. And Song on the Radio has come out running in the expert care of trainer Ron Spatz.

The 4-year-old colt finished a ho-hum fourth in his debut at Gulfstream Park in November, appearing as though he didn’t yet comprehend what he was doing out on the racetrack. But in his next two starts he finished second (by a half length), then third, and yesterday he broke his maiden in a game effort as the 6/5 favorite in a $50,000 maiden optional claimer at a flat mile on the grass.

With veteran Joe Bravo aboard for the second time, Song on the Radio stalked the leader from the three path early down the backstretch, went up after a quarter and took over the lead without much urging, opened up two lengths on the turn, then out-nosed 2-1 second choice Flat Top Box at the wire in a photo. He was clocked in an excellent 1:34.34.

The victory was worth $30,000 and raised the colt’s 4-race earnings to a healthy $47,650.