Bernie Dickman

Victories by Mister Abarrio and Kip the Distance on Thursday added $59,400 to Neolithic’s 2025 progeny earnings. He’s closing in on $2.4 million, leaving him within a stone’s throw of second place on Florida’s general sire list, and $600,000 away from his initial $3 million season.

MISTER ABARRIO – The 5-year-old gelding bred by Dr. Tiffany Atteberry and Scott Brown, a $30,000 OBS October yearling, made it two victories in a row and three of his last four plus a second, coming from behind to score in a $75,000 allowance optional claimer at Colonial Downs. In a 1 1/8-miles trip over the outer turf course, with Micah Husbands aboard, Mister Abarrio broke well, then dropped back to a comfortable sixth along the inside down the backstretch.

Husbands shot him between horses, wheeled to the outside down the stretch, and the gelding was up in the final strides to win by a neck in 1:48.55. He paid $13.20 and earned $44,400, boosting his lifetime earnings to $295,410 on a record of 6-7-11 in 32 starts.

KIP THE DISTANCE – Also winning her second in a row, a $25,000 starter allowance claimer at Penn National, the 3-year-old filly picked up another $15,000 for owner, breeder and trainer Angel Rodriguez, raising her total to $178,670. With Jose Lopez in the irons, she broke sharply in the six-furlong test, chased the leaders while close-up down the backstretch, fanned three wide on the turn, and proved to be best in the lane by 2 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:11.14. In running her record to 3-4-3 in 19 starts, she received her best career Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, a 79.

It was a long time between drinks, a little more than two years to be exact, but Nelida finally scored her second victory, accomplishing it at Presque isle with the best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of her 16-race career.

The 5-year-old daughter of Neolithic was sent off at 8-1 in the race at a mile and 70 yards over the all-weather surface. She broke last in the seven-horse field under Scott Spieth, who was content to park her along the inside down the backstretch, about eight lengths from the leaders. Approaching the final turn, Spieth let her loose and the mare bred by Just For Fun Stable unleashed a strong wide run, made up a ton of ground in the run down the lane, and was up in the last jump to win by a nose.

Nelida was clocked in 1:41.55, paid $19.80, received an ‘E’ speed figure of 84, and earned a check of $11,400 for long-time owner and breeder Bruno Schickedanz. She became her sire’s 40th winner of 2025 and left Neolithic a few dollars short of $2.3 million in progeny earnings, on pace to reach his first $3-million season.

Neolithic has a new money-earnings leader.

Neoequos finished second under Irad Ortiz Jr. in the $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes at Charles Town, and the runner-up check of $96,000 increased his bank account to $450,050. Neolithic has five runners who have earned upwards of $300,000. The seven-furlong race went in 1:26.39, and Neoequos was 2 1/2 lengths behind at the finish.

The 3-year-old colt bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon in partnership with Matalona Thoroughbreds, who had won the $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park in his previous race, helped raise his sire’s career progeny earnings to $8,121,305. The $22,000 OBS October yearling now sports a record of 3-3-2 in 11 starts, and $344,650 of his earnings have come this year.

Neolithic is less than $2,000 away from reaching $8 million in lifetime progeny earnings keyed by the 1-2 finish of I Love Venezuela and Dialithic in a mile and one-sixteenth trip over Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta surface.

I Love Venezuela was back in action with Leonel Reyes just eight days after her last race, a four-length score in which she paid $4.40 while earning $14,550. For this outing, Reyes put her on the lead and she lulled the others to sleep, winning by nearly five lengths in 1:44.80. The 4-year-old filly bred by Orlyana Farm paid $9.40 and collected another $14,550, bringing her total to $68,512 on a record of 3-5-0 in 21 starts.

Dialithic came on to be second, completing an exacta of $22.80. She earned $5,250.

Leinster added a stakes-placed runner to his first crop when Monster led most of the way after setting a blistering pace in the $150,000 Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga, then giving way late to finish second by 1 3/4 lengths.

With Luis Saez aboard, the 2-year-old colt bred by Dr. Ross Russell and Deeann Smith Cavanaugh rocketed past the markers in :21.85, :44.54 and :56.36 and held on for the runner-up spot after 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf in 1:02.75. Spirit of New York, the 9/10 favorite, finished another three lengths back in third.

In his fourth start, the $25,000 OBS Winter Mixed purchase earned a check of $30,000 for Arindel, jumping his total to $84,751.

Neophyte, the talented 6-year-old Neolithic gelding, has made 36 starts in his long career, 33 of them coming at Gulfstream Park and the other three at Woodbine, in Canada. The 33 Florida races have resulted in a treasure trove of breeder’s awards for Dr. Robert Kitos and his wife, Belinda, owners of Southern Cross Farm (SCF). They have collected no less than 20 awards: five for firsts (12.5%), seven for seconds (5%) and eight for thirds (2.5%).

The latest score came in a 5 1/2-furlong test over the Tapeta surface with Heriberto Figueroa in the irons. Neophyte engaged in a cavalry charge out of the gate, and after a first quarter in :22.23, left the others behind on the turn. He put up :45.74 for the half, widened the lead in the stretch, and reached the wire 3 1/2 lengths in front, clocked in 1:04.12. He earned a check for $16,600, lifting his career bank account to $176,797, and despite his record, paid a whopping $72.20.

After Zaddy left Florida and arrived in Ohio in May, he finished fifth in his first try at Belterra Park. Then, Albin Jiminez jumped aboard and the 3-year-old Neolithic gelding responded with a victory and two seconds. However, when his next start came, Jiminez was scheduled to ride the 3/10 favorite in the same race, and Zaddy’s ride went to apprentice Summer Pauly. Jiminez won the race, but Pauly guided Zaddy into second place, and she’s been aboard ever since.

Four starts with the apprentice in the irons and Zaddy has posted two victories and two seconds, the latest a score at five furlongs on the grass with the gelding prevailing in a three-horse photo. The $20,000 OBS October yearling was clocked in :58.42, paid $24, and the check for $7,200 increased his total to $40,317 on a record of 3-5-0 in 17 starts.

Zaddy’s record in his last seven starts is a smart 3-4-0 and apprentice Summer Pauly looks like she has a steady ride.

After an enforced vacation put him out of action for 10 months, Neon Sign has returned in top form for trainer Tim Kreiser. The 5-year-old Neolithic gelding finished fifth in his return, but has since added a second and a first at Penn National, followed by another score in his latest at Delaware Park.

The Delaware race was a $26,650 starter optional claimer at six furlongs, and Carlos Lopez gave the $15,000 OBS June 2-year-old a perfect heads-up ride. From the No. 2 post, he settled Neon Sign in third place down the backstretch, went wide after the leaders on the turn, and proved best of several rivals down the lane, winning by one length in 1:11.62. The gelding bred by Southern Comfort Farm paid $7.80, and the winner’s check for $16,200 raised his earnings to $124,345 on a record of 7-4-0 in 20 starts.

.

Leonel Reyes had a monster day with females at Gulfstream over the weekend, winning four races with the young ladies, including two by daughters of Neolithic.

I LOVE VENEZUELA – In the race at 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta surface, under co-highweight of 125 pounds, Reyes had the 4-year-old filly sitting a stalking second heading down the backstretch. He let her out coming to the turn and I Love Venezuela caught the leader, wrested the lead from her in the stretch and ran away to core by four lengths, clocked in 1:43.63. The filly bred by Orlyana Farm paid $4.40 and earned a check for $14,550, boosting her bank account to $53,962 on a record of 2-5-0 in 20 starts.

WILLOW CASE – Three races later, Reyes guided the 2-year-old filly to an upset victory in the $75,000 Sharp Susan Stakes, giving Neolithic five black-type winners in 2025 and nine overall. In her third start, the filly bred by Sherry R. Mansfield and Kenneth H. Davis went off at 27-1, highest price in the field of seven going six furlongs. She sat third down the backstretch, fanned out wide on the turn and was easily best in the run to the wire, winning by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:11.51. She paid $56 and earned a check for $44,100, jumping her bank account to $86,300.

Neolithic is less than $52,000 from reaching $8 million in career progeny earnings.

Another highly successful several days for Neolithic resulted in four more winners, two stakes-placed runners and one third, and his progeny earnings have reached $2,030,097. He’s a cinch to reach his first $3 million season by year’s end.

NEW ROME – The 5-year-old Kentucky-bred is approaching $200,000 in earnings after an easy score in a $72,764 allowance test at Ellis Park. The mare bred by Suzanne Sackleh and Michael Masters went wire-to-wire in the race at one mile over the turf course, and her clocking of 1:32.46 is just seven-tenths of a second off the course record.

Adam Beschizza was in the saddle for the rocking-chair ride, with New Rome opening up a five-length lead in the stretch, then coasting home by 3 1/4 lengths. She paid $7.78 and earned a check for $30,354, increasing her lifetime bank account to $194,568 on a record of 7-2-1 in 16 starts. She received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 101, best of her career.

KIP THE DISTANCE – Angel Rodriguez has the best of all worlds: he’s the breeder, owner and trainer of the 3-year-old filly who went wire-to-wire in a $30,000 claimer at Colonial Downs, and luckily he didn’t lose her. With Jose Lopez aboard in the 5 1/2-furlong test that was originally scheduled for the turf, Kip the Distance set a blazing pace – :22.31, :44.69 and :56.27 – and went on to win by two lengths in 1:02.61, just over one second off the track record. She paid $3.20 and Rodriguez collected a check for $21,000, bringing her career total to $163,670 on a record of 2-4-3 in 18 tries.

STAKES-PLACED – Camigol’s connections were the recipient of a gift when two scratches left a field of four in the Gr. II, $200,000 Saratoga Special. Under Jose Lezcano, the 2-year-old colt finished third at odds of 18-1, and the check for $24,000 boosted his earnings for three races to $70,200.

GREAT VENEZUELA – The 4-year-old filly kept her in-the-money record intact – she’s an awesome 8-4-2 in 14 starts after her runner-up finish in the $100,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes at Monmouth Park. At odds of 8/5, she lost by one length and collected $20,000, jumping her bank account to $355,120, with $176,920 coming in 2025.

BARBAZON BONANZA – After bringing home a second-place breeder’s award for Joe and Helen Barbazon in her first of two starts, Bayou Brigid struck big-time in outing No. 3, breaking her maiden in impressive style at Gulfstream Park with the Pleasant Acres owners receiving a healthy award based on the $70,000 purse.

In a race at a mile and 70 yards that had come off the turf, Luca Panici sent the $20,000 OBS April 2-year-old three wide into the stretch and Bayou Brigid went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths. She paid $13, and the $50,000 payoff jumped her earnings to $62,600.

NEOLITHICA – Another wire-to-wire victory, this one at Charles Town by the 4-year-old filly bred in Maryland by Maria M. Haire. A $30,000 Timonium October yearling, Neolithica earned her best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, an 89, after scoring by 9 1/2 lengths in a $31,700 allowance test at 6 1/2 furlongs. Winner of four of seven efforts this year, she’s 8-2-1 in 20 career starts with earnings of $170,576 after adding her latest check for $18,936.