Bernie Dickman

 Gulfstream West’s Millions Preview program resulted in a pair of Pleasant Acres’ stallions gaining stakes-placed runners yesterday, Decorated Ace finishing a fast-closing second in the $75,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf and Lucky Mike doing likewise in the $75,000 Juvenile Turf. 

Decorated Ace, who had broken her maiden while winning the Sorority at Monmouth Park in September, sat a comfortable tracking fourth down the backstretch in the one-mile Juvenile Fillies. Samy Camacho guided her between horses on the turn and she closed with a rush, falling one-half length short at the wire. The Treasure Beach filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon earned a check for $14,400, raising her bank account for her first season to $65,500. 

Lucky Mike became the first stakes-placed runner for freshman sire Handsome Mike, despite an erratic run through the stretch with Hector Berrios. The colt came into the Juvenile Turf with just one fourth-place finish under his belt and sat within hailing distance until the turn. Berrios moved off the rail heading into the stretch but Lucky Mike suddenly ducked back to the inside under a right-handed whip. He was making up ground with every stride when Berrios hit him several times with a left-handed whip. Lucky Mike veered out to the four or five path, fortunately with none of his rivals in his way. A strong late run moved him into second just before the wire, one length behind the winner, good for a check of $14,550.

There were eight races on the  Gulfstream West program yesterday – and a colt and two fillies by Treasure Beach won 37.5 percent of them. That included all three contested over the turf course.

It began in the fourth race, where Venezuelan Forever won her second in a row with Paco Lopez in the irons. The 3-year-old filly sat second for much of the 1 1/16th-mile trip, and when Paco urged her on the turn, she edged away in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. The Orlyana Farm-bred filly is 3-1-1 in 11 starts and the winner’s check of $11,600 raised her earnings to $53,580. 

Two races later, Paco was at it again at a flat mile with Ambassador Jim, who mirrored Venezuelan Forever’s stalking trip and put away the 3/5 favorite down the lane to score by 2 1/4 lengths. The 3-year-old colt collected a check of $25,200 for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio and his bank account soared to $128,112 on a record of 2-3-1 in 11 starts. 

Another two races later, it was Emisael Jaramillo who took the third leg of the Treasure Beach trilogy with Gia Lia Joe. The 3-year-old filly bred by Jorge Tabraue and Jorge Herrera had just broken her maiden – by 1 1/2 lengths – on Oct. 24, and made it two straight with a good rail trip and a 2 1/2-length victory worth $11,600. 

The trio of winners added $48,400 to Treasure Beach’s 2018 progeny earnings, which jumped to $1,134,634. A $2 win parlay on Venezuelan Forever ($6), Ambassador Jim ($11) and Gia Lia Joe ($15.20) brought back a tidy $250.80. 

Breeders’ Cup Saturday in the U. S. was a huge success, and it carried over for Treasure Beach into a pair of graded races at San Isidro in Argentina. 

Mirta captured the Gr. I Enrique Acebal and its $35,250 purse on Nov. 3 after the 2-year-old filly had finished third in the Gr. I Seleccion in Palermo in her previous start. She has now earned $56,313. On the same program, Glorious Moment won the Gr. III Prev.buenos Aires and $14,100; he had just broken his maiden on Oct. 21. The second-place finisher was Fromm, another Treasure Beach colt, who collected $5,076.

The heat wave has ended, but South Florida’s bettors are still enjoying the beach. At Gulfstream West yesterday, it was Don ‘s Beach, a 3-year-old who was bet down to 7/10 in a race at a flat mile over the main track. The Treasure Beach gelding bred by Stonehedge Farm recently returned from a mediocre stay at Presque Isle Downs and its all-weather track, where there are no beaches, and has posted a victory and a third in two starts. He went wire to-wire under Mike Allen, leaving the field in the dust down the lane to score by nearly seven lengths, while collecting a check for $10,400. 

Treasure Beach’s late-season surge continued yesterday at Gulfstream West as Treasured Info broke her maiden under Romero Maragh to become the stallion’s seventh winner since Oct. 1 and 27th of 2018. The 2-year-old filly shot out of the gate in the 5 1/2-furlong race and never looked back, widening her margin in the stretch and hitting the finish line three lengths in front. She earned a check of $10,400 for her owner and breeder, Patricia Generazio, a longtime Pleasant Acres client. Treasure Beach recently passed the $1 million mark in progeny earnings for the year, and is already closing in on $1.1 million.

Joe and Helen Barbazon and the Treasure Beach syndicate collected another breeders’ award when Pirate’s Plunder made a successful career debut yesterday at Gulfstream West and paid a juicy $39. In a race that came off the grass and was contested at seven furlongs over the main track, the 3-year-old gelding was off third under Luis Castillo and made his move after the half. He took the lead heading into the stretch and scored by a head in a driving finish, becoming the 26th winner this year for Treasure Beach. The victory was worth $10,400 for owners Stanley Officina and Hemingway Racing.

With Emisael Jaramillo controlling the pace from the outset, Gia Lia Joe became the 25th winner of 2018 for Treasure Beach at Gulfstream West yesterday. The 3-year-old filly broke her maiden with a wire-to-wire victory racing a flat mile on the grass, earning a check for $10,400. She won it by 1 1/2 lengths at odds of 5-1 and increased Treasure Beach’s progeny earnings for the year to $1,039,027 . . . Treasure Beach’s great success in Argentina continues, with maiden scores at San Isidro by a pair of 2-year-old colts, Glorious Moment and Emiterio.

Betamax cassettes have become virtually invisible these days, and the unique condition rubbed off on the 3-year-old Beta Max, who broke his maiden in the 10th race at Gulfstream West yesterday and became winner No. 24 this year for red-hot Treasure Beach.

With Miguel Vasquez aboard, Beta Max was off sixth in the 7 1/2-furlong turf race, and remained there down the backstretch and heading into the final turn. When Vasquez stepped on the gas, the gelding inhaled the four horses vying for the lead in a matter of seconds and he turned into the lane on top, despite the fact that the track announcer subbing for Pete Aiello treated him like he wasn’t there. The sub didn’t pick up Beta Max until about 100 yards from the wire, and by that time the race was over as he cruised to a seven-length victory, worth $10,400.

Many miles away, at Hawthorne, Handsome Mike gained his fifth winner when first-timer Smart Daddy went virtually wire-to-wire under Edgar Perez in a $20,000 maiden special at six furlongs. The 2-year-old colt bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon posted sizzling fractions of :21.71, :45.38 and :58.16 en route to victory by 3 3/4 lengths and a final clocking of 1:11.65. Smart Daddy paid $19.20 in his debut and collected $12,000 for the score. 

Box of Gold charged past favored Secret O’Life with a furious rush in the final sixteenth to win Gulfstream West’s seventh race yesterday, at the same time accounting for Treasure Beach charging past the $1 million mark in 2018 progeny earnings. 

Edgard Zayas was aboard the 2-year-old filly, who broke her maiden for owner/breeder Gilbert Campbell’s Stonehedge Farm in just her second start. Racing 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass, Box of Gold broke in mid-pack from the No. 10 post, and Zayas settled her into a good spot along the rail down the backstretch. She remained on the rail turning into the stretch, where Zayas swung her out  to the middle of the course and Box of Gold literally flew to the wire, making up about four lengths and surviving a hard bump by Secret O’Life, who was desperately trying to hold her off. Box of Gold won by one-half length and collected a check for $15,300, which boosted Treasure Beach’s earnings to $1,002,937.  

Jose Ortiz proved yesterday why he’s become one of the country’s leading riders as he guided Saratoga Treasure to victory in a $66,000 allowance race at six furlongs on the grass at Belmont Park. The 3-year-old daughter of Treasure Beach was off near the rear of the 12-filly field, and remained in 10th place down the backstretch. When several of her rivals went wide turning into the stretch, Ortiz swung Saratoga Treasure to the inside, drove her between horses, and she ate up her 8-length deficit, getting up by a neck in the final strides.

The New York-bred filly collected a check for $38,115 for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio, boosting her total to $109,385, as she became her sire’s fourth $100,000-plus earner. Saratoga Treasure’s progeny earnings for 2018 jumped to $980,347.

In Argentina, Mirta finished third yesterday in the Gr. I Gran Premio Seleccion at Hipodromo Argentino De Palermo. The 2-year-old filly had broken her maiden at San Isidro in March.