Turf News

After a mediocre beginning to his career during which he went 1-3-2 in 12 tries, adding his most recent victory Mister Abarrio has become an in-the-money star, posting a record of 3-3-9 in his last 17 starts.

The 5-year-old Neolithic gelding, a $30,000 OBS October yearling, scored a neck victory in a 7 1/2-furlong race on the grass under Micah Husbands at Gulfstream Park. The gelding bred by Dr. Tiffany A. Atteberry and Scott Brown sat comfortably in fifth place on the inside down the backstretch, remained on the rail into the stretch, and out-gamed his rivals to the wire to win by a neck. His clocking of 1:26.84 is less than one second off the track record.

Mister Abarrio paid $13.20 and earned a check for $21,700, leaving him less than $500 from reaching $200,000.

With just seven races under his belt, Bold N Breezy has been responsible for four breeders’ awards, three for winning efforts and one for second, for Joe and Helen Barbazon and their partners, Matalona Thoroughbreds.

The latest score for the 3-year-old Gunnevera colt came at Gulfstream Park in a mile and 70-yard test over the Tapeta surface. Emisael Jaramillo took the $50,000 OBS October yearling away in fifth place on the inside down the backstretch, then slipped him through on the rail turning for home. Bold N Breezy ran away from the field in the final sixteenth and won by 4 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:42.47. He paid $3.20 as favorite, and the winner’s check of $19,800 boosted his total to $63,420.

Attorney David Romanik and his trainer, Ron Spatz, have had an exceptionally good run with many runners by Pleasant Acres stallions. Their latest success is with Most Handsome, a 3-year-old gelding by Neolithic who went wire-to-wire under Emisael Jaramillo at Gulfstream Park in a $56,000 allowance optional claimer at five furlongs on the grass.

Jaramillo sent Most Handsome to the lead and the gelding bred by Julie Ann Jackson never looked back, winning by three-quarters of a length and getting the distance in :54.92, just over one second from the course record. He paid $12.20 and collected $33,100 for his co-owners.

Most Handsome increased his record to 3-0-1 in six starts with earnings of $146,360. Neolithic now has 21 winners in 2025 and progeny earnings of $898,545.

Bodexpress picked up his fifth winner in his second crop when Just Trust Me went virtually wire-to-wire under Kevin Krigger in a $22,000 allowance optional claimer at Turf Paradise.

Coming off a pair of seconds, the 3-year-old colt bred by Richard Barton Enterprises shot out to the lead, battled head-and-head through sizzling fractions of :21.42, :43.86 and :56.22, then took over by himself in the lane and drew off to score by nearly two lengths, clocked in 1:09.34 for the six furlongs. He paid $6.40 and the check for $13,200 raised his earnings to $90,740 on a record of 3-4-1 in 12 starts.

After becoming the nation’s first freshman sire of 2025 to get a winner, Leinster also became the first to get two winners when Joe Bravo piloted Squire to a narrow victory in a $79,000 maiden special at Gulfstream Park.

Making his debut, Squire was off in mid-pack and raced about eight lengths off the pace down the backstretch. Bravo let him roll nearing the turn and the colt bred by co-owner Amy E. and Ciaran Dunne responded with a strong wide run into the stretch and was up in the final strides to win by a head. He was clocked in :54.11 for the 4 1/2 furlongs and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 79. Amy Dunne and co-owner/trainer Patrick Biancone collected a check for $50,000 for the score.

Leinster has already racked up progeny earnings of $86,866.

Veteran Tampa Bay Downs trainer Maria Bowersock hit a trifecta in Oldsmar with her 3-year-old maiden Mywifehasagun. Bowersock is the breeder and trainer of the gelding by Gunnevera, and she co-owns him with Robert D. Bone.

Making his eighth start, with Ronnie Allen Jr. in the irons, Mywifehasagun followed the pace under a strong hold down the backstretch, made an imposing move on the turn and took the lead into the stretch, then drew off with ease down the lane to score by 4 1/2 lengths. He raced a mile and 40 yards in 1:42.64, paid $16.40, and earned a check for $12,100 for his co-owners and a breeder’s award for Bowersock. He’s now 1-0-2 in eight starts with a bank account of $19,050.

The honor of getting the first 2-year-old winner of 2025 not only goes to a freshman sire from Pleasant Acres Stallions, but to breeders Joe and Helen Barbazon as well.

The first race for 2-year-olds in North America, a $72,826 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs, was held at Keeneland Race Course on Sunday. It was won by Lennilu, a filly by Leinster bred at Pleasant Acres who had four listed workouts at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach. Each one was better than the last, culminating with a bullet :35.90 for three furlongs, best of 30 trials at the distance that day, and responsible for the filly’s 5/2 price on the tote board.

Luis Saez was aboard Lennilu, who was a $25,000 OBS Winter Mixed yearling. Saez sent her out quickly and Lennilu raced down the backstretch in fourth place over a sloppy surface, while saving ground. She remained inside into the stretch, swung off the rail for the run down the lane, and out-gamed Kadabra to the wire by one length. Lennilu was clocked in :52.32 and paid $7.50, while earning a check for $34,115.

On Monday, the same race for colts was run at Keeneland, and the Leinster colt Monster from Arindel Farm finished a fast-closing but non-threatening fourth after he was murdered from both sides leaving the gate, and trailed by about 12 lengths down the backstretch. Also a $25,000 OBS Winter Mixed yearling, he earned $2,751, giving Leinster a total of $36,866 for the two days.

Hot Girl Walk and Going Deep, California-breds and Bodexpress’s leading two money-winners, finished third and fourth in the $126,000 Evening Jewel Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Hot Girl Walk had previously become her sire’s first stakes-winner when she captured the Generous Portion Stakes at Del Mar. Under Antonio Fresu, she was up close early in the 6 1/2-furlong Evening Jewel, but hung late and finished 3 3/4 lengths back. The 3-year-old filly earned a check for $15,000 for owner/breeder Richard Barton, raising her total to $133,000 on a record of 2-1-1 in six starts.

Going Deep, with Edwin Maldonado, ran evenly for fourth place and collected $7,500, bringing her earnings to $102,900 and her record to 2-2-0 in six starts.

With the victories of Landman Friday (on Saturday) and Iconic Rock, Neolithic edged closer to the $1 million mark in progeny earnings for 2025 while moving into a tie for second place on Florida’s general sire list with 20 winners.

LANDMAN FRIDAY – The 3-year-old colt bred by Grassroot Training & Sales had Rajiv Maragh aboard for his second start, a one-mile trip over the Gulfstream Park turf course. In the $43,000 maiden special, he was off fifth down the backstretch, dropped back briefly, then used the rail to his advantage with an unreal run and was up to win by a neck. The $175,000 OBS April 2-year-old was clocked in 1:34.79, paid a generous $41.40, and earned a check for $25,800.

ICONIC ROCK – On January 28 of 2024, John Hayek and trainer Kathleen O’Connell claimed the then 3-year-old gelding out of his second start for $16,000. In that race, Iconic Rock finished second, but was disqualified and placed fourth. In his next 15 races, the gelding bred by Joan Angelena DiLibero added three more fourths, but was never able to muster up a top three finish.

That all changed early this season, with the $15,000 OBS October yearling getting three seconds and a third in four tries, before breaking his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday under Hector Diaz Jr. In the race at a mile and 40 yards, Iconic Rock made a wide run from fifth place down the backstretch and won a three-way stretch battle by a head. He was clocked in 1:42.69, paid $9, and collected a check for $10,085. And, after 20 races in the Hayek/O’Connell barn, they lost him for $8,000.

In his quest for his first $3 million season, Neolithic’s progeny earnings for 2025 stand at $842,279.

For the first six races of Quizler’s career at Gulfstream, Edgard Zayas was aboard five times and Samy Camacho once – without a visit to the winner’s circle. Then trainer Kelly Breen claimed the 3-year-old colt for $35,000, put Paco Lopez up, and the son of Curlin’s Honor has won two in a row.

His latest came in a $38,000 starter optional claimer at a flat mile on the grass, same as in his previous score. Lopez had a stranglehold on Quizler in third place on the inside down the backside , swung him five wide turning into the stretch, and the colt bred by SCF Inc. drew off to win by nearly two lengths, clocked in 1:34.60. He paid $4, and the check for $22,800 jumped his earnings to $79,020 on a record of 2-3-1 in his eight races.