Turf News

Bronze Bullet became the fifth winner of 2025 for Leinster, Florida’s leading freshman sire and No. 8 in North America, capturing a $50,000 off-the-turf maiden special at Gulfstream Park.

Emisael Jaramillo hustled the 2-year-old colt out quickly and the $150,000 OBS April purchase settled into a stalking position while three wide down the backstretch. The colt bred by Charles Weston and Robert Vickers rallied on the turn while still wide and ran down the pacesetter at the wire, a neck in front. He was clocked in :55.85 for the five furlongs over the Tapeta surface, a little less than a second off the track record.

Bronze Bullet was well-bet for his debut and paid $5.60, while earning a check for $50,000. Leinster now has progeny earnings of $528,533.

Last year, Neolithic enjoyed his best season with $2,884,398 in progeny earnings. When Neolithica won the first race at Laurel on Saturday, she boosted her sire’s 2025 account to $2,793,690, making him a cinch to break his record and probably go on to reach $3 million.

J. D. Acosta was in the irons for Neolithica’s 23rd career start, in a $40,000 starter handicap at seven furlongs. He sent her to the lead out of the gate and she continued on wire-to-wire, although she was all out to hold on by a head, clocked in 1:25.81. The check for $22,236 increased the 4-year-old filly’s earnings to $219,712, a healthy return for a $30,000 Timonium October yearling purchase.

The filly bred in Maryland by Maria M. Haire paid $6.80 after winning four of her last six, and 10 in her career.

In her career debut at Presque Isle Downs with Huber Villa-Gomez aboard, Ridgie finished a distant second for owners and breeders Martin and Emily Goodell. But the education was all the 2-year-old filly needed. Ridgie and Villa-Gomez returned for start No. 2, was sent off at odds of 9/10, and became Neolithic’s 46th winner of 2025.

Despite getting loose and running off briefly on the way to the gate, Ridgie broke well and raced close to the early pace in the 5 1/2-furlong test. When the real running began she proved to be much the best, scoring by three lengths in 1:03.81, less than two seconds off the track record. She paid $3.80 and collected $13,800, jumping her two-race total to $18,400 for the Goodells.

On Sept. 13, the 2-year-old Nyquist colt Argos hit the jackpot, winning the Gr. I, $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes for long-time Ocala owner and breeder David Romanik, who was on hand for the race at Woodbine. The winning purse was $216,675 in U. S. funds.

An hour later, Romanik and his partner, trainer Ron Spatz, struck at Gulfstream Park with Private Thoughts, the red-hot 4-year-old gelding by Neolithic who returned from a 9-month vacation and won his second in a row under Leonel Reyes. The winners’ share of the purse in the $57,000 allowance optional claimer was $34,200.

Private Thoughts made it three straight this week, Reyes guiding him to a head victory in the $70,000 Jet Propulsion Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The $11,000 OBS March 2-year-old bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon paid $8.40 after getting the distance in 1:39.73, less than two seconds off the course record. He raised his record to 7-2-2 in 15 starts, and the check for $41,500 increased his lifetime total to $263,274. His Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 106 is a career best.

Saturday’s feature at Gulfstream Park was a black-type event for 2-year-olds titled the Leinster Hollywood Beach Stakes, with a purse of $75,000. Fittingly, there were three runners by freshman sire Leinster in the field of nine – a filly, Lennilu, a colt, Monster, and a gelding, Squire, and they finished first, third and fifth.

Lennilu, bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon and owned by a consortium of eight, stalked the pace-setting colt, Monster, through blazing fractions of :20.74 and :43.07, then surged to the lead and won by nearly two lengths in :54.97 for the five furlongs on the grass. She paid $5.80, collected $43,200 and is now 4-0-1 in five tries with earnings of $206,489. The $23,000 OBS Winter yearling is the leading money-winner in North America among all runners by freshman sires.

Monster tired in deep stretch to finish third and pick up $8,640; he now has earnings of $93,391. Squire, at 16-1, finished fifth but was only two necks out of third, and banked $2,160, increasing his total to $76,720. The three Leinsters went home with $54,000 out of the purse of $75,000.

Last year was Neolithic’s best: he accumulated progeny earnings of $2,884,398, in third place among all stallions on Florida’s general sire list. When Willow Case captured the $75,000 Hallandale Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park yesterday, with its $44,550 to the winner, Neolithic’s current progeny earnings jumped to $2,703,520, making his first $3 million season a virtual certainty.

Leonel Reyes was aboard the 2-year-old filly again, after he had guided Willow Case to a 3 1/4-length victory in the $75,000 Sharp Susan Stakes in her previous start. Reyes sent her out slowly and she was sixth heading down the backstretch. When he gave her the go sign, Willow Case made a strong wide move, caught the leaders at the top of the stretch and went on to win in a hard drive by three-quarters of a length, clocked in 1:38.02 for the mile.

Willow Case has now won three straight, and as opposed to the $56 win payoff in her last race, this time she paid $8.80. The filly bred by Sherry R. Mansfield and Kenneth M. Davis has earned $130,850 in four starts.

After breaking her maiden in her career debut at Gulfstream Park, then winning the $100,000 Desert Vixen Stakes, R Morning Brew contested four black-type races and posted two thirds, a fourth and a fifth. That string ended with a sharp score in a $57,000 allowance optional claimer over a muddy surface at Gulfstream with Edgard Zayas in the saddle.

The 3-year-old Curlin’s Honor filly left the gate running, battled up front through fractions of :22.64 and :46.35, surged into the lead on the turn and widened down the lane as announcer Pete Aiello barked “R Morning Brew has given them the slip.”

The $30,000 OBS April 2-year-old bred by Dori Morgan Hyatt was 3 1/2 lengths to the good at the wire, clocked in 1:17.87. She paid $7.20 and collected a check for $33,000, increasing her total to $177,500 on a record of 3-0-2 in seven starts for owner Richard Averill. She received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 91, best of her career.

After winning just once in her first 19 starts, I Love Venezuela captured her third straight with a career best wire-to-wire beauty over the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old Neolithic filly carried Cipriano Gil to a 2 1/4-length victory with a mile and one-sixteenth in 1:42.92, receiving an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 84. She had won her previous two by 4 and 4 1/4, giving her the three in a row by a combined total of 10 1/2 lengths. The filly bred by Orlyana Farm paid $8.40 and collected a check for $16,000, increasing her lifetime total to $84,512 on a record of 4-5-0 in 22 starts.

On the same day, Zaddy repeated the unusual feat, winning at Belterra Park and raising his record in his last nine starts to 4-4-0 after having gone 0-1-0 in his first seven. The 3-year-old Neolithic gelding, a $20,000 OBS October yearling, stalked the early pace under apprentice Summer Pauly, launched a challenge on the turn, then outdueled 1/5 favorite El Peje to the wire, winning by a neck in 1:12.15 for the six furlongs.

Zaddy paid $24.80 and picked up a check for $6,600, increasing his total to $47,037, with $35,057 coming this year. With the great recent surge by his runners, Neolithic is certain to reach his first $3 million season well before the end of December.

Pleasant Acres Stallions kicked off the weekend on Friday on a high note, with freshman sire Leinster getting his fourth winner, at Aqueduct, and Curlin’s Honor getting No. 13, at Presque Isle Downs.

LEINSTER – Coming off a second-place finish, St. Brigid’s Cross broke her maiden in her fourth start and paid $5.64 as favorite. She raced head-and-head for the early lead in the race at 6 1/2 furlongs, then sprinted away under the expert handling of Javier Castellano and scored by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:18.80. The 2-year-old filly bred in New York picked up a check of $26,400 for owners /breeders Amy and Ciaran Dunne, raising her total to $48,200.

CURLIN’S HONOR – It took just two starts for Leftnateawalkin and Rosario Montanez to get fully acquainted, and in start No. 3, the 2-year-old gelding bred by Breeze Easy went wire-to-wire in a $40,000 maiden special at six furlongs over the all-weather surface. He passed the markers in :22.51, :45.87 and :57.99, won by half a length in 1:10.61, and collected a check for $24,000, boosting his three-race earnings to $27,750.

Neolithic runners continued their quest for their sire to reach the $3 million level in 2025 progeny earnings with a pair of victories on Saturday, Orquidea Real breaking her maiden at Colonial Downs and Private Thoughts adding to a blockbuster weekend at Gulfstream Park for long-time Pleasant Acres client David Romanik.

ORQUIDEA REAL – The 3-year-old filly bred by Lynn and Chris Boutte took 15 races to win for the first time, but when she did, it was eye-opening. With Joe Trejos aboard for the 5 1/2 furlongs over the outer turf course, she sat fifth on the inside early, about three lengths off the pace, made her move on the turn, and drew off with ease in the lane to score by 4 1/2 lengths in a quick 1:03.32.

Coming off a second in her previous race, the $7,500 OBS March 2-year-old paid $8.20 and earned a check for $19,200, lifting her total to $45,920. She became Neolithic’s 45th winner this year, and received a 76 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, best of her 15 races.

PRIVATE THOUGHTS – Just an hour and 10 minutes after David Romanik’s Argos captured the $500,000, Gr. I bet365 Summer Stakes at Woodbine with the attorney on hand for the winner’s circle presentation, his 4-year-old gelding Private Thoughts, in partnership with trainer Ron Spatz, won a $57,000 allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park. In a test at 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta course, after the race came off the grass, the gelding bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon sat second under Leonel Reyes while stalking pace-setter Fredo, took over the lead entering the stretch and drew off to score by two lengths in 1:41.74.

Private Thoughts, an $11,000 OBS March 2-year-old, has won two in a row and is 3-1-0 in his last four. He paid $7 and collected a check for $34,200, jumping his total to $221,774 on a record of 6-2-2 in 14 starts. He received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 98, tied for best of his career. Neolithic’s progeny earnings have reached $2,612,371 en route to his first $3 million season and he’s firmly entrenched in second place on Florida’s general sire list for 2025.