Turf News

On the day when Prevent, Private Thoughts and Brawn gave Neolithic a rare trifecta in the $100,000 Sabal Palm Handicap at Gulfstream Park, the table had been set earlier on the card when If Not for Luck won the second race and Ababajoni the fourth.

IF NOT FOR LUCK – The 6-year-old horse bred by Juan Rodriguez came from about six lengths off the pace in the test at five furlongs over the Tapeta course and was up by a neck at the wire with Micah Husbands riding. Sold as a yearling at OBS for $35,000, then bringing the same price as a 2-year-old, If Not for Luck raised his record to 5-2-7 in 20 starts, and the check for $16,000 boosted his career total to $212,470.

If Not for Luck benefited from a swift early pace of :21.47 and :43.95, and paid $8 after getting the distance in :55.82.

ABABAJONI – In his career debut under Anthony Thomas, the 2-year-old colt bred by Hallmarc Stallions battled for the lead early (:22.28) in the 5 1/2-furlong test over the Tapeta surface, took over going to the three-eighths, and lasted by a head, clocked in 1:03.3. The $30,000 OBS April 2-year-old collected $27,000 for owner/trainer Rohan Crichton.

Great Venezuela returned to Gulfstream Park Sunday after a trip to Monmouth Park, where she finished second in the Incredible Revenge Stakes, and Del Mar, where she was fourth in the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes, and captured a $100,000 handicap racing 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface under Emisael Jaramillo.

The 4-year-old daughter of Neolithic won by 2 1/2 lengths and earned a check for $59,500, which raised her career total to $426,620, second best among all her sire’s runners. She has compiled a record of 9-4-2 in 16 starts for owner/breeder Orlyana Farm, and $248,420 of her earnings have come this year, in which she’s 3-3-1 in eight starts.

In her latest, Great Venezuela took the lead after a quarter, put up a :44.52 for the half, and coasted home in 1:01.78, just 17 hundredths of a second off the track record held by Extendo, who is by former Pleasant Acres stallion Handsome Mike. She paid $4 and earned an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 103, best of her career.

Neolithic has passed the $9 million mark in lifetime progeny earnings at $9,095,056.

Gulfstream Park has been the scene of many well-documented Blockbuster Saturdays in 2025, but Nov. 29 put the icing on the cake. After the 6-year-old son of Neolithic, If Not For Luck, won the second race, and the 2-year-old Neolithic colt, Ababajoni, won the fourth, Neolithic 4-year-olds Prevent, Private Thoughts and Brawn finished 1-2-3 in the $100,000 Sabal Palm Handicap at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface.

With Emisael Jaramillo in the saddle, Prevent ($8.40) shot to the lead and proceeded to set a leisurely pace, going to the half in :48.62. Brawn (13-1) sat second, just ahead of Private Thoughts, the 4/5 favorite. When the real running began, Private Thoughts went after Prevent down the lane, but came up half a length short, with Brawn holding on for third. The race went in 1:38.92.

Prevent, bred by Katia Perez Ozuna, collected $59,500, raising his career total to $408,327 on a record of 7-5-1 in 26 starts. Private Thoughts, bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon (17-7-4-2, $299,974) earned $22,200, and Brawn, owned and bred by Just For Fun Stable (19-3-2-1, $181,173) banked $11,450, meaning the trio of Neolithics took home $93,150 of the $100,000 purse.

The $2 Neolithic exacta paid $18.40 and the 50-cent trifecta paid $14.15.

Neolithic added his fourth 2025 stakes-placed runner to his impressive resume when Pontevecchio finished third in the seven-furlong, Gr. I Clasico Antonio Jose de Sucre at La Rinconada, near Caracas, Venezuela.

The 2-year-old Venezuelan-bred colt, out of the City Zip mare Venezuelanchampion, raced in second place on the inside down the backstretch, remained in contention on the turn, but was no match for the winner, Bunker, who drew off by daylight in the final sixteenth, clocked in 1:26.73. Pontevecchio dropped back to third late, and is now 1-0-1 in four starts.

Leinster, the eighth-ranked freshman sire in North America, picked up his seventh winner when Cana Dulce romped to her maiden score in her fourth outing at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.

After three starts that produced third, fourth and sixth-place finishes, owner Denian Stable opted to drop the 2-year-old filly from $20,000 claiming company to $8,000, and they lost her after she won by eight widening lengths going 6 1/2 furlongs.

Under J. C. Diaz Jr., Cana Dulce was off in a stalking position early, and when he asked her for more she rushed to the front and made it look easy the rest of the way, getting the distance in 1:19.42. The $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon collected $3,944, and Leinster’s progeny earnings now stand at $695,723.

In her first 12 starts, over five tracks, I Love Venezuela was only able to muster up one victory and one second. In her next 12 starts, all at Gulfstream Park, she’s gone 4-4-0, and has won four of her last five.

The latest score for the 4-year-old Neolithic filly came on Saturday in a mile and 70-yard test over the Tapeta surface, with Edwin Gonzalez aboard. I Love Valenzuela broke on top from the No. 2 post, set leisurely fractions, and continued on to win by 2 1/2 lengths over 9/10 favorite Show Off. She paid $9.20 and collected a check for $19,600, boosting her lifetime total to $105,952 on a record of 5-5-0 in 24 tries. She received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 93, best of her career.

The honor of sending Neolithic over the $3 million mark in 2025 progeny earnings goes to Neon Sign, a 5-year-old gelding bred by Southern Comfort Farm who turned in a strong performance in a six-furlong test at Gulfstream Park on Thursday.

Angel Cruz was aboard the gelding, who rushed to the lead from the outset and continued on in front through swift fractions of :22.27, :45.02 and 57.20 en route to a three-quarters of a length score in 1:10.28. The $15,000 OBS June 2-year-old paid $3.20 as favorite and earned a check for $13,200. That lifted Neolithic’s personal best to $3,009,231 on a record of 8-4-0 in 23 starts.

When Neolithic won the title as leading Florida freshman sire in 2021, his runners racked up progeny earnings of $636,849. With a month and a half remaining in this season, Leinster has already hit $691,779.

Leinster’s latest winner is Triskelian, a 2-year-old filly who broke her maiden at Gulfstrem Park in her fourth start, after posting a second and two thirds in her previous three. In a $75,000 maiden special at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta track, and with Edgard Zayas in the irons, the filly bred by Ashbrook Farm and Amy and Ciaran Dunne went head-and-head for the lead in a blazing :21.94 first quarter, then took over by herself through a half in :45.24. She had just one challenger through the lane, but kept clear of 5/2 second choice Sweet Ember by nearly two lengths, clocked in 1:03.47.

Triskelian became her sire’s sixth winner, paid $4, and collected a $50,000 check for owner Amy Dunne, jumping her four-race total to $80,058.

In 2021, Neolithic was Florida’s leading freshman sire with seven winners and progeny earnings of $636,849, and he’s gone on since to have a stellar career. This year, Pleasant Acres has another freshman leader – Leinster – and he’s already passed Neolithic’s initial year in both winners (7) and earnings ($693,752).

Leinster hit the exacta in Gulfstream’s fourth race on Saturday, with Monster winning the $57,000 allowance optional claimer by nearly five lengths as the 3/2 second choice, and Bronze Bullet finishing second as the 6/5 favorite. It was another four lengths back to the third finisher. The $2 exacta paid $10.

Monster went wire-to-wire in the 5 1/2-furlong test over the Tapeta course under Samy Camacho, speeding past the poles in :22.37, :44.90 and :56.79, with a final clocking of 1:02.92. That’s just 1 second & 31/hundredths off the track record held by Extendo, who is by former Pleasant Acres stallion Handsome Mike. Monster collected $36,600, lifting his earnings to $129,991 on a record of 2-1-1 in six starts. Bronze Bullet, a $180,000 OBS April 2-year-old, has earned $60,640 in his two starts.

Brawn went wire-to-wire in a $57,000 allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park, Dancing N Dixie finished third in the $150,000, Gr. III Maple Leaf Stakes at Woodbine, and Neolithic ended the weekend with $2,994,106 in progeny earnings, making his first $3 million season a certainty in the next few days.

BRAWN – The 4-year-old colt owned and bred by Just for Fun Stable banked $129,143 in his first 13 starts, but his first four efforts of 2025 were less than inspiring. However, a 6 1/2-month vacation appears to be just what he needed. With Jesus Rios aboard in the race at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface, Brawn shot to the lead from the rail and made it look easy, getting the distance in 1:40.42, and winning by three-quarters of a length. He paid $34.20 and rewarded Just for Fun Stable with a check for $34,200 and a breeder’s award. He’s now earned $169,723.

DANCING N DIXIE – The 4-year-old multiple graded stakes-placed filly has made a living via strong runs through the lane, but this time fell just one length short in the race at 1 1/4 miles over the all-weather track. She collected $16,500 in Canadian funds, $11,217 U. S. That increased the lifetime total for the $35,000 OBS June 2-year-old to $418,830, on a record of 3-1-5 in 19 starts.