Turf News

Jeeker Joe provided another breeders’ award for the highly successful quartet of Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon, winning a one-mile turf race at Gulfstream Park yesterday under a patient ride by Tyler Gaffalione.

Jeeker Joe had been idle since last August, but showed he was ready for his return with a five-furlong work of :59.40 at the Palm Meadows training facility in March. Based on that trial, the 4-year-old gelding went off at 6/5 and was more than up to the task. Gaffalione settled him into fifth place down the backstretch, made a wide move on the turn, and ran down the leaders in early stretch, scoring by a length in 1:36.99.

While breaking his maiden in his eighth try, Jeeker Joe earned a check for $10,400 and gave Treasure Beach his 11th winner of 2020.

It took Sugar Fix until her fifth race to figure out what the game was all about – the 3-year-old filly by Treasure Beach breaking her maiden on Jan. 22 at Tampa Bay Downs after four mediocre tries. That started her on a streak that now stands at 3-2-0 in her last five starts after an impressive score at a mile on the grass in Oldsmar yesterday.

With Ronnie Allen Jr. in the irons, 9-5 favorite Sugar Fix broke second from the rail and stalked pacesetter Matinee Girl down the backstretch through fractions of :23.43 and :47.58. Allen sent her after the second choice coming to the turn, took the lead heading into the stretch and was hand-ridden over the last 100 yards en route to a four-length victory in 1:37.14.

Sugar Fix earned $10,443 for her third score for Ballybrit Stables, raising her total to $40,168. Unfortunately, her owner/breeder lost her in a claim for $20,000.

With a hard-fought victory yesterday at Tampa Bay Downs, Here Comes Jackie gave Handsome Mike his 17th winner of 2020, and only three Florida stallions have more. One of them is former Pleasant Acres sire Brethren, who has 18.

Tomas Mejia had Here Comes Jackie in mid-pack early in the race that came off the grass and went at one mile and 40 yards on the main track. He urged the 4-year-old filly up to third coming to the turn and went after pacesetter Lady Brexit at the top of the stretch. It took all of Mejia’s skills to get her up by a neck after a stretch-long battle.

Here Comes Jackie, bred at Pleasant Acres by Joe and Helen Barbazon, paid $4.20 as favorite as she raised her record to 3-4-2 in 23 starts. The $8,850 winner’s check boosted her career total to $164,290, most among Handsome Mike’s runners.

After Little Natalia made an unsuccessful debut at Gulfstream Park last July, she went to the bench and didn’t return until yesterday, in the first race at Tampa Bay Downs. Based on that first effort, the 3-year-old Handsome Mike filly should have been a healthy price for her second try, especially after such a long layoff.

But Little Natalia turned in a series of good works at Gulfstream, including a bullet 36.90 for three furlongs on March 26. As a result, she was bet down to a 2-1 second choice for her six-furlong comeback.

With Antonio Gallardo aboard, Little Natalia rushed to the lead from the inside, posting a solid fraction of :23.14 for the first quarter. She continued in front the rest of the way without a real challenge, and as she was drawing off to an easy maiden-breaking score in the stretch, announcer Richard Grunder chimed in with “well-prepared after the layoff.” The final margin was 8 1/2 lengths.

Little Natalia became Handsome Mike’s 16th winner this year, earning a check for $6,900 plus a breeders’ award for Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Danceronthebeach proved to be a dancer on the turf course at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday, with the Treasure Beach colt breaking his maiden via a wire-to-wire score in his fourth start.

After posting two seconds and a third in his first three tries, the 3-year-old colt bred by Robyn Thompson was sent off as the 9/5 favorite in the one-mile race over the excellent grass course in Oldsmar. Raul Mena shot Dancertothebeach to the lead from the No. 4 post and never gave it up, controlling the pace throughout and turning away several challenges before waltzing away in the stretch to win by three lengths.

In becoming Treasure Beach’s 10th winner of 2020, the colt paid $5.80 and earned a check for $8,100.

One of the best indicators of any horse’s progress is the ‘E’ figure awarded by Equibase after every race. When the Treasure Beach filly Sugar Fix made her career debut for Ballybrit Stable at Monmouth Park last September, she finished a distant fourth and received an ‘E’ of 37.

Shipped to Tampa Bay Downs, the 3-year-old filly has since raced six more times, and her ‘E’ figure has gone up in every start, culminating with a solid 84 for her sharp victory yesterday at one mile over the turf course.

Jesus Castanon took Sugar Fix away from the gate quickly and she ducked to the rail in fourth place down the backstretch. Castanon sent her after the leaders on the turn and it became strictly no contest in the race to the wire, with Sugar Fix going away at the finish by two lengths over 7/10 favorite Vaunt.

Sugar Fix has won two of her last three, along with a second, increasing her earnings to $25,735 for Ballybrit. Treasure Beach is now less than $3,700 from reaching the $300,000 mark in progeny earnings for 2020.

Sister Otoole was sent off at even money in the fifth race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, a $43,000 maiden special at one mile on the turf, and the 3-year-old filly more than lived up to expectations, getting winner No. 5 this season for Amira’s Prince.

With Luis Saez aboard for the filly’s third start, Sister Otoole broke beautifully from the No. 4 post and tucked in second on the rail behind Undercover Outlaw. Saez was content to follow about four lengths behind the 240-1 shot down the backstretch, and went after her after fractions of :23.07 and :47.08.

Sister Otoole grabbed the lead on the turn with two challengers to her outside, but Saez let her out down the lane and she drew off easily to score by nearly two lengths over Circle 8 Ranch’s Aizu. Clocked in 1:35.64, she paid $4.80, while earning a juicy check of $25,800, plus a breeder’s award for Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Sister Otoole is now 1-1-1 in three starts and is the leading earner for Amira’s Prince ($31,725).

In his first two trips aboard Fledermaus at Tampa Bay Downs, Wilmer Garcia settled the 5-year-old son of Treasure Beach into mid-pack early, and they weren’t able get a big piece of the purse in either race. The third time proved to be the charm, however, as Garcia switched tactics, shooting the 5-year-old gelding to the lead from the No. 3 post, and Fledermaus took it from there, going on to nail down his second career victory for owner/breeder Glen View Oaks.

Fledermaus had plenty of company throughout the mile and 40-yard trip, but he turned away every challenge before leaving the field behind at the top of the stretch, and he drew off to prevail by 6 1/4 widening lengths. He paid $14.20 and became the ninth winner of the year for Treasure Beach, plus providing Glen View Oaks with a check for $6,000 and a breeder’s award.

Handsome Mike’s 15th winner of the season is Blue Mistress, a 3-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon who turned in a wire-to-wire maiden-breaker racing a flat mile on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday.

Harry Hernandez shot Blue Mistress out of the gate quickly and she was never in real danger of losing the lead, turning away two rivals at the head of the stretch and drawing off to score by nearly four lengths in 1:36.73. She paid $4 as favorite.

Handsome Mike leads Florida’s third-crop sires on both the progeny earnings and winners’ lists.

What a difference eight months can make!

When Sir Seamus made his career debut at Gulfstream Park on July 19 of last year, the son of Handsome Mike led every step of the way at odds of 81-1 and paid $164.60. Yesterday, Irad Ortiz Jr. took the 4-year-old gelding wire-to-wire again at Gulfstream, but this time the price was $3.40.

Sir Seamus shot to the lead in the one-mile race over the turf course, held a two-length for most of the trip behind sizzling fractions of :22.62, :45.68 and 1:09.23, and finished 1 1/2 lengths in front, clocked in an excellent 1:33.84.

Sir Seamus was bred at Pleasant Acres by Joe and Helen Barbazon, and was a $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old. He lifted his earnings to $48,860, while becoming Handsome Mike’s 14th winner of the year.