Turf News

Last year was the best on Neolithic’s resume: with his fifth crop at the races, he had 53 winners who earned $3,494,000. Just two weeks into the second half of 2026, he’s well on his way to eclipsing both milestones with 36 winners and progeny earnings of $1,925,462.

The red-hot son of Harlan’s Holiday added two more winners over the weekend, old reliable Private Thoughts ($5.80) at Gulfstream Park and They Call Me Sue ($7.60) at Monmouth.

PRIVATE THOUGHTS – The team of attorney David Romanik and trainer Ron Spatz struck again in a $50,000 Starter Optional Claimer at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface with Leonel Reyes in the saddle. Reyes sent the 5-year-old gelding to the front out of the gate and Private Thoughts never relinquished the lead, winning by four lengths in 1:40.54. The $11,000 OBS March 2-year-old bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon has proven to be quite a bargain; the check for $25,900 raised his career earnings to $398,524. He has an imposing record of 9-4-3 in 22 starts.

THEY CALL ME SUE – The 3-year-old gelding bred by Martin and Emily Goodell broke his maiden in his 10th start and collected a check for $9,000. In the race at six furlongs he was off third with Noel Herman, then slipped through on the inside down the backstretch, battled gamely into the lane and prevailed by half a length in 1:13.54. He’s compiled a record of 1-4-2 in his 10 tries with earnings of $34,965.

Neolithica, a rare Maryland-bred 5-year-old mare, cruised to victory at Penn National and has now won 11 times, including two of her last three under Yabriel Ramos.

In her latest, the daughter of Neolithic bred by Maria M. Haire sat second early in the race at six furlongs, went up for the lead with a half in :45.47, then kicked away to score by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:10.40. She paid $2.80 and banked $13,200, lifting her career total to $230,094 on a record of 11-2-1 in 30 starts.

Neolithic celebrated the July 4 holiday week by reaching new heights: five winners in a span of four days.

It began on Thursday with Neoking ($3.80) scoring at Presque Isle Downs and Dialithic ($5.70) at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico. On Friday, High Lateen ($9.80) won at Gulfstream Park, and Empty Handed ($12.10) made it number four at Woodbine. Sisterlithic ($6.20) completed the superfecta with a victory at Belterra Park on Sunday. As a result, Neolithic vaulted past $1.8 million in 2026 progeny earnings.

NEOKING – Coming off a runner-up finish in his previous start, the 6-year-old gelding bred by Just For Fun Stable went wire-to-wire in a race at 1 1/16 miles over the all-weather track. With Gaddiel Martinez in the irons he won by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:45.05, earning a check for $10,800, and increasing his career total to $119,383 on a record of 6-6-7 in 41 starts.

DIALITHIC – The 5-year-old mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon made it two straight victories at Camarero, and three of her last four, including her earlier finale at Gulfstream Park. With Samuel Cardona aboard, she went wire-to-wire, winning by 1 1/4 lengths with seven furlongs in 1:25.73. A $25,000 OBS October yearling, she collected $5,336, jumping her earnings to $108,896 on a record of 5-7-3 in 28 starts.

HIGH LATEEN – The 3-year-old gelding bred by DeLuca & Sons Stable didn’t race at two, making his career debut at Gulfstream in May in a $35,000 claimer. But he ran off in the post parade, eventually finished sixth at odds of 23-1, and was claimed by Monarch Stable and trainer David Fawkes.

High Lateen’s debut in his new barn came in a one-mile test on the grass, with Jose Morelos in the saddle. The gelding broke well from the rail, stalked the leaders on the inside down the backstretch, swung to mid-course for the stretch run, then drew away late to score by two lengths in 1:34.32, earning an Equibase speed figure of 83. He collected a check for $21,300 for his new owners.

EMPTY HANDED – Tom McCrocklin strikes again! He’s had a phenomenal 2-year run with sons and daughters of Neolithic, and he’s the co-owner of this 3-year-old filly as well as the co-breeder along with long-time partner Frank Mermenstein.

Empty Handed is another who didn’t start at two, and she’s now 2-1-0 in three starts at Woodbine this year, all with jockey Ryan Munger aboard. In her latest, she went wire-to-wire in a seven-furlong test over the all-weather track in a $114,600 allowance optional claimer. She won by three lengths and earned $32,279 in U. S. dollars, spiking her total to $75,801.

SISTERLITHIC – The 3-year-old filly bred by Oakleaf Farm and co-owners Liz and Norman Wilson finished second at Tampa Bay Downs but has been more successful since shipping to Belterra, winning her last two. In the latest, as the 2-1 favorite in a race at five furlongs on the turf, she sat second early with Laureano Sosa, then rallied in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length, clocked in :55.94. She collected $5,760 and raised her record to 2-2-0 in nine starts.

The five purses added up to $75,475.

Congratulations to Pompeyo Gomez, trainer of the 6-year-old mare Miss Neo, for making her workouts appear to be mediocre after a nine-month layoff, then unleashing her for a juicy $47 payoff in her return at Monmouth Park.

Making her first start since September of 2025, the daughter of Neolithic bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon in partnership with Ed Selter and Beverly Anderson, had Noel Herman in the irons for the six-furlong trip around the New Jersey oval.

Miss Neo stalked the leaders early, came three wide on the turn and quickly took over into the stretch, then drew off to score by nearly two lengths, clocked in 1:12.89. She collected a check for $9,300, raising her career total to $53,260 on a record of 3-5-0 in 16 starts. All three victories have come at Monmouth Park.

Neolithic has had 32 winners in 2026, second most among all Florida sires.

Neolithic’s success has reached across the sea, where Dialithic scored one of the most eye-catching victories of the season at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.

The 5-year-old mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon had won two races back in March at Gulfstream Park before finishing off the board at Tampa Bay Downs, then shipping to Puerto Rico. In a race at 6 1/2 furlongs, with Samuel Cardona riding, she mesmerized her rivals and coasted to victory by nearly 13 lengths, clocked in 1:18.47.

The $25,000 OBS October yearling paid $5.70 and earned a check for $3,770, lifting her total to $103,560 on a record of 4-7-3 in 27 starts.

Neolithic has passed the $11 million mark in career progeny earnings!

His latest winner is Landman Friday, who carried Rajiv Maragh to a 1 3/4-length victory in a $65,000 allowance test at a mile and 70-yards over the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old colt bred by Grassroots Training & Sales was away alertly and took up a position in third place on the inside heading down the backstretch. Maragh never steered him off the inside and Landman Friday slipped through on the rail and won going away, clocked in 1:42.43.

For his second victory in a row and third in his last four starts, the $175,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $3.40 and earned a check for $39,000, raising his career total to $137,050, with $92,000 coming this year. He now sports a record of 4-1-2 in 11 starts and has received his highest Equibase ‘E’ speed figures – 93 and 94 – in his last two scores.

Pontevecchio established himself as the leading 3-year-old in Venezuela with a commanding score Sunday in the country’s first 2026 Triple Crown event, the Gr. I Clasico Jose Antonio Paez at La Rinconada in Caracas.

The Neolithic colt bred by Haras La Orlyana, who had previously won the Gr. III Clasico Juan Vicente Tovar in April, drew the No. 4 post with Hemirxon Medina in the saddle for the race at 1,600 meters. They broke in mid-pack, coasted in sixth place down the backstretch, made a strong run on the turn to take the lead in the stretch, then cruised to the wire while widening with every step, and winning by nearly 10 lengths in 1:38.27.

Pontevecchio is now pointing for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Cria Nacional; he’s won three of 11 starts.

On the same program where Chicken Dance won the Not Surprising, Bayou Brigid gave Neolithic another stakes-placed runner, with a third in the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes.

The 3-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, a $20,000 OBS April 2-year-old, was coming off an allowance win and was sent off at 4-1 going 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta course with Samy Camacho in the irons. She missed by three lengths in a race that went in 1:43.23, and collected $11,570, bringing her career total to $152,250 on a record of 2-2-3 in 11 starts.

The love affair between breeder Tom McCrocklin and Neolithic has carried over into stakes company, with red-hot Chicken Dance taking the $100,000, 1 1/16-mile Not Surprising over the Gulfstream Park Tapeta course. The 3-year-old gelding captured his only start at two, and is now 4-0-1 in six starts this year, including winning three of his last four.

New riding sensation Diego Herrera was aboard Chicken Dance, who was off slowly and was third from last down the backstretch. Herrera sent him up to join in the hunt but the gelding was blocked on the turn. He used the rail to move up to second, then beat 6/5 Bolero Bay to the wire by 1 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:42.66. He paid $15.60 and earned a check for $55,700, increasing his total to $164,250.

The Kid is Back didn’t make his first start until April, and he finished seventh, followed by a third-place effort in his second try. Number 3 resulted in the Gulfstream Park maiden-breaker for the 3-year-old Neolithic colt owned and bred by Vicino Racing stables.

Red-hot Miguel Vasquez was in the irons aboard The Kid is Back in a $68,000 maiden special at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. Vasqez put him on the lead and the colt put up fractions of :22.42, :45.71 and :58,12 en route to a wire-to-wire score by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:04.71. He became Neolithic’s 31st winner, paid $6.20, and earned $38,300 for his initial score.