Turf News

Bucchero’s initial 2-year-old crop of last year wound up getting him 14 winners, along with progeny earnings of $638,575. After Thorn Crown’s maiden-breaking victory at Oaklawn Park yesterday, the son of Kantharos already has 10 winners and earnings of $401,561 in the first 89 days of 2023.

After four unsuccessful tries using three different riders, trainer Steve Asmussen opted for his 24-year-old son, Keith, to try to turn it around in yesterday’s 5 1/2-furlong test in Arkansas. Keith rushed his filly out quickly to battle for the top, and after a quarter in :22.78, she took a slight lead into the stretch and continued on for a neck victory over 4/5 Street Painter in 1:06.20.

Thorn Crown, a $25,000 OBS March 2-year-old, paid $7.60 and earned a check for $15,600.

In her first seven races, which were run over a span of four seasons, the best Princess Tereska could muster up was a lone second and a third. Prior to the eighth race at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday, the daughter of Gone Astray hadn’t seen action for a year and six days.

When the 6-year-old mare bred by Dancing Wind Stables made her return, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if she went off at 20-1 or higher. Yet, with just three recent ho-hum morning trials listed at the Nelson Jones Training Center in Ocala, Princess Tereska went to the post at just 6-1. She more than validated the heavy action.

With Mario Fuentes in the saddle, Princess Tereska took back to sixth heading down the backstretch in the race at six furlongs. She then made a strong run on the turn, was up to second at the top of the stretch, caught 9/2 Feel Like Guessing in the last 100 yards, and sprinted away to a nearly three-length victory in 1:12.40. She earned $7,850, paid $14.40 and gave Gone Astray his 11th winner this year.

A pair of 3-year-olds with widely different resumes were victorious on Sunday, giving Bucchero his eighth and ninth winners of 2023, while moving him up to sixth place on this season’s Florida general sire list, and raising his progeny earnings for a little more than one year to $1,005,496.

Ms. Bucchero – Winner of the final race on the Tampa Bay Downs Florida Cup Day program, the filly bred by Pamela Edel had finished a creditable second in her career debut with Jose Batista aboard just 15 days earlier. In her maiden–breaker, again under Batista and at odds of 6/5, Ms. Bucchero sizzled on the lead in :22.04, :44.70 and :56.85, reaching the wire four lengths in front in and putting an eye-catching 1:09.58 on the teletimer. It was worth $19,760.

Toddchero – Bucchero’s leading money-winner also went wire-to-wire, this one at Sam Houston in Texas, and collected a check for $21,360. The twice stakes-placed colt bred by GDS Racing Stable, a $77,000 OBS April purchase, raised his bank account to $120,020 on a record of 2-2-4 in 10 starts. He won by half a length under Lane Luzzi, getting a mile in 1:38.93, and paid $11.40.

Heading down the backstretch in yesterday’s third race at Tampa Bay Downs, 6/5 favorite She’s So Bearish was controlling the pace after setting early fractions of :23.27 and :47.52. Chalcolithic, a 3-year-old filly by Neolithic ridden by unknown Cecily Evans, and Bella Faccia, a Long On Value filly with veteran Marcos Meneses in the saddle, were firmly ensconced less than a length apart, trading seventh and eighth places on the turf course.

On the turn, Evans put Chalcolithic into high gear with a wide swing to the outside, while Meneses first attempted to find a hole on the inside with Bella Faccia, but failing to do so, took off after Chalcolithic. In mid-stretch, the favorite was gasping, and announcer Jason Beem chimed in with “Chalcolithic is kicking in nicely down the outside . . . Bella Faccia is also starting to roll.”

They ‘kicked in’ and ‘rolled’ to a 1-2 finish, getting the mile on the grass in 1:40.30, with the favorite 4 1/4 lengths back in third. The Neolithic-Long On Value $2 Pleasant Acres exacta paid a juicy $229.

In breaking her maiden in her fourth start, Chalcolithic paid $20.60, becoming Neolithic’s fifth winner this year, and the first in just three Tampa tries for Cecily Evans, who looked nothing like a rider whose entire 2022 resume reads “12-2-2-0.” Chalcolithic may have bought her an increase in business.

Cosmic Speculation became Bucchero’s first two-time winner of 2023 yesterday with a wire-to-wire performance under Jose Ortiz in a $39,000 starter optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park.

In the 3-year-old gelding’s prior start on Feb. 17, Ortiz had guided Cosmic Speculation to a maiden-breaking wire-to–wire effort at 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass in which he achieved his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure – an 80, and paid $30.20. Ortiz went one better this time, lulling his rivals to sleep through moderate fractions of :23.02, :47.94 and 1:11.52 and getting Cosmic Speculation home by half a length in the race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, this time with another career best ‘E’ figure of 81.

Cosmic Speculation, bred by Jennifer and Gillian Johnson, paid $13 and earned a check for $23,800, raising his five-race total to $64,300. He’s Bucchero’s leading money-winner so far this season with $55,000 in the bank, and lifted his sire’s progeny earnings for a little more than one season to within $47,000 of $1 million.

In his last race at Gulfstream Park, Neophyte made a strong late run under Sonny Leon only to fall half a length short at the wire in a race at five furlongs over the Tapeta track. In the third race yesterday, the 4-year-old Neolithic gelding turned in the same kind of effort, but this time – at 5 1/2 furlongs – he was able to get up to score by half a length.

Down the backstretch, Leon moved Neophyte off the rail and sent him seven wide turning into the stretch. The gelding bred by SCF Farm did the rest, blowing by the frontrunners and holding off one closer as they approached the wire. He was clocked in 1:03.86.

The consistent Neophyte paid $6.40, while raising his record to 2-2-4 in 13 starts and his earnings to $76,440, and becoming Neolithic’s fourth winner this year.

At about the same time that Neolithic was up at the wire in winning the third at Gulfstream, Our Fantasy was destroying the field in the third at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 6-year-old mare by Amira’s Prince collected $8,150 for her seventh career victory, boosting her record to 7-8-8 in 35 starts and her bank account to $247,364. Sam Marin had her in a stalking position down the backstretch, and when he moved her on the turn she exploded down the lane and ran away by 11 widening lengths, paying $4.20 and racing seven furlongs in a sharp 1:23.48.

Our Fantasy, a $50,000 OBS April 2-year-old bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, has finished worse than fourth just once in her last 13 starts.

Bucchero’s seventh winner this year is Meetmeatthebeach, a promising 3-year-old filly bred by Superbad Stables who followed up a runner-up finish in her debut with a wire-to-wire beauty to break her maiden at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

Jockey champ Irad Ortiz was in the irons for the filly’s second trip, which came at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. In her debut, Meetmeatthebeach, a $25,000 OBS January 2-year-old, showed she’s the real McCoy, finishing second by a neck at odds of 5-1 in a five-furlong Tapeta race that went in :56.63.

In her maiden-breaker, Ortiz shot her to the lead leaving the gate and Meetmeatthebeach held off several challengers through fractions of :22.38 and :45.77. At the top of the stretch she opened up daylight and was never threatened, reaching the wire a length in front clocked in 1:04.24, and paying $3.60.

The check for $30,700 lifted her two-race total to $40,270.

Sherlyn Go Go became Bucchero’s first runner to pass the century mark in earnings after a flashy score in a $54,000 allowance race at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

The 3-year-old filly bred by Dominique Damico and Fly By Breeding earned a check for $32,400, boosting her bank account for six races to $103,140. She sports a record of 2-2-1 and is now one of three Bucchero runners to have won two races.

Tyler Gaffalione was in the saddle in the race at one mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface, and he had Sherlyn Go Go in a perfect stalking position down the backstretch, three lengths off the leaders. Gaffalione edged her off the rail on the turn and it didn’t appear as though his filly was going to respond as they headed down the lane. But she put it in overdrive in the final sixteenth and blew by the leaders as announcer Pete Aiello called, “Sherlyn Go Go . . . front and center . . . and posing for the picture.” She won by 2 1/2 lengths clocked in 1:42.62 and paid $5.60.

After his last victory 13 months ago at Gulfstream Park, Coop Tries Harder was unable to repeat in eight tries at four tracks, until Leonel Reyes found the right mojo again at Gulfstream yesterday.

Summoning up a performance by the 8-year-old gelding that resulted in an eye-catching 97 Equibase ‘E” speed figure, Reyes guided the son of Gone Astray from behind to a two-length score in an excellent clocking of 1:03.61 for 5 1/2 furlongs.

Coop Tries Harder earned a check for $14,800, raising his total to $235,792 on a record of 6-8-8 in 43 starts. The gelding bred by Dr. Thomas Brokken is Gone Astray’s 10th winner this year; he paid $23.40.

After Majestic Return finished a well-beaten sixth at odds of 32-1 in her career debut at Aqueduct, on March 5 she breezed four furlongs in :47.86 over the training track, eighth best of the 126 who worked the distance that day.

That morning trial apparently wasn’t lost on the sharp handicappers who follow such developments, and for her second try yesterday, the 3-year-old filly by Long On Value was sent off at odds of 5-1 in a $70,000 maiden special at six furlongs. With veteran Kendrick Carmouche aboard, Majestic Return reveled in the sloppy going at the Big A, shooting to the lead leaving the gate and waltzing to the wire 6 1/2 lengths in front behind fractions of :22.91, :47.20 and :59.86 as new track announcer brought her home with “Majestic Return . . . just striding away . . . Majestic Return . . . much the best.”

The filly bred in New York by Marshall Gramm, Raymond Sauer and Mike Pietrangelo paid $13.40 after crossing the finish line in 1:13.22, and collecting a check for $38,500. She became the second winner, and first of 2023 for sophomore sire Long On Value from just six starters.