Turf News

The last time Stormy Pattern won a race, it was at Gulfstream Park last July; the purse was $37,000 and the winner’s share came to $23,300. Fast Forward to yesterday at Oaklawn Park: the 4-year-old Gone Astray colt wins for the fourth time in his 14-race career. The allowance purse is an eye-opening $104,000, and first place is worth $62,400.

In his first 13 starts, Stormy Pattern posted three victories and four seconds and earned $128,349. His bank account jumped to $190,749 with yesterday’s bonanza.

With Isaac Castillo in the saddle, Stormy Pattern stalked the early pace while three wide down the backstretch. He made a four-wide move on the turn and out-gamed the closers to the wire by a neck, clocked in 1:38.96 for the mile. He’s Gone Astray’s eighth winner this year.

At the OBS Open Sale last June, Roger B. Sterling paid $15,000 for a Neolithic colt bred by Southern Comfort Farm. In the short span of five races at Penn National over the past 4 1/2 months, Neon Sign has more than doubled his purchase price for his owner.

With Angel Rodriguez aboard in yesterday’s first race, the 3-year-old colt went wire-to-wire, raising his record to 2-2-0, and the check for $11,400 increased his bank account to $36,880.

Neon Sign shot to the lead leaving the gate in the six-furlong race, controlled the pace with fractions of :22.76, :46.13 and :58.49, then turned away three challengers from the top of the stretch home, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:11.26. He paid $3.60 and became Neolithic’s third winner of 2023.

Richiesonaroll is living up to his name; he finished second two races back and now has won two in a row after a game performance racing seven furlongs in a starter optional claimer at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday.

The 3-year-old Gone Astray colt, a rare Illinois-bred (by Richard Ravin) became the first runner by his sire to win two races since Jan. 1. With Pablo Morales aboard, he was off slowly from the No. 1 post, but rushed up on the rail to take a half-length lead in a quarter of :22.96. He continued on in front despite being pressed every step of the way through fractions of :46.42 and 1:11.42, then held off two late charges to win by half a length in 1:24.44.

Richiesonaroll paid $10.40, earned $12,600 and raised his total to $44,630 on a record of 2-3-0 in 8 starts.

Jose Ortiz put Cosmic Speculation on the lead in the second race at Gulfstream yesterday, lulled the rest of the field to sleep through a controlled pace of :24.76 and :47.97, then had plenty left to break his maiden in his fourth career start.

The 3-year-old gelding by Bucchero reached the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front of fast-closing even-money favorite Victoria’s Chief, and was clocked in 1:29.89 in the $53,000 maiden special at 7 1/2 furlongs over the turf course. Bred by Jennifer and Gillian Johnson, Cosmic Speculation earned a check for $31,800, raising his total to $40,500 on a record of 4-1-1-0. He paid $30.20, became winner No. 4 for Bucchero this year, and was awarded an 80 Equibase ‘E’ speed rating, his best thus far.

It took Samy Camacho two tries to get in sync with Lookin’ Super, and it turned out that the third time was the charm.

Sent off as the 7/5 favorite going seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs, Lookin’ Super chased King Miano down the backstretch and into the turn in a :22.46 first quarter and a half in :45.51. He charged to the front in the stretch and proved to be much the best late, drawing off by 5 1/2 lengths in a sizzling clocking of 1:22.89. The 3-year-old Bucchero gelding, a $25,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Pamela Edel, received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 80 and earned a check of $11,250 for trainer Gerald Bennett and his Winning Stables.

Lookin’ Super is Bucchero’s third 3-year-old winner since Jan. 1 and sent the progeny earnings of the son of Kantharos to $110,421, which puts him in 12th place this season among Florida’s active sires.

Gone Astray’s sixth winner of 2023 is a rare Illinois-bred – the 3-year-old colt Richiesonaroll.

Bred by Richard Ravin, Richiesonaroll made a strong 4-wide move on the turn in the six-furlong maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs, then proved easily best in the stretch, winning by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:10.58. It was another 8 1/4 lengths back to the third-place finisher. Richiesonaroll paid $3.40 as favorite and received an excellent ’91’ Equibase E speed figure for the effort, best of his seven-race career.

The colt’s first victory was worth $8,400 to Gerald Bennett and his Winning Stable, but Tampa’s perennial leading trainer lost Richiesonaroll for $16,000 after three other trainers dipped into the claiming box to try to halter him.

World Gone Wild overcame trouble and picked up her 10th career victory yesterday with a come-from behind score in a 6 1/2-furlong race at Parx Racing.

Jeremy Laprida was in the saddle for the 5-year-old Gone Astray mare’s milestone as she raised her overall record to 10-3-1 in 30 starts. Bred by Dr. Myron R. Wilson and a $3,000 OBS October yearling in 2019, World Gone Wild added $110,800 to her bank account, which now stands at a formidable $261,275.

World Gone Wild jumped at the break but Laprida was able to send her out to stalk the leaders in fourth place on the inside down the backstretch. Laprida tried to find racing room nearing the top of the stretch but his mare was forced to check briefly, and when she recovered he sent her four wide. World Gone Wild then ran down the leaders in mid-stretch, and held off one late runner to win by three-quarters of a length, paying$7.

Gulfstream Park and a slew of sharp handicappers celebrated an all-Pleasant Acres daily double yesterday, when Buc N Beauty won the first race and paid $3.80, followed up by Chiquirin’s $39.80 upset in the second race. The all-Pleasant Acres $2 double checked in at a cool $113.

Race 1: Tyler Gafffalione was aboard Buc N Beauty, a 3-year-old filly owned and bred by Thoroughbred Racing Nation who was making just her second start in $50,000 maiden optional claiming company after registering a third-place finish in her debut. She went to the lead, put up early fractions of :22.80 and :44.72, then held on to score by half a length in 1:06.57 for the 5 1/2 furlongs. Bucchero’s second January winner earned $30,700 and has banked $36,130 in her two starts.

Race 2: Chiquirin, a 4-year-old gelding by Gone Astray bred by SJT Racing Stable, was so far behind heading down the backstretch of the one-mile race that he was out of the TV picture. Ivan Pimentel Jr. switched into overdrive on the turn and the gelding used the rail to gobble up the leaders. He took the lead at the top of the stretch and drew off easily to get his second victory in 11 starts. Track announcer Pete Aiello, usually an excellent judge of a winner’s final margin, missed by a mile in this one with the call “Chiquirin clears off to win by five at the end,” but the camera showed it to be nine lengths and widening. He collected $11,600 for the effort, accomplished in 1:38.75.

When assessing all the bad luck horsemen often endure with their stables, it’s heartwarming to learn about the other side of the coin from time to time.

On Sept. 4, MCA Racing Stable claimed Carabinero out of his second race at Gulfstream Park – a winning effort – for a mere $12,500. The 3-year-old Neolithic gelding bred by Lott’s Creek Farm had been purchased at the OBS March sale for $55,000. After a third and another victory in his new barn, Carabinero was the recipient of an owner’s dream – six horses entered in a $34,620 starter allowance claimer, followed by three late scratches.

With only two others to concern him, Carabinero was sent off at 1/2 and easily lived up to the bettors’ confidence. With Angel Morales aboard, he went wire-to-wire, won by 3 1/2 lengths with six furlongs in 1:ll:99, and earned a check for $22,600. He’s now a formidable 3-0-1-1 in five starts with earnings of $70,820 and the owners of MCA Stable have collected $58,400 of that total. However, they lost Carabinero in a claim yesterday for $25,000, making his addition to their bank account a cool $83,400 with which they can search for another claim.

Carabinero began his career with a fourth-place finish and an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 59. That number increased in every race, winding up with a 77 yesterday.

Credit Ocala jockey Jose Ortiz for getting Gone Astray his third winner this month.

She’s Classy was making a strong wide move from behind on the turn in the third race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, when Ortiz suddenly yanked her to the left and she split horses and out-gamed three rivals to the wire, winning by half a length. The 5-year-old mare bred by Craig L. Wheeler upped her record to 4-4-8 in 25 starts and the check for $14,800 lifted her earnings to $97,865.

She’s Classy, who has won three of her last six plus a second, paid $24.20 after racing 5 1/2 furlongs on the Tapeta surface in 1:03.15.