Turf News

It’s always difficult for a buyer to purchase a horse at the sales, then when he tries to sell it, have to settle for an RNA. That’s what happened to owner/trainer Rohan Crichton with Ababajoni, whom he bought for $30,000 at the OBS April sale last year, then had to bring the Neolithic colt home after he RNA’ed at $75,000.

Since then, Ababajoni has been very good to Crichton. In a span of six starts he has racked up three victories and a second, with earnings of $136,700. His latest score came in a $60,250 allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park in which Anthony Thomas took the 3-year-old colt wire-to-wire with a mile on the grass in 1:33.87, winning by nearly two lengths. After finishing second in his previous start, the $175,000 Cutler Bay Stakes, he paid just $4.40 and collected a check for $39,500. His Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 95 is best of his six races.

I Forgot to Ask forgot to stop and made it two victories in a row, winning at 5 1/2 furlongs under Luis Contreras at Horseshoe Indianapolis. In his previous start, the 3-year-old Neolithic gelding went wire-to-wire going five furlongs over the all-weather track at Turfway Park.

I Forgot to Ask broke alertly and settled into a stalking position three wide as the leaders carved out a quarter in :21.77. The gelding bred by Kelly Lynn Lupton ran down the top two on the turn and into the stretch and pulled away to a 3 1/2-length score, clocked in 1:05.63. He paid $8.60 and collected a check for $8,100, raising his total to $28,262 on a record of 2-1-0 in five starts.

In his career debut at Tampa Bay Downs under Sonny Leon, Timshel stumbled out of the gate and soon found himself 12 to 15 lengths behind heading down the backstretch in the race at one mile over the turf course. But Leon shifted the 3-year-old Neolithic gelding into high gear on the turn and Timshel finished fourth with a strong stretch run.

Sharp handicappers who viewed the promising debut bet the gelding down to 5/2 for his second try and this time Leon had him in mid-pack down the backstretch, stalking the leaders. Timshel again shifted into high gear, ran over the pacesetters in deep stretch and scored by nearly two lengths. He was clocked in 1:37.58, paid $7.40 and earned a check of $17,365 for owners and breeders Dr. Tiffany A. Atteberry and Scott Brown.

Timshel is the 21st 2026 winner for Neolithic.

On the same day that Timshel broke his maiden, Venezuelan-bred Pontevecchio won the 1,600 meters, Gr. III Clasico Juan Vicente Tovar at Venezuela’s La Rinconada course in Caracas. The 3-year-old colt broke alertly, quickly dropped back five lengths, then rushed up on the inside, came out for the stretch run and drew off late to score by three lengths in 1:39.29.

In the mid-1959s, Silky Sullivan rocked the racing world with a series of legendary finishes from out of the stratosphere, including one from an estimated 40 lengths behind in the 1958 Santa Anita Derby. He wound up his career with a record of 12-1-5 in 27 starts with earnings of $151,700 in an era before purses began climbing.

Ghost Bike looked like a Silky Sullivan double at Mahoning Valley on Monday in a race at a flat mile with Elijah Greenridge in the saddle. The 6-year-old gelding by Neolithic broke alertly, but by the time the field reached the backstretch, he had fallen many lengths behind, at its worst point, 15 or more lengths. But Greenridge revved him up, and Ghost Bike closed like a rocket, caught the pack at the top of the stretch, then surged between horses and drew off to score by 3 1/2 lengths, clocked in 1:40.83.

Ghost Bike, who was bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald, paid $9.20 after winning for the second time in his last three starts. He collected $7,800 for owner /trainer Gerald Crawford, increasing his earnings to $78,637 on a record of 6-3-7 in 36 starts.

Neolithic’s top earner, Neoequos, added $47,500 to his career total with a solid third-place finish in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes.

With the nation’s leading rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., making the trip to Hot Springs, the 4-year-old colt bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon in partnership with Matalona Thoroughbreds closed well to wind up just 1 1/2 lengths behind Nu What’s New at the end of the mile clocked in 1:37.34. Coming off his victory in the Sunshine Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his previous start, Neoequos was sent off at odds of 7/2, defying the morning line-maker, who had him pegged at 12-1.

Neoequos, a $22,000 OBS October yearling, banked $47,500, increasing his earnings to a healthy $549,225 on a record of 4-3-3 in 14 starts. He’s added $91,675 in his two 2026 starts.

On the same day, Ababajoni finished second by a head in a three-horse photo under Anthony Thomas in the $175,000 Cutler Bay Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs over the Gulfstream turf course. The 3-year-old colt bred by Hallmarc Stallions and owned and trained by Rohan Crichton led every step of the way into the stretch with fractions of :23.42, :46.81 and 1:09.82, before being nailed at the wire. The final clocking of 1:27.24 is just one and 3/10th seconds off the course record.

Ababajoni, a $30,000 OBS April 2-year-old, picked up a check for $34,400, raising his total to $97,200 on a record of 2-1-0 in five tries. Neoequos has passed the $10 million mark in lifetime progeny earnings and is a stone’s throw from $800,000 in 2026.

Debora Corral Morgan gets the last laugh.

At the 2024 OBS October sale, she took home Cassadaga after the Neolithic filly RNA’ed at $2,500. On Thursday, Cassadaga broke her maiden in her career debut at Gulfstream Park for owner/breeder Morgan and trainer Patrick Biancone, worth a check for $15,750 and a breeder’s award.

Apparently based on the RNA price, Morgan and Biancone had no problem entering Cassadaga for a $12,500 claiming tag. She wasn’t claimed. With Romero Maragh aboard, she won by one-half length in 1:13.44 for six furlongs and paid $7.40. She became Neolithic’s 19th winner of 2026 and raised his progeny earnings t0 $704,721.

In a span of 14 minutes, Neolithic picked up 2026 winners 17 and 18 and is easily on a pace to eclipse his personal best of 50 set last year. Fulanito’s victory at Gulfstream, followed by Expecting a Winner’s at Tampa Bay Downs, moved Neolithic back into second place on Florida’s general sire list, and left him less than $32,000 away from reaching $10 million in career progeny earnings.

FULANITO – The 5-year-old gelding bred by Angel Roman was a $50,000 OBS June 2-year-old. With Luis Saez in the saddle, he went wire-to-wire in a race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta course and won by three-quarters of a length, clocked in 1:03.12, just 1 1/2 seconds off the track record. He paid $9.40, and the $16,000 check ballooned his earnings to $123,140 on a record of 4-1-3 in 12 starts.

EXPECTING A WINNER – The 5-year-old mare bred by Patricia Generazio, a $7,000 RNA at the same sale as Fulanito’s, has defied the OBS buyers, racking up earnings of $104,925 and growing behind a record of 5-2-5 in 21 starts. With veteran Jose Ferrer aboard in a race at one mile over the grass, she went head-and-head for the lead down the backstretch, opened up by three lengths in the stretch and scored by two in 1:35.60, garnering an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 90, best of her 21-race career and good for a check of $18,410. She Paid $6.

Dialithic went wire -to-wire in a 1 1/16-mile trip around the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Park under Jorge Ruiz on Friday, and (1) gave Joe and Helen Barbazon their third breeders’ award in a week, (2) gave Neolithic his 16th winner of 2026, putting him in a tie for second place in that category on Florida’s general sire list, and (3) sent Neolithic over the $600,000 mark in progeny earnings in just 2 1/2 months, third on the sire list.

The 5-year-old mare, a $25,000 OBS October yearling, won by nearly four lengths in 1:45.12, paid $3.20, and collected a check for $14,550, boosting her career bank account to $99,570 on a record of 3-7-3 in 25 starts.

As previously noted, at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday Notable Exchange gave Neolithic his 13th winner of 2026. On the same day, the 7-year-old Jamaican-bred Neo Star made it 14 with an allowance victory at Caymanas Park in Jamaica. The following day, the 3-year-old stakes-placed colt Pontevecchio finished third in the 6 1/2-furlong, Gr. III Clasico Mauricio Azar at La Rinconada in Venezuela.

To add to the streak, yesterday came victory No. 15 when Neoking scored in a 6 1/2-furlong test over the all-weather surface at Tufrway Park. The 6-year-old gelding came from behind under Samuel Bermudez and won by nearly three lengths in 1:19.65, paying $5.82 and collecting a check for $14,763. Neoking, bred by Just For Fun Stable, has earnings of $101,628 on a record of 5-5-6 in 37 starts.

Joe and Helen Barbazon struck for their second breeders’ award in two days when Notable Exchange romped in a $60,500 allowance test at Tampa Bay Downs after six entrants in the field of nine were scratched for a variety of reasons.

Sent off at 3/5 when the smoke had cleared, the 4-year-old Neolithic filly sat a perfect trip behind the pacesetter in the race at 1 1/8-miles over the main track after it was taken off the grass. Sonny Leon sent his filly after the lead midway down the backstretch and after that, it became no contest. The filly owned and trained by Michael Dini ran away late and won by 6 1/2 widening lengths.

Neolithic’s 13th winner paid $3.20 and rewarded Dini with a check for $38,600, inflating her total to $147,350 on a record of 3-6-0 in 16 starts.