Turf News

Gone Astray has only nine registered 2-year-olds of 2022, but the three who have already competed are off to a blazing start.

After winning in his debut at Laurel Park on May 1, Putthepastbehind made his second start in the $150,000 Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park yesterday and finished a sharp second. Luna West won the first 2-year-old race at Gulfstream Park on April 7 and paid $76.20, and Beautiful Astray, after a fifth in her Gulfstream debut, finished second at Gulfstream yesterday at odds of 22-1. That’s five starts, resulting in two victories and two seconds, one stakes second, and earnings of $102,160.

Putthepastbehind drew the No. 3 post in the 5 1/2-furlong Tremont and was sent off at 24-1 with Jeiron Barbosa. The $4,000 OBS Winter Mixed yearling was purchased by Carl L. Hess Jr., now listed as his co-owner. The gelding was away alertly and settled into third on the rail, chasing 2-1 second choice Two of a Kind through fractions of :22.40, :45.48 and :57;76. Putthepastbehind never left the inside and finished well, two lengths behind the pace-setter and 1 1/4 lengths over the third-place finisher. He paid $15.40 to place and $6.10 to show and collected $30,000, raising his total to $60,360.

The pair of seconds yesterday pushed Gone Astray’s progeny earnings for the year to $904,834.

Ride On Curlin has had 20 starters in 2022, and now he has his eighth winner, as Inspiratus, a 3-year-old filly bred by Casey Seaman, broke her maiden last night amid a mad scramble at Assiniboia Downs in Canada.

Inspiratus broke from the No. 8 post in a nine-horse field and was slammed by the No. 7 horse five feet out of the gate. While rider Chavion Chow was in the process of straightening her out, the No. 9 horse, Zenhi, was lugging in badly and caused a major chain reaction inside her.

Zenhi wound up on the lead going to the first quarter, with Inspiratus moving up to her on the ouside, and the duo continued that way on the turn and into the stretch. Nearing the wire, Inspiratus proved best and won by three quarters of a length with five furlongs in 1:01 flat. She paid $11.10 and earned $4,478 in U. S. dollars, $5,640 Canadian.

Immediately after the finish the objection sign was flashed and after a long look at the start, disqualified Zenhi from second for interfering with everybody inside her.

The most aptly-named filly in racing today considering the current state of the universe is World Gone Wild, the 4-year-old daughter of Gone Astray who won the fourth race at Delaware Park yesterday and has now captured four of her last six races.

The filly bred by Dr. Myron R. Wilson is now 7-3-0 in 20 starts with earnings of $196,760, not bad for a horse who sold for $3,000 as a yearling at the 2019 OBS October sale. The quality of competition she has faced this year alone has resulted in checks totaling $100,490, without benefit of any money from stakes. In her last four visits to the winner’s circle, she won at Gulfstream Park and collected $32,400; added $39,000 at Parx; $45,100 at Aqueduct, and yesterday at Delaware, $15,600.

Jaime Rodriguez was aboard for yesterday’s $26,000 starter optional claiming race at six furlongs. He had 9/5 World Gone Wild sitting third down the backstretch and she coasted up alongside 9/5 co-leader Midtown Rose entering the stretch. After a stirring battle down the lane, World Gone Wild prevailed by a nose and received her highest-ever Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 93. Her previous best had been a 90 when she won at Aqueduct.

Driven One’s owners and trainer had faith in him from the beginning, and his first race as a 2-year-old last year came in the Arlington-Washington Futurity, where the colt by Ride On Curlin finished fifth and earned $2,205. The $22,000 OBS June 2-year-old started seven more times with just a lone second to show for his efforts, but his connections didn’t lose their faith, and start No. 9 at Horseshoe Indianapolis yesterday came in a $34,000 maiden special.

With Santo Sanjur aboard in the one-mile turf race, Driven One broke well despite the No. 11 post, was wide down the backstretch in fifth place, made a strong run coming to the final turn and caught the leaders, then proved best in the stretch to break his maiden by a neck.

The colt bred by Michael Miranda paid $13.80 after reaching the wire in 1:38.25 and earned a check for $20,400. He received his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure – an 86 – pointing to better things to come, and became winner No. 8 from 18 starters for Ride On Curlin this year.

Toretto showed trainer Michelle Nihei he was ready to return to the races after a break of nearly four months with two bullet works on the turf at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach. The 4-year-old gelding by Handsome Mike posted a :48.20 four-furlong trial on May 13, followed by a :35.35 for three furlongs on May 24.

With Edwin Gonzalez aboard, Toretto lived up to his works yesterday, turning in the best performance of his nine-race career in a 5 1/2-furlong test over the Gulfstream Tapeta course. Under 126 pounds, the gelding owned and bred by Troy Levy’s Tropical Racing/Circle 8 operation broke well from the No. 2 post, tracked the leaders in fourth on the inside, edged closer to the top on the turn and powered through on the rail late to score by 3 1/2 widening lengths, clocked in 1:04.61.

Toretto paid $6 and earned $16,000 for his second victory in nine tries, boosting his total to $61,505.

At Golden Gates Field, Quantum Quest continued on the run that has seen him finish in the top four in eight consecutive races, winning two of the last three. The 4-year-old son of Gone Astray bred by W. K. and D. S. France went wire-to-wire in a $22,000 starter allowance, scoring by two lengths under Evin Roman. Under high-weight of 124 pounds, Quantum Quest broke like a shot, opened up a three-length lead in a :22.82 quarter, turned away two challenges in the stretch and boosted his record to 3-0-3 in nine tries. He was clocked in 1:10.90 for the six furlongs and the check for $13,200 increased his bank account to $54,000.

The long-awaited debut of Bucchero’s first runner is now in the books: Yvonne’s Miss turned in a solid runner-up performance in a five-furlong race over the all-weather track at Golden Gate Fields.

The filly bred by Ari F. Herbertson went off at 7/2 for her first try in a $40,350 maiden special and broke well with jockey William Antongeorgi III, who had Yvonne’s Miss on the tail of pace-setter Smiling Lady as they passed the first quarter in a sizzling :21.43. On the turn, Yvonne’s Miss ranged up on the outside of the leader and they battled through the stretch, only to be overtaken nearing the wire by fast-closing Fumano’s Girl.

Despite the torrid pace, Yvonne’s Miss held on for second, worth $7,800 to owner Scott Herbertson.

Gone Astray picked up his 22nd winner when Felon scored his fourth career victory in a six-furlong race at Columbus Races in Nebraska. Carry high-weight of 126 pounds, including jockey Zack Ziegler, the 6-year-old gelding bred by SCF Inc. raised his record to 4-6-11 in 46 starts, and his bank account to $74,721.

As the field was galloping out following Curl Talk’s nearly eight-length romp in the fourth race at Finger Lakes yesterday, announcer Tony Calo wistfully sighed into his microphone, “I didn’t give her enough credit in my pre-race analysis.”

Calo was not alone. Despite Curl Talk’s three-length victory in her career debut at Mountaineer just 20 days earlier, Finger Lakes bettors sent the 4-year-old daughter of Ride On Curlin off at 4-1, fourth choice of five runners contesting the $25,800 allowance race at 5 1/2 furlongs.

The race was over after about 20 yards when Emanuel De Diego gunned his filly out of the gate and she was in front by two lengths before the other riders knew what happened. From there on it was no contest as the filly bred by Lonnie Stokes put more daylight between herself and the other four as she passed the furlong markers in :22.78 and :46.12 and drew the comment “Nobody can step up to the Mountaineer invader” from Calo .

Curl Talk’s final clocking was 1:05.02 and was worth $13,680, giving the filly owned and trained by Shelly Green $23,250 for her two starts. Jokers Run, the 4/5 favorite, was never close, but did get up for second in the final yards.

Finally, Curl Talk paid $10 to the dismay of Calo and the other non-believers. Do we have another sequel to “A Star Is Born?”

In her career debut as a 2-year-old at Evangeline Downs last August, Splenda Gail broke her maiden in a breeze – by 4 1/4 lengths. It took a return to Louisiana for the filly by Neolithic to find her mojo again, and she finished third in the $60,000 Arcadiana Stakes on April 15.

Off that good effort, the 3-year-old bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was sent off at 3/5 yesterday in a $27,000 allowance race at ‘about’ five furlongs on the turf with Taylor Bethany riding. Leaving from the No. 3 post, Splenda Gail was squeezed at the break and immediately fell behind by five lengths. Bethany kept her on the inside while the leaders were flying up front, putting up suicidal fractions of :21.32 and :45.04.

When Bethany asked for her best on the turn, Splenda Gail unleashed a monster five-wide run, took the lead in the stretch and left the others gasping behind her, winning by 2 1/4 lengths in :56.66. She earned a check for $26,490, lifting her total to $51,830. She became Neolithic’s eighth winner of 2022 from just 19 starters, and her percentage of 42.1 in that category is second best among the top 15 active Florida stallions.

In her six-year racing career, Dealer’s Girl has dealt winning hands at Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park and Charles Town, and last night the 8-year-old daughter of Gone Astray raised her record to 7-9-6 in 50 starts with a stylish victory in West Virginia.

The New Jersey-bred mare had finished second by half a length in her last at odds of 9-1, yet she was sent off at a generous 7-1 in the race at 4 1/2 furlongs. Carrying high-weight of 124 pounds, Dealer’s Girl broke alertly under Kelmar Trotman and joined a five-horse charge to the quarter where the rider took hold and Dealer’s Girl dropped back to fourth on the inside. He swung her off the rail heading into the stretch and Dealer’s Girl swept into the lead and proved to be much the best late, scoring by a length in :52.75 and paying $16.80.

The victory was worth $9,420 and lifted Dealer’s Girl’s career total to $221,363.

Freshman sire No Never No More lost his chance for his first winner last week when Maryland-bred Tiz No Clown finished first in a $40,000-$32,000 maiden claiming race at Pimlico Race Course and was disqualified and placed third amidst a highly controversial decision by the track stewards. Ironically, the horse who finished second and was moved up to first was Coffeewithchris, a Maryland-bred gelding by Ride On Curlin.

The two had made their debuts in the same maiden special on May 1 and neither had shown much. Tiz No Clown finished sixth by 9 3/4 lengths at odds of 31-1 and earned a check for $1,012. Coffeewithchris went off as the 9/5 favorite and wound up eighth, 14 lengths back.

In their second try against each other, Tiz No Clown broke from the outside No. 7 post and broke quickly under Andre Ramgeet, but he was lugging in and had a mild confrontation with two other colts inside him that didn’t last more than two seconds. He continued on in front for the rest of the 4 1/2 furlongs and was 1 1/2 lengths clear of Coffeewithchris at the wire, clocked in :52.98. The inquiry sign went up and after the customary deliberations, Tiz No Clown was taken down. It cost owner/trainer William Atkins $22,425, the difference between the $26,910 Coffeewithchris was awarded and the $4,485 Tiz No Clown had to settle for.

‘Incidents’ leaving the gate occur in almost every race and mostly are dismissed as just that. It’s a good bet that at many other tracks, No Never No More would have had his first winner.