Turf News

At the age of five, Meteorito has taken his career to new heights, including a record-breaking performance yesterday over the Tapeta track at Gulfstream Park.

With Chantal Sutherland in the irons, the 5-year-old gelding by Gone Astray lowered the record for ‘about’ a mile and 70 yards on the all-weather surface to 1:41.75, winning the $48,000 allowance race by nearly two lengths. What makes the effort more mind-boggling is that Meteorito had been running in lower-level claiming races prior to the record-breaker, and had been taken for a tag in each of his previous three races – on Jan. 21, Feb. 26 and April 3.

Meteorito finished second in both the Jan. 21 and Feb. 26 races, receiving an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 90 in the latter. He then won on April 3 by 10 1/2 lengths with an 88 ‘E,’ and yesterday received a 92, his best figure in 17 tries to date.

Sutherland sat him fifth down the backstretch in the three path, opened him up on the turn, and Meteorito did the rest, drawing off without a challenge in deep stretch and paying $6.40. He boosted his record to 3-5-1 in those 17 starts and the $29,300 winner’s check raised his career total to $83,170, with $53,020 coming this year from just four starts (2-2-0).

After Big Cyn finished off the board in five straight races in 2021, trainer Karl Grusmark shelved the New York-bred daughter of Handsome Mike for six months. The 4-year-old filly returned on April 26 and finished third at Finger Lakes under Jackie Davis after turning in some good morning trials over the Belmont Park training track.

That prep was all Davis needed to get acquainted with Big Cyn, and she guided the filly to her fifth career victory yesterday at the upper New York State track. Leaving from the No. 3 post, Big Cyn went out for the lead, but was restrained back to third on the rail down the backstretch. On the final turn, Davis swung her filly out to the six path looking for racing room but the filly appeared to be beaten in mid-stretch. Then she switched into another gear coming to the sixteenth pole and coasted by the leaders to score by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:46.77 for the mile and 70-yard trip.

The filly bred by Patricia Generazio collected $11,640 for the victory, raising her total to $85,392 and her record to 5-0-4 in 21 starts. She paid $7.40 and became Handsome Mike’s 11th winner of 2022.

In the ‘horses for courses’ column, add Alabama Slammer, a son of Handsome Mike who won at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday and raised his record at the Oldsmar track to 3-2-0 in five tries. All told, the 4-year-old gelding sports a record of 4-3-0 in nine starts.

David Cardoso was aboard Alabama Slammer for the first time and he took the gelding wire-to-wire in the $31,000 allowance test, winning by nearly three lengths in 1:43.50 for the mile and one-sixteenth on the turf. He received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 92, best of his career, and continued a streak in which his “E’ rating has risen over his previous races in every outing but one.

The gelding bred by Dr. Ross Russell paid $6.00 and collected a check for $18,900, increasing his total to $77,723.

One of the toughest assignments for morning line-makers at every track around the country is getting a good handle on first-time starters. The line-maker at Mountaineer Casino and Race Track missed the boat by a mile last night with Curl Talk, a debut filly by Ride On Curlin.

Curl Talk, who turned four on April 2, was the only first-timer in the field of eight for the five-furlong maiden special with a purse of $16,500, a race that was taken off the turf due to rain. Despite three pretty fair works listed at Starting Point Training Center, Curl Talk was listed at 8-1 in the morning line. However, at post time, the filly bred by Lonnie Stokes was on the board as the slight favorite at 2-1.

Luis Batista sent her right to the lead and Curl Talk led through fractions of :22.75 and :47.85 over the sloppy track, reaching the wire three lengths in front even after she ducked in and barely missed hitting the rail at the top of the stretch. She was clocked in 1:01.32, paid $6 and collected a check for $9,570.

It took owner Carl L. Hess Jr. just one race to realize what a bargain he got when he purchased Putthepastbehind as a yearling for $4,000 at the OBS winter sale in 2021.

The 2-year-old Gone Astray gelding broke his maiden in his career debut at Laurel Park yesterday and earned a check for $30,360, while giving his sire the distinction of being the first in North America to get two juvenile winners in 2022. The stallion by Dixie Union previously saw Luna West score at Gulfstream Park in April.

Putthepastbehind broke well under Jeiron Barbosa and tracked the pacesetter in second through a :23.15 quarter. As they neared the half, the gelding bred by Dancing Wind Stables closed the gap, took the lead in mid-stretch and held it to the wire, winning by three-quarters of a length, clocked in :52.90 for the 4 1/2 furlongs. He paid $17.80 and became the 19th winner this year for Gone Astray, who is fourth on Florida’s leading sire list with progeny earnings of $690,481.

Neolithic’s highly-promising 3-year-old, Cattin, passed the $200,000 mark in earnings in just his seventh start yesterday, a victory in a $38,000 starter optional claiming race at the distance of one mile at Gulfstream Park.

The $25,000 OBS Winter purchase bred by Curtis Mikkelsen and Patricia Horth broke on top from the No. 6 post, settled back in third in the three path down the backstretch, and when Emisael Jaramillo let him loose on the turn, Cattin took the lead into the stretch and went on to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. He was clocked in 1:35.59 and received a 97 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, best of his short career.

The $23,300 winner’s check boosted Cattin’s bank account to $202,850, second only to Red Oak Stable’s stakes-winner Make It Big among Neolithic’s runners. He’s won one stakes – the Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs – and has been stakes-placed in three others while running up a record of 3-0-3 in his seven tries.

Pleasant Acres stallions struck at venues 3,000 miles apart on Sunday, with Quantum Quest winning in his first try after being claimed at Golden Gate Fields, and Darlindiva making it two victories in a row at Mounaineer Race Track Casino and Resort.

After trainer Bill McLean claimed Quantum Quest for himself for $12,500 on April 3, he sent the 4-year-old by Gone Astray back 21 days later for $20,000 and it paid off. Quantum Quest flew to the lead with Pedro Terrera, sped past the furlong markers in :21.85, :44.84 and :56.86, and was hand-ridden to the wire to win by three lengths. The clocking of 1:03.27 is just one and 34 hundredths of a second off the track record for 5 1/2 furlongs. The gelding bred by W. K. and D. S. France earned $12,600, paid $10.20 and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 95, best of his seven-race career. He is Gone Astray’s 18th winner of 2022.

Despite winning her last at a mile by 3 1/2 lengths, Darlindiva paid a generous $11.20 after scoring by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:13.78 for the six furlongs. The 6-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike hooked up in an early duel with Ready to Play, and after a quarter in :22.69, put her rival away on the turn and went on to score under Charle Oliveros without being threatened. She raised her earnings to $69,042 on a record of 6-4-7 in 31 starts.

After finishing fourth in her debut at odds of 22-1, Happy Ride revved it up several notches in her second try and showed great promise while breaking her maiden yesterday in a $40,000 claimer at Tampa Bay Downs.

The 3-year-old filly bred by long-time partners Joe and Helen Barbazon, Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson, received another textbook ride from apprentice sensation Madeline Rowland. She paid $26.40 and became the fifth winner this year for Ride On Curlin.

Rowland sent Happy Ride out quickly from the No. 4 post and she took up a stalking position behind 2-1 shot Adios Baby. The filly moved up on the turn, took the lead at the top of the stretch, and proved best at the wire by 2 1/2 lengths. She was clocked in 1:11.31 for the six furlongs and collected a check for $13,400.

Gone Astray’s success since relocating to Pleasant Acres has stretched all the way to Puerto Rico where Gone South broke her maiden in her career debut at Camarero Race Track and boosted her sire’s number of winners for 2022 to 17.

The 3-year-old filly bred by Long Trail Stables left from post 6 in the six-furlong race and Carlos Rivera had her pressing the pace while three wide for the first half-mile, which went in :48.15. From there, Gone South surged into the lead and coasted to the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front, clocked in 1:13.95. She paid $21.90 and earned a check for $4,350.

Fast Loaded was 7-1 on the tote board and facing a 3/5 shot as the field left the gate in the last race at Charles Town last night. But in the stretch, it looked more like Fast Loaded was odds-on as favored Sheriff Chip struggled to finish fifth after pushing the pace from the start of the 6 1/2-furlong race.

Fast Loaded, a 5-year-old gelding by Gone Astray, was away third under Gerald Almodovar and tracked the leaders three lengths off the pace down the backstretch. His rider swung him off the rail on the turn and Fast Loaded rallied between horses in the lane, drawing off late to score by two lengths.

In becoming Gone Astray’s 16th winner of 2022, Fast Loaded collected a check for $10,059 and left his sire less than $8,000 short of the $600,000 mark in progeny earnings. The gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds paid $17.40 and is 8-3-2 in 24 starts with earnings of $171,883.