Turf News

In his first six career starts, Damir never finished in the top three at Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream West or Delaware Park. It took a rider switch to a pony-tailed 34-year-old mother of three from Idaho, whose agent is former top rider Ron Ardoin, to turn it all around.

After those first six races, Aubrie Green hopped aboard Damir for the first time on June 24 at Delaware Park and the 3-year-old gelding by Ride On Curlin finished second, missing by half a length of scoring a 26-1 upset. In his next start on July 5, Green guided him to a third-place finish, this time at 9/2.

Yesterday, with the odds on the gelding bred by Robyn Thompson ballooning to 14-1, Green took Damir wire-to-wire in a race at a mile and 70 yards, breaking his maiden in start No. 9. He put up fractions of :23.07, :46.98 and 1:11.61 en route to a three-quarters of a length score in 1:37.48 over 2-1 shot Gandolfo, and collected a purse of $11,400.

Ride On Curlin now has seven winners from 11 starters in 2021 for a winning percentage of 63.6.

Amira’s Prince has had just nine runners thus far this year, and five of them have won for a 55.5 percentage.

No. 5 came at Presque Isle Downs yesterday when Whiskey Dash became the latest to receive the “from last to first ” stretch call from the track announcer.

Whiskey Dash was off last in a five-horse field going 5 1/2 furlongs, with Mike Allen in the irons. The 4-year-old gelding steadily dropped back as they raced down the backstretch until he was about 12 lengths behind heading into the turn. Then Whiskey Dash put it in overdrive and literally flew down the lane, getting up to win by 1 1/4 lengths amid the “from last to first” call.

The gelding bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was clocked in 1:04.73 and paid $6.00 while scoring for the fourth time in 11 starts.

When Paco Lopez took Emirates Affair off the rail and swung her very wide heading into the stretch in the seventh race at Monmouth Park yesterday, it appeared as though the 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike had lost all chance. But Paco put her in another gear down the lane, and Emirates Affair made up six lengths late and was up to win by a length, breaking her maiden and giving her sire his 19th winner of 2021.

Emirates Affair was off fourth on the rail in the $45,000 maiden special that was switched from the turf to 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track, and Paco slipped her through on the inside to take over third on the turn. The wide move into the stretch that lost her a couple of lengths turned out not to hurt her, and the filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon earned a check for $27,000, raising her total to $62,100 on a record of 1-4-2 in 11 starts.

Luis Rivera looked like a New York taxi driver maneuvering on Madison Ave. yesterday, as he steered Took a Cab to a runaway victory going 5 1/2 furlongs at Parx Racing.

Leaving from the 2 post at odds of 16-1 despite a victory at the track two races back, Rivera settled the 4-year-old Handsome Mike gelding in third place along the inside and never left the rail for the entire 1:05.04 trip. When the leaders fanned wide at the top of the stretch, Took a Cab took the short way home and scored by 2 1/2 lengths to pick up the $12,600 winner’s check.

The gelding bred by Joel W. Sainer paid $34.60, raised his earnings to $73,550 on a record of 3-4-8 in 29 starts, and received his highest ‘E’ speed rating from Equibase – an 80.

Sister Otoole became the third runner by Amira’s Prince to break the $100,000 mark in earnings via a strong closing rally in a $92,000 allowance race on the grass at Belmont Park.

The 4-year-old filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon was ridden by Luis Saez in the race at a mile and a quarter on the inner turf course. Off at odds of 9/2, Sister Otoole broke alertly and was sitting a comfortable third on the inside early on the backstretch, about six lengths from the leaders.

She dropped even further back after half a mile in :47.98, then uncorked a powerful wide run on the turn, gamely assumed the lead in deep stretch and held off three would-be closers, winning by a length in 2:02.55.

The check for $50,600 raised Otoole’s bank account to $109,156 on a record of 2-2-3 in 8 starts.

If ever there was a poster boy for the old “horses for courses” adage, it has to be John’s Promise. The 5-year-old Handsome Mike gelding has started 19 times in his career at five tracks, and after his smart victory at Delaware Park yesterday, he raised his record to 5-3-2, with four of the five victories and two of the three seconds having come at Delaware.

Raul Mena was aboard John’s Promise in a $42,250 allowance race at 5 1/2 furlongs. They were off fourth over a muddy track down the backstretch, and Mena coaxed the gelding past the second and third runners coming to the turn. John’s Promise then took care of the pace-setter about 100 yards from the wire, pulling away determinedly to win by 2 1/4 lengths.

John’s Promise is his sire’s 18th winner of 2021, and the $24,000 check left him within a stone’s throw of the $100,000 mark at $98,003.

For the first 11 races of her career – eight at Gulfstream Park and three at Gulfstream West – Jeanie’s Angel was able to post just one victory and one second for owners John Nitolo and Joseph Stone. After the 11th start, back in December, she went on a vacation and didn’t show up again until May 23 at Pimlico.

The five months off proved to be the right medicine for the 5-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike, and she won in her return by four lengths with new rider Jorge Ruiz in the irons. Jeanie’s Angel then added a second, half a length behind the winner, with Ruiz aboard on June 13. Yesterday, Ruiz guided her to a 4 1/2-length score, adding $10,830 to her earnings.

Under high-weight of 126 pounds, Jeanie’s Angel forced the pace in the two-path in the 5 1/2-furlong race, made a bold wide move nearing the top of the stretch, and drew away with ease in the lane, clocked in 1:05.31. She’s now 3-2-0 in 14 tries with earnings of $42,510, with $22,530 coming in her three Pimlico outings. The $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old purchase was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Striking Mike scored his second victory of 2021 yesterday, going wire-to-wire in a strong performance at six furlongs at Finger Lakes.

The 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike went off at 4-1 with Emanuel De Diego, who sent the gelding out quickly and he assumed a lead he was never in danger of losing.

Striking Mile passed the furlong markers in :23.72 and :47.63, turned into the stretch with a daylight lead, and continued on to the wire to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:12.63. He paid $10 and earned a check of $10,680 for his owners and breeders, Kathryn Wright and Samantha Vitalone.

My Little Rosy is a perfect example of the old adage, “if you don’t succeed at first, try, try, again.”

The daughter of Handsome Mike broke her maiden as a 3-year-old at Tampa Bay Downs in January of 2019 and paid $84.40. She hadn’t won again until yesterday at Evangeline Downs, but not for the lack of trying. The 5-year-old mare scored in a runaway under Wallynette Rodriguez and raised her record to 2-1-4-6 in 24 starts.

My Litle Rosy raced just six times in 2020, finishing fourth in the first three and third in the last three. She was then laid up for nearly nine months until returning at Louisiana Downs and adding another fourth to her ledger. Yesterday, the mare bred by Ponder Hill made her second start of 2021 and was sent off as the 4/5 favorite in the race at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf. She sat second early, went after the pace-setter after a half, then blew by and won by nearly six lengths.

My Little Rosy became Handsome Mike’s 17th winner this year, and the winner’s check of $8,400 raised his progeny earnings to $508,086. He’s currently the 9th-leading active stallion on Florida’s sire list for 2021.

Handsome Mike will pass the $500,000 mark in 2021 progeny earnings today after his leading money-winner, Here Comes Jackie, scored her sixth career victory in Belmont Park’s second race yesterday.

The 5-year-old mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon collected a check for $33,000 after winning the $32,000 claiming race on the turf by 1 1/4 lengths under Joel Rosario, arguably the best rider in North America. Here Comes Jackie’s bank account swelled to $274,285 on a record of 6-7-3 in 38 starts.

It proved to be a sweet monetary return for Zilla Racing Stables, Acqua Nova Stable and PlayingTheField Racing, who had claimed Here Comes Jackie for $25,000 out of her last race at Belmont on May 20.

Rosario settled Here Comes Jackie into fifth place on the inside early in the 7-furlong race, and they remained there until well into the turn. Then he swung her out to mid-track and ran down the leaders in the final eighth, clocked in an excellent 1:21.67.

Handsome Mike’s earnings reached $499,236 and he’ll pass the half-million mark today if either of his two runners – My Little Rosy at Evangeline Downs, or Running for Riz at Gulfstream Park – finish on the board.