Turf News

Handsome Mike picked up his 22nd winner of 2021 with the stylish victory of Handsome Prince in a 5 1/2-furlong race at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

The 4-year-old bred by Just For Fun Stable had little-known Ronney Betancourt in the irons, but it mattered little as he guided the gelding to a 4 3/4-length score while getting the best out of him – a career-topping Equibase ‘E’ speed rating of 89.

Handsome Prince was off fourth and Betancourt was content to keep him out in the four path down the backstretch. He cruised up to third coming to the turn, challenged the leader turning for home, and coasted to the wire without a challenge as announcer Pete Aiello shouted, “They’re all left in the wake of Handsome Prince.”

The gelding was clocked in 1:04.68, paid $20.80 and earned a check for $11,600, which bumped Handsome Mike up to $791,406 as he heads for his third straight $1 million season. Handsome Prince is 3-3-5 in 20 tries with earnings of $71,290.

Handsome Mike is eighth on Florida’s leading sire list among active stallions.

Handsome Mike picked up two more winners yesterday, Do What It Takes at Finger Lakes and Mike Mike at Mountaineer Casino and Resort, giving the stallion 21 for the year and moving him into 10th place among Florida’s active sires with 2021 progeny earnings of $745,829.

Michael Davila Jr. was aboard Do What It Takes, who raised her record to 6-6-8 in 34 starts with a strong finish after a five-horse cavalry charge to the first quarter. The 5-year-old mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon went three wide on the turn and won a three-way duel to the wire by two lengths. The $10,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $7.90 and earned a check for $7,560, boosting her total to $78,968.

Mike Mike gained his first victory this year with Angel Diaz emulating the ride by Davila on Do What It Takes. The 5-year-old gelding bred by Judy Carlin was up close while five-wide down the backstretch and into the turn, and still had the most left in the battle down the lane, scoring by 1 1/4 lengths. The victory was worth $8,869 and he paid his backers a healthy $18.80.

When going over his latest victories at Gulfstream Park, it’s quite possible jockey Edgard Zayas won’t find one that was any easier than yesterday’s maiden score by first-timer Night Jumper.

The 2-year-old daughter of Amira’s Prince drew the No. 5 post for her debut in a $35,000 claiming race at ‘about’ 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass, and Zayas settled her in fifth place on the inside leaving the gate and into the backstretch. Announcer Pete Aiello picked her up several times along the way, noting that Night Jumper was dying to run, and he was right on the money.

When Zayas swung her to the outside heading to the final turn, Night Jumper inhaled the four in front of her, swept into the lead at the top of the stretch, and coasted to the wire 3 1/2 lengths in front, with her rider never once raising the whip.

Night Jumper was clocked in 1:30.76, paid $9.80, and earned a check of $23,650 for her owner and breeder, Darsan Inc. She became the sixth winner this year for Amira’s Prince, who has progeny earnings of $265,209 despite having just 10 starters.

Many hours after Night Jumper’s sensational debut, and as far across the country as is possible, Galileta finished a bang-up third in the $50,000 Emerald Downs Distaff at a mile and one-sixteenth.

Kevin Orozco was aboard the 4-year-old filly, and he sent the daughter of Amira’s Prince right to the lead. Galileta galloped along comfortably in front until she was collared in the stretch and wound up missing second by half a length. She earned $6,000, which raised her total to $32,106 on a record of 2-0-1 in eight starts.

Neolithic retained his lead over Noble Bird in Florida’s freshman sire race via an eye-catching victory by first-timer Splenda Gail in a $32,000 maiden special weights test on the grass at Evangeline Downs last evening.

With Ty Kennedy in the irons, the filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon became winner No. 4 for Neolithic, two better than Noble Bird. She broke sharply from the No. 1 post, took the lead nearing the first quarter, which went in :22.33, and opened up daylight through a half in :46.92. She was never challenged throughout and coasted to the wire in front by 4 1/4 comfortable lengths, clocked in :57.53 for the five furlongs.

Splenda Gail earned a check for $16,800 and lifted Neolithic’s total to $114,750. With just six starters, the son of Harlan’s Holiday has a batting average of 66.6 percent, and all four of his winners have scored in their first start.

Sir Seamus scored a wire-to-wire victory on the turf at Woodbine yesterday, his sixth score in a 19-race career, tying him with Here Comes Jackie for most winner’s circle visits by any of Handsome Mike’s runners. It was only his second race back after a vacation of 5 1/2 months.

Gary Boulanger was aboard the 5-year-old, and the veteran rider had Sir Seamus on the lead from the outset. The gelding bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, and sold for $13,000 at the 2018 OBS Open sale, sailed by the markers in :22.98, :45.83 and 1:09.42 and was never seriously threatened. He reached the finish line in front by three-quarters of a length clocked in 1:21.96 for the seven furlongs, and his check for $32,453 in U. S. dollars brought his career total to $143,979.

Although it’s much too early for making end-of-the-year predictions, Neolithic is currently No. 1 on Florida’s 2021 freshman sire list with respect to number of winners.

The stallion by Harlan’s Holiday, who had become the first Florida freshman to get two winners, now has three thanks to a highly-professional maiden-breaking victory by Cattin in his first try at Gulfstream Park.

Cattin was bred by long-time Florida breeders Curtis Mikkelsen and Patricia Horth, and was a $25,000 OBS Winter yearling. He was ridden by Emisael Jaramillo in yesterday’s debut in a $50,000 claiming race at 5 1/2 furlongs. Sent off at odds of 3-1, Cattin broke fifth and hugged the rail down the backstretch, until Jaramillo slipped him through to stalk the three leaders into the turn for home.

The veteran rider waited for the inside to open up, and when it did, he shot Cattin through the hole and in the blink of an eye, he left the three challengers in the dust. Never leaving the rail, Cattin widened the margin through the lane and at the wire he was nearly four lengths in front, clocked in 1:05.38. He paid $8.40 and earned a check for $28,550, which raised Neolithic’s total to $97,950 despite having only five runners thus far. Among 63 first-year sires in North America, he stands at No. 20.

There was nothing complex – again – about the overpowering performance turned in by Complex System at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

The 4-year-old colt by Amira’s Prince jumped out of the gate from the No. 9 post with Emisael Jaramillo, took the lead into the first turn, and was never seriously threatened for the remainder of his mile and one-sixteenth journey over the turf course.

The colt bred by Beth Bayer put up solid fractions of :23.75, :47.33 and :1:10.09 and was three in front as he straightened out for home. The final margin was 3 1/4 lengths, the time 1:41.35, and the winner’s check of $14,700 increased his earnings to $119,890. He has a record of 3-4-1 in 11 starts, all three victories coming this year.

Complex System is one of three runners by Amira’s Prince who has passed the $100,000 mark in career earnings.

Stone Beauty lived up to her name at Gulfstream Park yesterday, going wire-to-wire in her career debut under Samy Camacho and giving freshman sire Neolithic his second winner from three runners.

Stone Beauty, bred by Maria K. and Maria M. Haire, broke quickly in the $60,000 maiden special, was sent to the rail by Camacho and set a pressured pace throughout the five furlongs. She passed the quarter in :22.74 with 5/2 Devilette right on her shoulder, hit the half in :46.66 with 8/5 Flor de Plata in hot pursuit, then held off the favorite late to score by nearly two lengths.

In becoming the first Florida freshman sire to get two winners, the $130,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $6.40 and earned a check for $39,000.

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.