Turf News

The honor of getting the first 2-year-old stakes-winner for a Florida stallion in 2024 goes to Gone Astray.

Gabaldon, bred by Carol Reitman, Susan Gannon and Warren Miller, scored a game front-running victory in the $110,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes in his career debut at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. Emisael Jaramillo was aboard the colt, who was a $9,000 OBS October yearling.

Gabaldon broke well from the No, 7 post in the race at five furlongs on the turf, and went right to the rail. He was joined in the two path by Governor Sam and the two battled head-and-head past the poles in a blazing :21.33 and :43.80, five lengths ahead of the closest pursuers. Gabaldon shook clear of Governor Sam in the stretch and held off the closers late to score by 1 1/4 lengths, clocked in :56.20. He paid $35, earned a check for $57,500, and received an 84 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, along with an invitation to compete at Royal Ascot in June.

After Yeudiel won at Mountaineer Casino and Resort in October of 2022, the Gone Astray gelding added a pair of seconds, then went on an extended vacation of nearly a year. He came back late in 2023 and turned in two poor performances, then won and paid $62, and made it two in a row yesterday with a convincing score under Brandon Tapara.

In a race at one mile, Tapara sat Yeudiel in second place early, sent the now 7-year-old to the lead after three quarters, and Yeudiel left the field behind in the stretch, reaching the wire nearly 10 lengths in front. This time he paid just $6 while earning a check for $4,814, increasing his career total to $64,825 on a record of 7-11-7 in 36 starts.

Night Jumper was all set to compete at one mile on the grass at Gulfstream Park, but the race came off the turf and went at a mile and 70 yards on the Tapeta surface. The change didn’t bother the 5-year-old son of Amira’s Prince, who scored a neck victory under Edgar Perez and increased his bank account to a healthy $168,382.

Perez got Night Jumper away smoothly and settled him in third place down the backstretch, about three lengths off the pace. He roused him three wide on the turn and Night Jumper took the lead into the stretch, then held off the closers late to score by a neck in 1:39.82. Night Jumper earned $16,800 for his first victory of 2024, and his overall record jumped to 5-2-1 in 26 starts. He was claimed out of the race for $16,000.

In her career debut at Tampa Bay Downs in December, Miss Imelda was involved in a severe bumping incident leaving the gate then was never in the hunt. The 3-year-old filly made her return to the races at Louisiana Downs on Derby day and looked like a different horse, becoming the 19th winner of 2024 for red-hot Neolithic.

With Emmanuel Nieves riding, Miss Imelda sat a comfortable fourth early in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs, moved up while five wide on the turn, then went into overdrive late and won by 5 1/4 widening lengths, clocked in 1:07.24. The filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds paid $13.60 and collected a check for $5,100.

In other Neolithic news, at Gulfstream Park, the 2-year-old filly Kip the Distance made her debut in a $65,000 maiden special weight test at 4 1/2 furlongs under Maikol Hernandez and acquitted herself well, especially considering her odds of 21-1. Owned, bred and trained by Angel Rodriguez, Kip the Distance went to the lead, passed the markers in :22.24 and :46.78, and was caught nearing the wire by Valiant Kiss, who won by a length. Kip the Distance paid $19.20 to place and $7 to show while earning a check for $10,800.

Finally, on Kentucky Oaks day, Dancing N Dixie finished a fast-closing third in the $600,000, Gr. II Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs, the third straight graded third-place finish for the 3-year-old Neolithic filly. Once again, despite the fact that NYRA’s inept handicapper Trackmaster called her a speed horse, Dancing N Dixie came from out of the clouds and was going fastest nearing the wire, only to run out of racetrack and fall short by 1 1/2 lengths. She earned an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 106, and collected $47,000, increasing her bank account to $185,235 on a record of 2-0-3 in 9 starts for her three-person partnership, which includes Jackie Ventura, wife of OBS president Tom Ventura.

Before beginning a four-month vacation, Yeudiel went off at odds of 5-1, 12-1 and 71-1 and finished sixth, seventh and eighth in his last three races of 2023. So it was no surprise that he was 30-1 on the board in his return in the fourth race at Mountaineer Casino and Resort on Tuesday night.

The big surprise was that Luciano Hernandez gunned the Gone Astray gelding right to the lead out of the gate, and the 7-year-old lulled the rest of the field to sleep, winning by 1 1/2 lengths with 6/5 favorite Moon Over Montana closing in rapidly after Yeudiel had opened up by six lengths in mid-stretch.

Yeudiel lit up the board at $62, getting the mile in 1:42.95, and earning a check for $4,582. Bred by SJT Racing, he’s earned $60,011 on a record of 6-11-7 in 35 starts.

Layoffs since December proved to be the right medicine for a pair of runners Sunday, one a filly by Neolithic and the other a gelding by Gone Astray.

GREAT VENEZUELA – The 3-year-old filly had been off for 4 1/2 months and reappeared in a $41,000 allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park with Leonel Reyes riding. In a race at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Tapeta course, she was off second and tracked the leader down the backstretch in the two path. Reyes sent her up outside the pacesetter on the turn and she took the lead in the stretch, coasted to the wire 11 lengths in front as announcer Pete Aiello bellowed, “Great Venezuela – making 3/5 look like easy money.” Her clocking of 1:02.93 threatened the track record of 1:01.61, ironically, held by a former Pleasant Acres stallion, Handsome Mike.

Great Venezuela paid $3.20, received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 90, and earned a check for $24,100, inflating her total to $94,500 on a record of 3-1-1 in five starts. Owned and bred by Orlyana Farm, she’s Neolithic’s 18th winner of 2024, fourth best of all Florida sires.

RICHIESONAROLL – In his second race back after his layoff of four months, the 4-year-old gelding bred in Illinois by Richard Ravin was also 3/5 after he had finished second in his return. In a $45,120 allowance test at six furlongs at Hawthorne, the Gone Astray gelding sat fourth on the rail down the backstretch under Emmanuel Giles, swung to the outside on the turn and proved to be best in the late going over three rivals, scoring by two lengths in 1:10.53. He collected a check for $27,720, ballooning his career bankroll to a healthy $174,075 on a record of 5-5-0 in 15 starts, 5-3-0 in his last 10.

Over the span of his first three seasons, Corporate Affair went 32 races at Gulfstream Park and one at Tampa Bay Downs without winning a race. All the now-5-year-old gelding by Gone Astray had to show for it was two seconds and six thirds.

After a typical outing on Jan.1, Corporate Affair shipped to Puerto Rico and wound up in the barn of Rojas Racing Stable and trainer Carlos Sostre. All his new trainer has done with the gelding since is send him to the post four times at Camarero, and Corporate Affair has responded with three victories and one second, the loss coming by a nose to a 3/10 shot.

In his latest, the gelding went wire-to-wire under Nicky Figueroa, winning by 1 1/4 lengths with seven furlongs in 1:25.86. He paid $8.20 and received a 79 Equibase speed figure, best of his 37 races. He’s won his three victorious outings by a combined total of 10 lengths.

Neolithic’s parade toward his best season continued unabated yesterday as two razor-sharp 3-year-olds went wire-to-wire in back-to-back races at Gulfstream Park and accounted for a miniscule daily double price of $10.60.

TRUMPETS – The filly bred by Matalona Thoroughbreds is a charter member of the list of Neolithics who have proven to be a great bargain with just three races under her belt. She was an $8,000 OBS October yearling, and has already racked up a bank account of $71,230 for owner/trainer Joe Catanese III.

With Edgar Perez aboard in a $48,000 allowance test at five furlongs over the Tapeta surface, from the No. 1 post Trumpets hit the gate at the break, but she recovered quickly and rushed up to take the lead. She put up sizzling fractions of :21.73 and :45.18 and left the field behind late to score by four lengths in :57.58. She paid $3 as favorite and the check for $30,800 raised her 2024 earnings for two winning races to $60,800.

PREVENT – The colt bred by Katia Perez Ozuna and owned by Brian Cohen has been a major bargain – a $15,000 OBS Winter Mixed Sale purchase. Coming off a runner-up finish in the $110,000 Equistaff Sophomore Turf Stakes, with Edgard Zayas in the saddle he led all the way in a $61,000 allowance optional claimer at one mile on the turf course, and outgamed the closers at the wire by a nose, clocked in 1:34.14. He paid $6.40 and the check for $38,600 lifted his total to $181,060 on a record of 3-4-0 in 11 starts.

The two winners, plus a third-place finish by Big Bucksalot at Tampa, helped Neolithic move into fourth place on Florida’s general sire list with $723,322 in the till.

In the span of two hours and two minutes at Gulfstream Park yesterday, Neolithic added winners 16 and 17 to his 2024 total which ties him for third among all Florida sires. At the same time, he added $69,400 to his progeny earnings that helped lift his season’s total to $647,282, good for fifth place among Florida’s sires, while giving Joe and Helen Barbazon another healthy breeder’s award.

SLIDE SHOW – At 2:17, the 3-year-old colt bred by the late former NFL player Freddie Hyatt made OBS buyers look bad after he was a $14,000 RNA at the 2023 Winter Mixed Sale. Making his career debut in a $60,000 maiden special, Slide Show broke from the gate on top and continued on for a 12-length score with as easy a trip as rider Miguel Vasquez has ever enjoyed. The colt passed the poles on the Tapeta course in a leisurely :24.55, :49.50 and 1:13.60 without receiving a threat, then coasted away down the lane with Vasquez standing in the irons for the last 16th.

Despite three sharp morning trials, including a :58.68 5-furlong Tapeta breeze, Slide Show paid a generous $12.60, $8.40 and $6.40, while earning a check for $38,000 for owner JR Racing. It appears as though a star has been born.

PRIVATE THOUGHTS – At 4:19, the 3-year-old gelding bred by the Barbazons, an $11,000 OBS March 2-year-old, stalked the early pace under a strong hold by Paco Lopez in a $49,000 starter optional claimer, moved two wide for the stretch drive and drew off late to score by 1 1/4 lengths. The gelding co-owned by his trainer, Ron Spatz, and attorney David Romanik, was clocked in 1:40.55 for the 1 1/16 miles, paid $3.80 as favorite, and collected a check for $31,400. He boosted his earnings to $85,054 on a record of 2-1-1 in six starts.

DANCING N DIXIE – It’s a little too early to compare the 3-year-old Neolithic filly to the great closers of all time, like the immortal Silky Sullivan and Breeders’ Cup eye-opener Arazi, but she’s certainly making a bid.

For the second time in a row, Dancing N Dixie came from out of the clouds to finish third in a graded stakes, both times just falling short at the wire. On March 9, she rallied from 11th and last in the Gr. III Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs at odds of 68-1. Yesterday, at 10-1, she came from 12th and last under Jose Ortiz in the Gr. II, $400,000 Appalachian Stakes presented by the Japan Racing Association at Keeneland, and missed getting all the money by half a length and a head. The Equibase chart has her about 9 1/2 lengths behind the leader heading down the backstretch, but it was closer to 15 – she was five lengths behind the 11th horse. She received her best ‘E’ speed figure, a 104.

Dancing N Dixie was also a bargain at the last OBS Open June Sale, selling for just $35,000. She’s owned by Tina Casse, wife of her trainer, in partnership with Rocky Top Stable and LEMB Stables and she’s earned $138,235 on a record of 2-0-2 in eight starts.

In her Gulfstream Park debut on Feb. 29, Travel Happy went off at 9/2 under Luis Saez and turned in a strong performance, finishing third but missing by just half a length and a nose. In her second try on Thursday, with the race under her belt and the addition of Irad Ortiz Jr., the country’s leading rider, the 3-year-old filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds was bet down to 3/5 in a $32,000 maiden claiming race at 5 furlongs over the Tapeta surface.

Ortiz sent the daughter of Gone Astray out quickly and she led every step of the way, passing the furlong markers in :22.29 and :46.22, and reaching the wire two lengths in front, clocked in :58.50. She paid $3.20 and earned a check for $19,200, lifting her two-race total to $22,720, but owner Tracy Pinchin and trainer Jose Pinchin lost her for $25,000.