Turf News

Handsome Girl moved Handsome Mike a little closer to the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings with a gutsy, wire-to-wire performance in a one-mile race that came off the turf at Evangeline Downs last night.

With Puerto Rican rider Wallynette Rodriguez aboard, the 4-year-old filly bred by Ponder Hill jumped out to an early lead and controlled the race throughout. She held a three-length lead in mid-stretch and coasted home by 1 1/2 to score her second victory of 2020 and fourth overall.

Handsome Girl paid $17 and earned $9,600 for the effort, raising her career total to $49,368 on a record of 4-3-3 in 20 starts. Handsome Mike is less than $78,000 from reaching $2 million lifetime.

For several months, Treasure Beach has been locked in a five-way battle for the ninth through 13th spots on Florida’s general sire list, and when yesterday’s racing began, he was lolling in 12th place. Thanks to three superb riding performances on the turf in the span of an hour and 36 minutes, two by Carol Cedeno and one by Jose Garcia, the son of Galileo opens today’s programs having jumped all the way up to ninth.

The banner afternoon began in the fourth race at Delaware Park, off at 2:53. Wine at the Beach, bred by Christine Jones, was making his return to the races after a layoff of more than nine months. After not being able to find his way to the winner’s circle in his first eight starts at Gulfstream Park, the 4-year-old gelding left town and won two of his next three at Parx and Colonial Downs.

Wine at the Beach went off at 11-1 with Cedeno aboard for this 7 1/2-furlong grass test. He broke on top, then Cedeno eased him back to a stalking second. When she asked him to run, Wine at the Beach left the field behind and won by 3 1/4 lengths without being threatened down the lane, receiving an 89 ‘E’ rating from Equibase, his best in 12 starts. The $18,000 OBS April 2-year-old boosted his record to 3-0-1, including three victories in the last four, and the $12,600 winner’s check increased his total to $54,480. The gelding paid $24.40, $10.40 and $6.40, and it is rumored his breeder was all over it.

At 4:11, Splendor Beach went to the post as the 2-1 favorite in a one-mile turf race at Tampa Bay Downs. The 3-year-old filly was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon and is owned by them in partnership with JC Thoroughbreds. She made a brief jump in the air at the break and was off last in the 10-horse field with Jose Garcia, but steadily picked off horses with a comfortable wide run down the backstretch.

Splendor Beach had just three left in front of her turning for home and she took care of two of them in short order. She then ran down She Broke My Heart in the final strides, picking up four lengths in the last sixteenth as announcer Richard Grunder called the wrong horse – until she crossed the finish line. It was her first victory in eight starts and was worth $6,670 plus the breeders’ award, the fourth in six days earned by the Barbazons.

At 4:29 it was Sugar Fix’s turn, also at Delaware with Cedeno again aboard for the ride. The 3-year-old filly has been on fire after losing her first four starts, and is 5-2-0 in seven tries since, including this one at one mile on the turf. Cedeno had her in a stalking position in second while two-wide, and when she made her run, Sugar Fix cruised into the lead, then held off fast-closing favorite Sister Otoole, a daughter of Amira’s Prince also bred by the Barbazons, by three-quarters of a length. She earned $24,600 for the victory, raising her total to $76,768.

The 4-year-old Treasure Beach filly Beach Lady may hold a dubious record that began after she was ridden by Gary Bain in her first two career starts 1 1/2 years ago at Gulfstream Park. After that, she had a succession of different riders at both Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs – 11 in all – without success.

Owner Barbara Brown no doubt believes in the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” because she tried again at Tampa yesterday with her 12th rider since Bain, and veteran Jose Ferrer proved to be the right selection. He took Beach Lady away in fifth place on the rail in the one-mile test, and was content to remain there down the backstretch. Coming to the turn, he cranked the filly up and she blew by the four in front of her, opening a 3-length lead in the stretch and going on to score by 2 3/4.

Beach Lady collected $5,800 for her owner and became Treasure Beach’s 16th winner of 2020. She also earned Joe and Helen Barbazon their third breeders’ award in the span of four days.

Mario Pino has ridden with great success for some 42 years around Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania, but he may never have had an easier score than with Our Fantasy at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

Breaking from the No. 11 post in the one-mile race over the main track, the daughter of Amira’s Prince broke nicely, and Pino moved her to the rail just behind mid-pack. Heading down the backstretch, the 3-year-old filly began picking off rivals one by one without much effort, then sliced between horses twice on the turn and into the stretch. From there she literally ran over the two remaining leaders and coasted to the wire with announcer Pete Aiello calling her, “a wrapped-up six-length winner.”

Our Fantasy became winner No. 6 this year for Amira’s Prince, and she was breaking her maiden in her eighth try. She paid $9.40, while boosting her earnings to $46,850. A $50,000 OBS April 2-year-old, she gave Joe and Helen Barbazon two breeders’ awards at Gulfstream in the span of two days.

Seattle Treasure, a member of Treasure Beach’s $100,000-plus club, added to his resume yesterday with a gritty, come-from-behind victory over the Fort Erie grass course.

Under Sunny Singh, the 5-year-old gelding was off seventh in a field of nine racing ‘about’ 7 1/2 furlongs. Singh moved Seattle Treasure to the inside early, and they began picking off horses with a strong rail run down the backside. On the turn,with four rivals still in front of them, Singh swung Seattle Treasure to mid-track, and the gelding made a huge run the last sixteenth to get up by a head at the wire.

Seattle Treasure was clocked in 1:24.25 and became winner No. 15 for his sire this year, increasing his earnings to $136,272 on a record of 5-3-6 in 33 starts.

Die Fledermaus, translated as ‘The Bat,’ is an operetta composed many years ago by Johann Strauss. Fledermaus, the 5-year-old gelding, is a son of Treasure Beach who flitted around the course like a bat for a wire-to-wire score in a 1 1/16-mile race at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday.

With Jose Ferrer aboard, Fledermaus was sent right to the lead, fought off several challenges along the way, including putting away favored Cpl. Dionicio at the top of the stretch, and continued on to a one half-length victory, paying $15.40. With his second visit to the winner’s circle in 2020, the gelding owned and bred by Glen View Oaks raised his record to 3-5-4 in 31 starts, and the $6,180 winner’s check increased his earnings to $50,206.

At Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico, Treasure Beach picked up his 14th winner of the year when Run Black Run romped going six furlongs at odds of 6/5. With Carlos Marquez Jr. aboard, the 3-year-old colt went wire-to-wire, winning by six lengths. He’s 2-2-2 in his last six starts.

On May 2, Sugar Fix won a $20,000 claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs by four lengths after having posted two victories and two seconds in her previous four races. So it came as no surprise to find out after the race that she was claimed away from breeder Ballybrit Stable by Lucas Cramer and trainer Ned Allard.

Yesterday, the 3-year-old Treasure Beach filly was sent back by her new connections in a very ambitious spot – a $75,000 allowance optional claimer at one mile on the turf course. But the dramatic jump in class had no effect on Sugar Fix, who broke fifth under Ronnie Allen Jr., moved up toward the leaders on the final turn, then out-gamed Joyous Times to the wire by a neck. She paid $11.40 after getting the mile in 1:35.96.

Sugar Fix boosted her record to 4-3-0 in 10 starts, and in her last six races she has registered four victories and two seconds. The $12,000 winner’s check increased her earnings to $52,168.

The start of the holiday weekend provided another day of celebration for Treasure Beach and Handsome Mike, who continued their string of recent successes at both Florida tracks.

At Tampa Bay Downs, David Flores added another milestone to his long and storied career with a victory aboard the Treasure Beach mare Calypso Key in a one-mile race on the grass. Flores had retired from racing in 2017 (temporarily, it appears) after riding 3,608 winners and piling up more than $150 million in purse money. Now stationed at Classic Mile, the 52-year-old native of Mexico has been training Calypso Key for his owners and breeders, Ocala’s Firefly Farm Racing, and added the riding chores aboard the 5-year-old mare after she hadn’t shown much in three tries at Tampa with other jockeys.

Aboard for the first time on April 1, Flores finished a sharp second with Calypso Key on the grass, missing the top prize by less than a length. On April 24, she didn’t handle a sloppy main track, but she was able to turn it all around when back on the turf yesterday. Flores shot her toward the lead from the outside at the break, and settled her into a comfortable third on the rail down the backstretch. While the rest of the challengers fanned wide on the turn, he slipped Calypso Key through on the rail and she did the rest, coasting home by three-quarters of a length and affording Flores one of the rarest gifts in racing, a jockey/trainer victory.

Calypso Key became winner No. 13 for Treasure Beach this season, paying $14.80 and earning a check for $6,670.

At Gulfstream, Sir Seamus went wire-to-wire at a mile and one-sixteenth on the grass to register his second victory in his last three starts. Emisael Jaramillo handled the 4-year-old Handsome Mike gelding beautifully, and it resulted in a winner’s check for $11,700 and another breeders’ award for Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Sir Seamus is now 3-1-0 in 11 starts with earnings of $60,740 and is winner No. 20 this season for Handsome Mike, who has risen into 10th place on the Florida general sire list with earnings of $404,673.

With two superior rides aboard Handsome Prince, Joseph Trejos has helped stamp himself as arguably the most promising South Florida apprentice since Tyler Gaffalione arrived on the scene several years ago.

After steering the 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike to a sharp second-place finish in his first try aboard the gelding in April, Trejos showed he understands more than most how to negotiate the Gulfstream Park oval by guiding Handsome Prince to his maiden-breaking score yesterday at odds of 7-1.

Trejos settled Handsome Prince into fifth place early in the six-furlong test, about four or five lengths behind the leaders, then let him loose on the turn after a half in a quick :45.50. Nearing the top of the stretch, the young rider yanked his horse to the rail and from there it became no contest. Handsome Prince shot through the opening and coasted down the lane, winning by nearly two lengths in 1:11.28.

The Just For Fun Stable gelding earned $15,380 for his first victory, paid $16.20, and became Handsome Mike’s 20th winner of 2020.

After a less-than-spectacular 10th-place finish at odds of 42-1 in his April 1 debut at Tampa Bay Downs, probably the only reason one could find to bet on Mike is Ready in yesterdays’ fifth race was the presence of Ademar Santos, easily the track’s leader in the ‘return on investment’ department. Santos has consistently scored with long-priced winners at the meeting, and he proved his mettle again aboard Mike is Ready, a 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike.

Sent off at 23-1 in the one-mile turf race, Mike Is Ready got off well from the No. 10 post, tracking the leaders in fifth place down the backstretch. When Santos asked him to run, the gelding looped the field on the turn and powered down the lane to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:36.68. He earned a check for $6,785 and a breeder’s award for Just For Fun Stable, while becoming the 19th winner of 2020 for red-hot Handsome Mike.