Turf News

Dialithic went wire -to-wire in a 1 1/16-mile trip around the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Park under Jorge Ruiz on Friday, and (1) gave Joe and Helen Barbazon their third breeders’ award in a week, (2) gave Neolithic his 16th winner of 2026, putting him in a tie for second place in that category on Florida’s general sire list, and (3) sent Neolithic over the $600,000 mark in progeny earnings in just 2 1/2 months, third on the sire list.

The 5-year-old mare, a $25,000 OBS October yearling, won by nearly four lengths in 1:45.12, paid $3.20, and collected a check for $14,550, boosting her career bank account to $99,570 on a record of 3-7-3 in 25 starts.

As previously noted, at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday Notable Exchange gave Neolithic his 13th winner of 2026. On the same day, the 7-year-old Jamaican-bred Neo Star made it 14 with an allowance victory at Caymanas Park in Jamaica. The following day, the 3-year-old stakes-placed colt Pontevecchio finished third in the 6 1/2-furlong, Gr. III Clasico Mauricio Azar at La Rinconada in Venezuela.

To add to the streak, yesterday came victory No. 15 when Neoking scored in a 6 1/2-furlong test over the all-weather surface at Tufrway Park. The 6-year-old gelding came from behind under Samuel Bermudez and won by nearly three lengths in 1:19.65, paying $5.82 and collecting a check for $14,763. Neoking, bred by Just For Fun Stable, has earnings of $101,628 on a record of 5-5-6 in 37 starts.

Joe and Helen Barbazon struck for their second breeders’ award in two days when Notable Exchange romped in a $60,500 allowance test at Tampa Bay Downs after six entrants in the field of nine were scratched for a variety of reasons.

Sent off at 3/5 when the smoke had cleared, the 4-year-old Neolithic filly sat a perfect trip behind the pacesetter in the race at 1 1/8-miles over the main track after it was taken off the grass. Sonny Leon sent his filly after the lead midway down the backstretch and after that, it became no contest. The filly owned and trained by Michael Dini ran away late and won by 6 1/2 widening lengths.

Neolithic’s 13th winner paid $3.20 and rewarded Dini with a check for $38,600, inflating her total to $147,350 on a record of 3-6-0 in 16 starts.

Last year, Neolithic enjoyed his best season with 50 winners and just under $3.5 million in progeny earnings, the latter being second best on Florida’s general sire list. Just one week into March and he’s already had 12 winners, but he has been sitting in fifth place in the earnings department – until Friday.

That changed dramatically, when, in a span of two hours, the son of Harlan’s Holiday had Chicken Dance and Ababajoni win at Gulfstream, Cademan win at Tampa Bay Downs, and Neo Zapper finish third at Tampa. That added $85,200 to Neolithic’s progeny earnings and lifted him to within $8,000 of second on the sire list.

CHICKEN DANCE – Another on Tom McCrocklin’s growing list of successes, in a $42,000 starter optional claimer at one mile on the grass the 3-year-old gelding won by a head in 1:35.27 under talented Joel Rosario. He paid $8.20 and rewarded McCrocklin with a check for $24,800, plus a breeder’s award. He now sports an eye-catching record of 3-0-1 in just four starts with a bank account of $64,550.

ABABAJONI – Neolithic’s 12th winner of 2026, the 3-year-old colt bred by Hallmarc Stallions was a $30,000 OBS April 2-year-old for his owner/trainer, Rohan Crichton. With Anthony Thomas in the irons, he went wire-to-wire in the race at one mile on the turf, clocked in a swift 1:33.58, and paid a juicy $61. He collected $32,400 for his second score, increasing his four-race total to $62,800.

CADEMAN – The 3-year-old colt bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon went wire-to-wire in a $36,500 starter optional claimer, winning by a neck, getting six furlongs in 1:10.58 and paying $7.80. A $95,000 OBS April sale, he’s won two of his last three at Tampa, and Friday’s check for $22,500 raised his earnings to $54,485.

NEO ZAPPER – He finished third at odds of 13-1 and added $5,500 to the $85,200 afternoon.

Neolithic’s 11th winner of 2026 is I Forgot to Ask, who wired the field in a 5-furlong test for maidens over the all-weather track at Turfway Park under Yarmarie Correa.

Racing in a showery atmosphere, I Forgot to Ask took the lead nearing the first quarter, opened up daylight on the turn and into the stretch, then held on to score by three-quarters of a length in a time of :59.20. The 3-year-old gelding bred by Kelly Lynn Lupton paid $6.40 and earned a check for $10,782, boosting his total to $20,162 after four races.

Owner/breeder Tom McCrocklin has been a familiar figure on the Ocala thoroughbred scene for many decades, but his presence has multiplied both at the sales and on the racetrack in the last couple of years, much of it due to great success with Pleasant Acres stallions.

Currently, McCrocklin is the owner of Viable Asset, a 3-year-old Neolithic filly who broke her maiden in her career debut, winning by 1 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park under Irad Ortiz Jr. on Jan. 8. The filly bred by Mike Whiddon then came back to make it 2-for-2 under Joel Rosario, scoring by two lengths in a $42,000 starter optional claimer at five furlongs on the grass, despite not getting off to a quick start.

Viable Asset paid $10.40 after getting the distance in :55.02, less than 1 1/2 seconds off the course record. She earned a check for $19,800, lifting her two-race total to $36,600, and giving her owner a cause for much optimism for the rest of the meeting.

Add Landman Friday/Peppermint Man to the growing list of Neolithic exactas.

It happened at Gulfstream Park in a race at one mile and one-sixteenth on the grass. Edgar Perez was aboard 15-1 Peppermint Man, a 4-year-old gelding who took the lead out of the gate and continued on in front while 3/5 Landman Friday rested comfortably in sixth with Irad Ortiz.

Landman Friday then made a wide, sweeping move on the turn and ran past the field midway down the stretch, drawing off to score by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:41.23. The 4-year-old colt bred by Grassroots Training and Sales paid $3.20 and earned a check for $21,200, raising his total to $68,950 on a record of 2-1-1 in 8 starts. He became Neolithic’s 10th winner of 2026, and was claimed out of the race.

Peppermint Man held on for second and collected $7,880, boosting his total to $32,820. The exacta paid $37.

Neolithic is just three winners away from a significant milestone after Courageous Diane scored an impressive come-from-behind victory at Tampa Bay Downs under Joseph Trejos. The 3-year-old filly bred by Maria Haire became her sire’s ninth winner of 2026 and left him just three short of having 100 winners in his career.

Courageous Diane had gone seven races without an in-the-money finish, but she revved it up in Oldsmar in a $32,000 maiden claimer at one mile on the grass. With Trejos deftly taking advantage of the inside for most of the trip, the $3,000 OBS Winter yearling rocketed past the leaders down the lane and won by a length in 1:37.66, earning a check for $13,360. She paid $13.60 and achieved her best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 74.

It was a strong last-to-first performance at Gulfstream Park Saturday for If Not For Luck, who made it three Tapeta victories in a row – under co-highweight of 123 pounds and a confident ride from Irad Ortiz Jr.

The 7-year-old son of Neolithic became his sire’s eighth January winner, and raised his record to 7-2-7 in 22 starts. The check for $16,200 for the $35,000 OBS April 2-year-old increased his career total to $244,470.

Ortiz settled If Not For Luck in sixth place early in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the all-weather surface, and when he asked him to run, if Not For Luck inhaled the opposition with a wide run and drew off to score by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:02.44, just four-fifths of a second off the track record. He paid $2.80 and was claimed out of the race.

In one of the strange twists of racing, two sons of Neolithic, Private Thoughts and Prevent, have faced each other in five straight overnight handicaps s at Gulfstream Park dating back to Oct. 4, the first two with purses of $70,000, and the last three worth $100,000 each. In the five, Private Thoughts has knocked out two victories, two seconds and a third; Prevent has two posted victories and three off the board.

In the latest on Saturday, the 5-year-old Prevent rebounded from one of his off-the-board efforts and went wire -to-wire in the mile and 70-yars test over the Tapeta course under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. They lulled the field to sleep with a :24.79 first quarter and continued on in front to a neck victory over 3-1- favorite Horsepower in 1:37.67. Bred by Katia Perez Ozuna, Prevent, a $15,000 OBS Winter yearling, earned a check for $60,000, boosting his career total to $469,177 on a record of 8-5-1 in 28 starts.

Private Thoughts, a 5-year-old gelding bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, had won the last handicap on Dec. 27 but didn’t fire this time at odds of 3-1, finishing third for attorney David Romanik and trainer Ron Spatz, 2 1/2 lengths back. He earned $9,000 and now has a bank account of $368,474 on a record of 8-4-3 in 19 tries.