Turf News

The endless parade of winners by Treasure Beach and Handsome Mike in August continued unabated yesterday, with Pleasant Acres’ red-hot stallions getting one at Gulfstream and another at Colonial Downs.

Galileo’s Affair scored a 1 3/4-length victory at one mile over a sloppy track at Gulfstream in a race that came off the grass. The 4-year-old daughter of Treasure Beach sat second for most of the trip and drove past the pacesetter in the stretch to earn the $13,600 winner’s check. The $37,000 OBS April purchase is 6-4-7 in 26 lifetime starts with earnings of $153,240 and she’s won three of her last four starts.

At Colonial, Lucky Mike gained his first victory in his ninth try, collecting a check for $30,000 in the $54,000 maiden special. The 3-year-old gelding bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, who had finished second in the Juvenile Turf Stakes at Gulfstream West in his second career start, rushed up to take the lead on the final turn in the one-mile turf race, then held off three challengers nearing the wire to score by three-quarters of a length. He’s 1-3-2 in his nine starts with earnings of $73,320.

Treasure Beach picked up his 40th winner of 2019 at Gulfstream Park yesterday after the disqualification of the original first-place finisher following a flagrant foul.

Sunshine Treasure had come from off the pace to contest the lead heading into the stretch, when Karenina bore out badly from the inside and knocked the filly sideways. Jairo Rendon got Sunshine Treasure in gear again, but she fell short by a neck at the wire.

The inquiry sign was posted immediately and it didn’t take the stewards long to take the winner down and give Sunshine Treasure her second victory. She’s earned $57,370 for owner Patricia Generazio, who bred the 4-year-old in partnership with Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Paul Mouttet bought Love Daddy from Joe and Helen Barbazon for $9,000 at the 2018 OBS June sale, and the stretch-running filly has turned out to be quite a lucrative purchase for the Canadian owner.

The 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike won a hard-fought turf battle at Woodbine yesterday and came out of the race with a record of 2-2-1 in six starts and U. S. earnings of $46,181. However, as a Canadian resident, Mouttet has been the welcome recipient of the filly’s north-of-the-border haul – $61,517.

With Kazushi Kimura riding, Love Daddy found a comfortable spot stalking the speedsters in fifth place out of the gate and down the backstretch in the one-mile race. She moved four wide on the final turn, closed strongly down the middle of the course, and won a head-bob at the wire over fast-closing Power House. She paid $12.50 after getting the mile in 1:36.07.

Pleasant Acres has enjoyed several sensational Saturdays and Sundays in recent weeks, and yesterday added a fabulous Friday to the list. Treasure Beach continued his climb up the Florida general sire list with three winners and a second, while Handsome Mike added one winner and a second.

Treasure Beach’s winners – Summer Beach, Reggae Pirate and Charlotte the Brit – all came at Gulfstream Park, while Vino missed by a neck of getting No. 4 four at Monmouth Park.

Summer Beach broke his maiden in wire-to-wire fashion in his fourth start for owner/breeder Just For Fun Stable and collected a check for $28,900. The 3-year-old colt paid $10.60 after getting one mile on the turf in 1:36.32. Reggae Pirate also went wire-to-wire to get his first victory in his 13th try. The 3-year-old colt won by five lengths in :57.05 for the five furlongs on the grass, and earned $11,600.

After winning two of her last three for owner Patricia Generazio, Charlotte the Brit is 2-3-2 in 13 starts and her earnings jumped to $97,415. She won by one length, collected $22,700 and picked up a breeder’s award for Joe and Helen Barbazon. Treasure Beach has moved up to fifth on the Florida sire list, fourth among active sires, and has passed last year’s earnings figure of $1,315,088 by $30,000.

John’s Promise, a 3-year-old gelded son of Handsome Mike, won by 2 1/2 lengths at Timonium in his career debut. He earned $10,260 after getting 4 furlongs over a sloppy track in :46.97. At Gulfstream, Took a Cab finished second and earned $7,420 for owner/breeder Joel W. Sainer.

Total Treasure benefitted from the considerable expertise of Luca Panici to post her second career victory in the first race at Gulfstream Park yesterday. The 4-year-old filly was the first of two Treasure Beach winners spanning two continents that Gulfstream bettors were able to cash in on.

Racing “about” 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass, Total Treasure was nursed along on the rail by Panici, who, unlike many of his colleagues, has learned the value of the inside on the Gulfstream turf. He slipped his filly through on the hedge turning for home and picked up several lengths, swung out to mid-track as they straightened out for home, then swept by the two remaining rivals nearing the wire.

Total Treasure became her sire’s 37th winner this year and collected $12,910, bumping her career total to $53,505. She paid $12.80.

After the 12-race Gulfstream program wound up, the TV action switched to San Isidro in Argentina, where Perfect Beach added to a season filled with a great many Treasure Beach successes. The bay colt won a seven-furlong off-the-grass race for maiden 4-year-old colts and geldings with Eduardo Ortega Pavan aboard.

Perfect Beach sat second early down the backstretch, dropped back to third on the turn, then rallied with a strong surge to win by a neck over 9/5 favorite El Carolo in a driving three-horse finish. The colt was clocked in 1:23.82 and rewarded his followers to the tune of $18.80, $5.20 and $5.20.

Pleasant Acres’ winners Saturday ranged in distance from 1 1/8th miles on Woodbine’s all-weather track to five furlongs on the grass at Gulfstream Park.

At Woodbine, Bear Treasure and rider Leo Salles sat a dream trip in third place behind dueling pacesetters in the distance test that came off the grass. The 4-year-old Treasure Beach colt owned and bred by Murray Stroud went after even-money Cause for Alarm on the turn and out-gamed the favorite to the wire to break his maiden by one-half length after a spirited stretch run. The victory was worth $11,220 in Canadian funds and $8,454 in the U. S.

Ourhandsomegal led every step of the way on the Gulfstream turf, was challenged for the first time at the top of the stretch and turned away that bid with ease, drawing off late by 4 1/2 lengths. The 3-year-old Handsome Mike filly paid $18.40 while becoming her sire’s 23rd winner and earning a check for $10,200. The second-crop stallion has passed the $1 million mark in earnings.

Back on June 30, Rhombus broke his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs, going wire-to-wire at six furlongs and paying $17.80. The 4-year-old gelding by Treasure Beach then received a seven-week vacation courtesy of owner/trainer Patty Burns, making his return at Colonial Downs yesterday at 5 1/2 furlongs over the outer turf course.

With Leslie Mawing aboard, Rhombus made it two in a row with little support from the betting public. Sent off at 24-1, he battled head-and-head for the lead with quick fractions of :22.44, :45.52 and :57.51 before drawing off at the top of the stretch and going on to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Clocked in the excellent time of 1:03.98, he paid $51 and rewarded his owner with a check for $18,000.

Venezuelan Forever kept the Treasure Beach ball rolling yesterday with a convincing victory racing 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Gulfstream Park. With Reylu Gutierrez riding, the 4-year-old filly jumped out to the lead and loped along in front when no one challenged her down the backstretch. She opened up on the turn and cruised to the wire, scoring by 7 1/4 lengths.

The winner’s check of $13,600 raised Venezuelan Forever’s earnings to $99,010 and her record to 5-1-5 in 20 starts. Treasure Beach remains in fourth place among active stallions on Florida’s general sire list and has 35 winners of 46 races in 2019.

On today’s general sire list, Treasure Beach is in fourth place among active Florida sires with 2019 progeny earnings of $1,189,302 and is in a four-way battle for that spot. Right above him is Brethren, all of whose current runners were bred in the years when he stood at Pleasant Acres.

Treasure Beach’s Southern Hemisphere resume continues to grow. At Argentina’s San Isidro, the 2-year-old colt Imperador won the Gr. I Dos Mil Guineas and collected $17,920 for the victory. At La Punta, Danzarin, a 3-year-old colt, finished second in the Anniversario Hipodromo de la Punta.

Saturdays have proven to be very fruitful for Pleasant Acres stallions this summer, and yesterday added greatly to that success. One result: Treasure Beach has moved from 10th to seventh place on the Florida general sire list with 2019 progeny earnings of $1,180,641.

Marynmike, a 3-year-old Handsome Mike filly, kicked it all off by winning the first race at Gulfstream Park. A little later, Peut Etre, a 3-year-old filly by Treasure Beach, won the second at Woodbine, and Small Hope, a 4-year-old gelding by Treasure Beach, captured the eighth at Monmouth Park. To add to the earnings bonanza, Here Comes Jackie (Handsome Mike) finished second at Monmouth, Fledermaus (Treasure Beach) finished second at Finger Lakes, and Lalali (Handsome Mike) finished third at Gulfstream.

Marynmike won an allowance optional claiming race with a flat mile in 1:37.88. She tracked the leaders while two lengths off the pace, then shot between horses into contention heading into the stretch but appeared to be coming up short. However, Victor Lebron never gave up on her and Marynmike was up by a neck to gain her second victory in a row, posting her best ‘E’ numbers – 99 and 98. It was 11 3/4 lengths back to the third horse. The winner’s check of $28,900 raised her earnings to $65,465.

Ontario-bred Peut Etre broke her maiden at 1 1/16 miles for co-owner/breeder Beclawat Stable, rallying from off the pace under Kazushi Kimura to get up by a neck over even-money favorite Amien and paying $17. No doubt all the Woodbine stables spend their spoils across the border since this one was worth $19,500 in Canada and $14,742 in U. S. funds.

Small Hope broke his maiden at 1 1/16 miles with Nik Juarez aboard and paid $4.80. The Kentucky-bred gelding earned $10,500 and has been in the top three in four of five starts.