Turf News

Prevent became Neolithic’s fifth $300,000-plus earner after his wire-to-wire victory in the $75,000 Soldier’s Dancer Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Edgard Zayas was aboard the 4-year-old colt who completed the mile and 70-yard trip over the Tapeta surface in 1:39.31, less than two seconds off the track record, while receiving an excellent 102 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, a career best. The colt bred by Katia Perez Ozuna was a $15,000 OBS Winter purchase by Arindel Farm’s Brian Cohen.

Prevent paid $14.40 and earned a check for $43,650, increasing his lifetime total to $300,947 on a record of 5-5-1 in 21 starts.

Express Kid took only :52.58 seconds to show that his $2,000 purchase price at the Arizona Fall yearling sale was a major bargain. The 2-year-old Bodexpress colt broke his maiden in his career debut at Canterbury Park and it was worth $13,800 to owner Steve Haahr.

Guillermo Rodriguez was in the saddle for Express Kid’s first start, a $25,500 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs. The colt bred in California by Richard Barton Enterprises was on the lead throughout and he prevailed by a neck, just one and 2/5ths seconds off the track record. He paid $16.40.

The best Trojan’s Pride could muster up in his first four races at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs was one fifth-place finish. But the ‘E’ speed figures for 3-year-old colt by Curlin’s Honor improved with each start.

Shipped to Ellis Park, the colt bred by Breeze Easy broke his maiden in his fifth try with an eye-catching ‘last to first’ performance, coming from 10 lengths behind on the backstretch under Corey Lanerie to a 1 1/2-length score. Lanerie sent Trojan’s Pride after the leaders on the final turn in the race at a mile and a sixteenth on the grass, split horses at the top of the stretch, then shifted to the inside and sprinted away late while widening the margin with every stride.

Trojan’s Pride was clocked in 1:42.93, paid $15.40 and earned a check for $17,484. He recorded his best ‘E’ speed figure – 79.

Add Dream V to the list of runners who have enjoyed highly successful racing careers, but whose earnings have not matched their records due to campaigning in Puerto Rico with its minor league purse structure.

Dream V is a 5-year-old daughter of Neolithic who was bred by Y-Lo Racing Stables and sold for $30,000 as an OBS June 2-year-old. In her latest race at Camarero, after having finished third in her previous three races, she went wire-to-wire under Javier Santiago and paid just $3.30. She completed 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:07.00, scoring by nearly two lengths.

Dream V raised her lifetime record to a formidable 8-10-13 in 48 starts, but the paltry winner’s check of $3,770 increased her total to only $54,986. This year alone, she’s compiled a record of 2-2-3 in nine tries, with microscopic earnings of $12,050.

Orlyana Farm was the recipient of the ultimate owner/breeder break when two scratches cut the original field of six to four in the $70,000 Portofino Bay Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.

Great Venezuela, Neolithic’s second-leading money-winner, went off at 8/5 with Leonel Reyes in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface, and she didn’t disappoint. The 4-year-old filly who has – amazingly – never finished worse than third, stalked the early pace, then out-gamed 2/5 favorite Mrs. Gambolini to the wire to win by one length. She was clocked in 1:02.38, less than four-fifths of a second off the track record.

Great Venezuela received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 102, best of her fabulous 13-race career, during which she has achieved an 8-3-2 record, all at Gulfstream. The $41,500 winner’s check lifted her lifetime total to $335,120; the eight victories are best of all Neolithic’s runners.

The sharpies at the OBS sales may have missed the boat on a couple of Thursday’s Gulfstream winners, both by stallions from Pleasant Acres.

CAMIGOL – The 2-year-old colt by Neolithic was a $9,000 RNA as an OBS October yearling, and now he has a victory and a second to show for two starts. After the runner-up finish by a neck in his debut, he came back in a $53,000 maiden special and went wire-to-wire with Edwin Gonzalez, winning by 5 3/4 lengths in a sharp :52.17 for 4 1/2 furlongs, and paying $2.60. The colt bred by DeLuca and Sons Stable earned a check for $35,800 and has a two-race take of $46,200.

CARROLL’S HONOR – Breeder Don Ming brought the 3-year-old Curlin’s Honor filly home from the October OBS sale after the final bid of $27,000 failed to reach her reserve. She broke out of a four-race out-of-the-money slump and went wire-to-wire going six furlongs under apprentice Luis Fuenmayor. She put up fractions of :22.53 and :45.86 en route to a strong 7 1/2-length score, clocked in 1:11.07.

Carroll’s Honor paid $4.20 for her third victory in eight tries and the check of $14,550 for her patient owner/breeder raised her earnings to $51,520.

Gunnevera’s 10th winner of 2025 is Gunner’s Gold, a 3-year-old New York-bred gelding who surprised the handicappers with a $46 win payoff after breaking his maiden at Thistledown in his fifth start.

Luis Rivera was in the irons in the race at six furlongs and he rushed Gunner’s Gold out quickly, and settled him in second on the rail going to the first quarter, which went in :22.68. Rivera then sent him through on the inside and the gelding bred by Dorothy Bailin took the lead and continued on in front all the way to the wire, scoring by 2 1/2 lengths. The $50,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase was clocked in 1:13.25 and earned a check for $7,860.

Just Trust Me just missed making it four straight victories. The 3-year-old California-bred colt by Bodexpress lost a stretch-long battle by a neck to 1/2 favorite Medicine Dog in the $50,000 Golden Boy Stakes at Assiniboia Downs

Coming off three in a row, Just Trust Me went off as the 6/5 second choice in the race at six furlongs. Antonio Whitehall sent him to the lead where he was joined by the favorite, and they were glued to each other sides all the way to the wire with Medicine Dog finally gaining the upper hand, clocked in 1:12.71. It was 9 1/2 lengths back to the third horse.

Just Trust Me now sports a record of 5-5-1 in 15 starts, and the runner-up check (in U. S. dollars) of $7,426 increased his total to $125,817. He received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 92, best of his 15 races.

Neolithica has won seven times in her career, and six of her successes have come at Laurel Park.

The latest Laurel score by the 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly by Neolithic was a convincing wire-to-wire performance in a $32,780 starter optional claimer at seven furlongs. Horacio Karamanos was aboard the $30,000 Timonium October yearling, and he guided to a 4 1/2-length victory in 1:24.77, her third in her last five starts.

The filly bred by Maria M. Haire paid $7.20 and earned a check for $20,010. She raised her record to 7-2-1 in 18 starts, and boosted her bank account to $150,590, with $63,310 coming this year.

Highstakes Hustler’s first victory was a thing of beauty.

Making his fourth career start at Evangeline Downs, the 3-year-old Gunnevera gelding sat sixth under a stranglehold down the backstretch in the race at ‘about’ one mile on the turf. As the field approached the final turn, Timothy Thornton sent Highstakes Hustler up on the outside and the gelding bred in Kentucky by Southern Comfort Farm swept into the lead without taking a deep breath, then ran away down the lane to win by three lengths.

Gunnevera’s ninth winner of 2025 was clocked in 1:37.98, paid $10.20 and earned a check for $10,800.