Turf News

Despite being forced to endure a wide trip for the entire 7 furlongs, Firenze Fire finished well in the Gr. I, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga yesterday and continued his relentless climb toward the $1 million mark in earnings. The 3-year-old son of Poseidon’s Warrior was going fastest of all at the end, but he fell 1 3/4 lengths short of winner Promises Fulfilled and just one-half length short of the runner-up spot. After sizzling fractions of :22.66, :44.34 and 1:08.44, the race went in a torrid 1:21.44.

Firenze Fire now has posted four victories, a second and a third in stakes company and the $60,000 check for third boosted his career earnings to $894,100.

Treasure Beach’s leading money-winner made it three straight at Gulfstream Park yesterday, using a heads-up ride by Tyler Gaffalione to boost her earnings to the tune of $29,500. The 3-year-old filly owned and bred by Robyn Thompson was forced wide going into the first turn of the mile race on the grass, but her talented rider was able to settle her into fourth place down the backstretch. She was shuffled back to fifth on the turn, but Gaffalione found a hole on the rail and Treasure for Gold shot through and went after the leaders at the top of the stretch. She was much the best down the lane and drew off to score by 1 1/4 lengths, clocked in 1:37.52. The Todd Pletcher-trained filly raised her record to 4-0-1 in seven starts with earnings of $133,350. 

Treasure Beach continues to enjoy success in two hemispheres, including adding a stakes-winner south of the border. At Argentina’s La Punta racetrack, Danzarin won the Clasico Juvenile at 1,200 meters on Aug. 20. The 2-year-old colt led a bunched-up pack into the stretch and just sprinted away down the lane, scoring by about six lengths. The 2-year-old colt was clocked in 1:11.70 and paid $12.05 . . . Ventajero Soy, another 2-year-old colt, won at San Isidro on the 18th.

At Gulfstream Park yesterday, racing a flat mile on the grass, Galileo’s Affair sat a perfect trip in third place down the backstretch with Emisael Jaramillo, moved three-wide on the turn, and drew off to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:37.77. The 3-year-old filly, a $37,000 OBS April purchase, collected $13,500 for her third career victory and now has a total of $89,020.

When Jo Sweetness made her career debut at Gulfstream Park on July 28, she was banged around badly leaving the gate and was off last in the 5 1/2-furlong race. The daughter of Anthony’s Cross was so far behind down the backstretch that announcer Pete Aiello mentioned her just one time with the comment “ahead of Jo Sweetness.” Coming to the wire, Aiello bellowed, “R. Prerogative has the lead – Jessica comes through on the rail, and Jessica is up to win it.” Then, his final words were: “Where did Jo Sweetness come from – she flew home to get beat about two lengths.”

The 2-year-old filly had come from a mile out of it to get up for third and that flying finish was enough to send Jo Sweetness off at 6/5 for her second start at Gulfstream yesterday. She performed as expected, sitting close to the pace, then powering away in the stretch under Leonel Reyes to break her maiden by 2 1/4 widening lengths. The victory was worth $30,500.

It is probably only fitting that the winner that sent Poseidon’s Warrior over the $1 million mark in progeny earnings in his second season was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon. Raise a Warrior became the colt of the hour at Thistledown yesterday, scoring in a one-mile test under Walter De La Cruz, earning a check for $6,420, and raising his sire’s total to $1,000,877. 

Raise a Warrior raced on the outside of pacesetter Kutschman for five furlongs, put away the 1/2 favorite on the turn, and went on to prevail by three quarters of a length. The 3-year-old colt has won three of his last four starts and is 4-2-0 in his last eight. 

There are 92 stallions listed on the Blood-Horse freshman sire list for 2018, and Handsome Mike  moved up to 14th place after the victory of Running for Riz in a $65,000 maiden special at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. The colt bred by Jody Veitch and Linda Riznick became the fourth winner for the millionaire son of Scat Daddy, and the winner’s check of $43,000 raised his progeny earnings to $138,240, even with only eight starters. 

Miguel Vasquez was aboard Running for Riz in just his second start – he had finished fourth at odds of 38-1 in his debut. This time, off at 5/2, the colt went wire-to-wire behind blazing fractions of :21.90 and :45.24 and he was three lengths in front at the wire. The final clocking of :51.68 is just 4/5ths of a second off the track record for 4 1/2 furlongs. With four winners, Handsome Mike is tied for first among Florida’s freshman group. 

Handsome Mike’s third winner came at Presque Isle Downs last night via a game wire-to-wire performance by Scowling Ridge. The 2-year-old filly prevailed in a $27,000 maiden special at 5 1/2 furlongs, after putting up solid fractions of :22.33, :46.08 and :58.28. Tampa Bays Downs stalwart Ronnie Allen Jr. was aboard the filly owned and bred by Martin and Emily Goodell, who collected $16,200 for their filly’s first victory in three starts; she had finished second in her previous try. Scowling Ridge held off four rivals in the stretch, winning by one length with a final time of 1:04.66.

Trainer David Fawkes had the 2-year-old filly Jeanieonthebeach ready to roll for her career debut in the 10th race at Gulfstream Park today. The daughter of Treasure Beach proceeded to turn in one of the stellar performances for her sire this year, overcoming some early trouble and becoming his first juvenile winner of 2018. Miguel Vasquez settled Jeanieonthebeach in mid-pack in the one-mile test on the turf, and when the rail opened up nearing the quarter pole, he shot her through the hole to take the lead, and she quickly cruised to a six-length margin by mid-stretch. Vasquez had her geared down in the final sixteenth and the filly won by 4 1/4 lengths. The $22,000 OBS April 2-year-old eclipsed her purchase price, earning a check for $23,650 for Pinnacle Racing Stable. 

A 5 1/2-month layoff didn’t affect Venezuelan Forever’s performance at Gulfstream Park yesterday, and the 3-year-old filly scored a convincing victory racing 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Tyler Gaffalione guided the daughter of Treasure Beach into a contending position in fourth place along the rail, but the filly had to steady briefly nearing the final turn when two rivals closed the hole in front of her. Gaffalione got her in gear again on the turn, Venezuelan Forever used a five-wide move to forge to the lead and she drew off easily to win by two widening lengths. The filly bred by Orlyana Farm earned $12,200 for her second victory.

Spicy Nelly became the first $100,000 earner for Beau Choix and just missed becoming his first stakes-winner when she finished an unlucky second in the $75,000 Panama City Stakes at Gulfstream Park yesterday.

With Leonel Reyes doing his best to avoid traffic on the final turn in a race that was taken off the grass, the 3-year-old filly was forced to take the unenviable sloppy rail route down the lane. Despite digging in gamely while being pinned to the fence, Spicy Nelly fell a neck short of second choice Shanghai Starlight after a mile in 1:37.30. The filly owned and bred by Just For Fun Stable earned $14,700 for the effort and boosted her total to $105,657 on a record of 3-5-1 in 12 starts.