Turf News

Pleasant Acres kicked off the holiday weekend with special performances by a pair of 2-year-olds, one a filly by Treasure Beach and the other a colt by Poseidon’s Warrior. The filly, Decorated Ace, gave Treasure Beach his first stakes-winner by way of a sharp, stalking effort in the $78,000 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park, a  race that had been won in the past by greats Ruffian and Affectionately, and by the outstanding Eclipse Award-winning Florida-breds Forward Gal, Dearly Precious and Hollywood Wildcat.

Decorated Ace was a close-up fifth turning for home in the one-mile race when she moved to the two-path and powered past the leaders in the stretch to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths. What made it even more special is that she was a maiden going in, with her best finish a third in her previous race at odds of 70-1. The filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon has now earned $49,600. 

At Parx Racing, Splicethemainbrace chipped in with a real eye-opener in just his second start. The colt by Poseidon’s Warrior went off at 7/5 in the $72,250 maiden special based on a second-place finish in his debut and more than justified the bettors’ confidence. He took the lead leaving the gate under Mychel Sanchez, gave it up heading for the first quarter and took up a good position in second. Splicethemainbrace moved with a quick burst on the turn and just sprinted away from the field in the stretch, stretching his lead to 6 1/2 lengths while eased up at the wire. The colt earned $44,000 for owner/breeder Swilcan Stable and lifted his sire’s total to $1,144,919. 

Treasure Beach has added two more maiden winners to his ledger, raising his total for the season to 18. Hunters Dream scored his first victory in three starts for owner/breeder Stonehedge Farm, winning a one-mile turf test at Gulfstream Park under Edgard Zayas. The 2-year-old gelding settled into fourth place early, moved after the leaders at the quarter pole, swung wide for the stretch run and was in front by three-quarters of a length at the wire, collecting a check for $15,300. Treasure Bay, another son of Treasure Beach, came from way back to finish third . . . At Finger Lakes, Mammie’s Treasure broke her maiden under Jose Baez with a wire-to-wire effort for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio. The 3-year-old New York-bred filly was the 7/5 favorite after a second-place finish in her previous start.  

Threetwentysix ended his streak of runner-up finishes at Finger Lakes yesterday, breaking his maiden in style racing 5 1/2 furlongs. The 3-year-old gelding by Poseidon’s Warrior was coming off three straight seconds, and scored his first victory by stalking the early pace under Rodolfo Ignacio, sweeping into the lead in mid-stretch and drawing off by nearly three lengths. Based on his current good form, Threetwentysix was the 2-1 second choice, and collected a check for $5,400 . . . Treasure Beach added another 2-year-old winner in Argentina, Tesoro Millonario breaking his maiden at San Isidro on Aug. 25.     

Always Venezuela became the 15th winner of 2018 for Poseidon’s Warrior, and his first 2-year-old winner, employing a powerful run on the turn to break her maiden at Gulfstream Park. The filly owned and bred by  Orlyana Farm sat in a good stalking position as they headed toward the stretch in the 5 1/2-furlong race. There Samy Camacho let her out a notch and Always Venezuela shot to the lead and continued on to a 1 1/4-length score. After her second-place finish in her debut a month earlier, she was sent off at 6/5 and lived up to her price. She earned $12,900 for the victory and has banked $17,100 for her two starts. Poseidon’s Warrior is nearing $1.1 million in his second season. 

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.