Turf News

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.

Beau Choix picked up his third winner from just five starters this year when Charlotte De Berry gained a hard-fought victory in a six-furlong race at Penn National last night. With Angel Rodriguez providing a stellar ride, the 3-year-old filly tracked pacesetter Balcor from the start, drew alongside her rival on the turn, and proved to be best after a long stretch drive, winning by one length in 1:12.66. It was another 10 1/2 lengths back to the third-place finisher.

Getting race results from South America is sketchy at best, but Blood-Horse reports that Treasure Beach has added another pair of 2-year-old winners down south in the past week. Frisco Beach, a colt, and Determina Bien, a filly, both broke their maidens at San Isidro in Argentina. San Isidro, located near Buenos Aires, is one of the largest tracks in the Americas and can accommodate 100,000 spectators. It has a turf course and an inner dirt track. 

Add this to any list of solid handicapping principles: If there are two runners in a race – both by Pleasant Acres stallions – combine them in an exacta box and sit back and relax. It happened in the fifth race at Gulfstream Park yesterday with 4-1 Treasure for Gold (Treasure Beach) and 5-1 Spicy Nelly (Beau Choix), competing in a $47,000 allowance optional claimer at “about” 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass. 

Tyler Gaffalione took Treasure for Gold away quickly and settled the filly comfortably into second place. Leonel Reyes was more patient, and had Spicy Nelly well back in the pack, on the rail. Gaffalione made his move on the turn, going after the leader with a powerful run, and the duo took over the lead heading down the stretch. Reyes, meanwhile, picked up one rival after another with a smooth rail run, and went after Treasure for Gold in deep stretch, but fell one-half length short at the wire. The all-Pleasant Acres exacta paid $61.20 and a $20 box on the pair would have returned $612. 

Treasure for Gold, owned and bred by Robyn Thompson, earned $28,900 for her second straight victory – she’s now her sire’s leading money-winner with $103,850 in the bank, and a record of 3-0-1 in six starts. Spicy Nelly is 3-4-1 in 11 tries and the $9,400 runner-up check raised her earnings to $90,957, best for Beau Choix.   

J J Junior became Treasure Beach’s 14th winner of 2018 when he scored a decisive victory in a maiden special at Gulfstream Park yesterday in his third career start. The 3-year-old colt battled with Beau Splash from the outset in the six-furlong race, and outfinished the favorite to the wire by nearly two lengths. The victory was worth $24,000 plus a breeder’s award to owner/breeder Fulgencio Morales and Treasure Beach’s progeny earnings increased to $533,459.

Saturday proved to be another red letter day for Pleasant Acres, with Poseidon’s Warrior getting two more stakes victories added to his ledger. Firenze Fire returned from a two-month layoff following the Kentucky Derby to capture the Gr. III Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park by 9 lengths, and Navy Commander posted his first stakes score with a 3 1/4-length victory in the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Firenze Fire came from about four lengths off the pace under Irad Ortiz, looped the field with a powerful run on the turn, and galloped away to his decisive victory in the final sixteenth in a race previously won by such racing greats as Native Dancer, Assault, Nashua, Damascus, Conquistador Cielo and Holy Bull. His clocking of 1:33.74 for the mile is just 1 1/2 seconds off the track record, and is the best in the Dwyer in the four years since the race has been contested at that distance. 

Firenze Fire is owned by his breeder, Mr. Amore Stables, and earned $165,000 for his fourth stakes victory. He now has a total of $834,100, on a record of 5-1-0 in 11 starts. In another interesting note, the colt was 7-1 in the betting for a long while leading up to post time, and dropped to 6-1 as they were nearing the gate. As they headed down the backstretch, the last tote board change saw him fall to 5/2, which meant somebody somewhere sent in a ton of cash at the last second. He paid $7.50 and moved right back into the thick of the 3-year-old chase.

In New Jersey, Navy Commander was sent right to the lead by Angel Arroyo in the 1 1/16-mile Long Branch and was never headed en route to his easy wire-to-wire score. Owned by his breeder, Swilcan Stables, the Pennsylvania-bred gelding raised his record to 5-0-1 in 11 starts. He has won two straight and 4 of 7 this year, while raising his earnings to $186,663. 

With the two stakes victories, Poseidon’s Warrior jumped up to eighth on Florida’s leading sire list with earnings of $905,411. 

Not too many runners win 60 percent of their starts, but Forty Fathoms has accomplished that feat. The 3-year-old colt by Poseidon’s Warrior made it two victories in a row and three out of five with a game score at Gulfstream Park yesterday and is well-regarded by the track’s trainers, having been claimed out of his last two starts. 

With Emisael Jaramillo aboard, Forty Fathoms battled for the lead in the two path, took over a furlong from the wire, then held on gamely to win by a neck, getting six furlongs in 1:11.50. Bred by Mary Robinson, the $7,000 OBS March 2-year-old collected $13,500 for the victory to raise his total to $45,220, an average of $9,000 per start.