Turf News

Neolithic’s first crop reached the races in 2021, and last year, with four crops performing, the son of Harlan’s Holiday enjoyed his best season, with his progeny earnings reaching $2,884,398. Over the weekend, with first-timer Chicken Dance leading the charge at Gulfstream Park, Neolithic is now well on his way to a $3 million season.

With Cipriano Gil in the saddle in the race at six furlongs, Chicken Dance was off in mid-pack, made a monster run coming to the turn and into the stretch, then flew by leader Don’t Go Astray as track announcer Pete Aiello bellowed, “Final eighth of a mile and Chicken Dance has taken a clear lead – let’s see your best Chicken Dance – he’s on his way to a 12-1 debut win – he wins by five.” (The chart maker called it 4 1/2).

The 2-year-old gelding owned and bred by veteran Ocala horseman Tom McCrocklin became Neolithic’s 48th winner of 2025. He was clocked in 1:13.55, paid $26.80 and earned a check for $14,400. And Neolithic’s progeny earnings jumped to $2,896,208.

Neolithic’s 47th winner of 2025 is Neonate, a 3-year-old gelding bred by SCF Inc. who broke his maiden in his fourth start behind a perfect trip over the Gulfstream Park Tapeta course under Leonel Reyes.

Neonate was off quickly and took up a position in fourth place along the inside. Reyes slipped him up to third on the turn, then sent him after the leaders into the stretch. They swung out into the three path, then proved best in the final sixteenth, winning by more than a length in 1:03.79 for the 5 1/2 furlongs.

The gelding owned and trained by Diane Morici paid $27.40 and earned a check for $22,500.

Squire, the 2-year-old Leinster gelding who had finished second in the Royal Palm Juvenile at Gulfstream, added another stakes-placed finish to his resume, getting second behind Khozalite in the $200,000 Affirmed, second leg of the Florida Stallion Stakes series.

Bred by Amy and Ciaran Dunne, and owned by Amy Dunne in partnership with trainer Patrick Biancone, Squire was no match for the winner while making a strong run through the stretch. He collected a check for $40,000, boosting his take for five races to $116,720, while running his record to 1-2-0.

In her first 20 starts, Kip the Distance raced three times at Delta Downs, resulting in second, third and fourth-place finishes. The 3-year-old Neolithic filly owned, bred and trained by Angel Rodriguez ended that streak with a wire-to-wire score under Jose Lopez in a $48,000 allowance optional claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Lopez sent Kip the Distance to the lead and she lulled her rivals to sleep through less-than-sizzling fractions, then held off Lady Dreamer in the race to the wire by a head. She paid $13.20, was clocked in 1:20.48, and earned a check for $22,800. That increased her career bank account to $203,041 on a record of 4-4-3 in 21 starts.

Kip the Distance became Neolithic’s eighth runner to surpass $200,000 in earnings, and left the stallion less than $60,000 short of reaching his best year, 2024, when he hit for $2,884,398.

Bronze Bullet became the fifth winner of 2025 for Leinster, Florida’s leading freshman sire and No. 8 in North America, capturing a $50,000 off-the-turf maiden special at Gulfstream Park.

Emisael Jaramillo hustled the 2-year-old colt out quickly and the $150,000 OBS April purchase settled into a stalking position while three wide down the backstretch. The colt bred by Charles Weston and Robert Vickers rallied on the turn while still wide and ran down the pacesetter at the wire, a neck in front. He was clocked in :55.85 for the five furlongs over the Tapeta surface, a little less than a second off the track record.

Bronze Bullet was well-bet for his debut and paid $5.60, while earning a check for $50,000. Leinster now has progeny earnings of $528,533.

Last year, Neolithic enjoyed his best season with $2,884,398 in progeny earnings. When Neolithica won the first race at Laurel on Saturday, she boosted her sire’s 2025 account to $2,793,690, making him a cinch to break his record and probably go on to reach $3 million.

J. D. Acosta was in the irons for Neolithica’s 23rd career start, in a $40,000 starter handicap at seven furlongs. He sent her to the lead out of the gate and she continued on wire-to-wire, although she was all out to hold on by a head, clocked in 1:25.81. The check for $22,236 increased the 4-year-old filly’s earnings to $219,712, a healthy return for a $30,000 Timonium October yearling purchase.

The filly bred in Maryland by Maria M. Haire paid $6.80 after winning four of her last six, and 10 in her career.

In her career debut at Presque Isle Downs with Huber Villa-Gomez aboard, Ridgie finished a distant second for owners and breeders Martin and Emily Goodell. But the education was all the 2-year-old filly needed. Ridgie and Villa-Gomez returned for start No. 2, was sent off at odds of 9/10, and became Neolithic’s 46th winner of 2025.

Despite getting loose and running off briefly on the way to the gate, Ridgie broke well and raced close to the early pace in the 5 1/2-furlong test. When the real running began she proved to be much the best, scoring by three lengths in 1:03.81, less than two seconds off the track record. She paid $3.80 and collected $13,800, jumping her two-race total to $18,400 for the Goodells.

On Sept. 13, the 2-year-old Nyquist colt Argos hit the jackpot, winning the Gr. I, $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes for long-time Ocala owner and breeder David Romanik, who was on hand for the race at Woodbine. The winning purse was $216,675 in U. S. funds.

An hour later, Romanik and his partner, trainer Ron Spatz, struck at Gulfstream Park with Private Thoughts, the red-hot 4-year-old gelding by Neolithic who returned from a 9-month vacation and won his second in a row under Leonel Reyes. The winners’ share of the purse in the $57,000 allowance optional claimer was $34,200.

Private Thoughts made it three straight this week, Reyes guiding him to a head victory in the $70,000 Jet Propulsion Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The $11,000 OBS March 2-year-old bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon paid $8.40 after getting the distance in 1:39.73, less than two seconds off the course record. He raised his record to 7-2-2 in 15 starts, and the check for $41,500 increased his lifetime total to $263,274. His Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 106 is a career best.

Saturday’s feature at Gulfstream Park was a black-type event for 2-year-olds titled the Leinster Hollywood Beach Stakes, with a purse of $75,000. Fittingly, there were three runners by freshman sire Leinster in the field of nine – a filly, Lennilu, a colt, Monster, and a gelding, Squire, and they finished first, third and fifth.

Lennilu, bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon and owned by a consortium of eight, stalked the pace-setting colt, Monster, through blazing fractions of :20.74 and :43.07, then surged to the lead and won by nearly two lengths in :54.97 for the five furlongs on the grass. She paid $5.80, collected $43,200 and is now 4-0-1 in five tries with earnings of $206,489. The $23,000 OBS Winter yearling is the leading money-winner in North America among all runners by freshman sires.

Monster tired in deep stretch to finish third and pick up $8,640; he now has earnings of $93,391. Squire, at 16-1, finished fifth but was only two necks out of third, and banked $2,160, increasing his total to $76,720. The three Leinsters went home with $54,000 out of the purse of $75,000.

Last year was Neolithic’s best: he accumulated progeny earnings of $2,884,398, in third place among all stallions on Florida’s general sire list. When Willow Case captured the $75,000 Hallandale Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park yesterday, with its $44,550 to the winner, Neolithic’s current progeny earnings jumped to $2,703,520, making his first $3 million season a virtual certainty.

Leonel Reyes was aboard the 2-year-old filly again, after he had guided Willow Case to a 3 1/4-length victory in the $75,000 Sharp Susan Stakes in her previous start. Reyes sent her out slowly and she was sixth heading down the backstretch. When he gave her the go sign, Willow Case made a strong wide move, caught the leaders at the top of the stretch and went on to win in a hard drive by three-quarters of a length, clocked in 1:38.02 for the mile.

Willow Case has now won three straight, and as opposed to the $56 win payoff in her last race, this time she paid $8.80. The filly bred by Sherry R. Mansfield and Kenneth M. Davis has earned $130,850 in four starts.