Four days in July: Monumental
Monumental. “Great in importance, extent, or size.” That’s the only way one can describe the four-day period winding up Saturday featuring Pleasant Acres Stallions, owners Joe and Helen Barbazon and the stallion Neolithic.
From Wednesday to Saturday, Neolithic had three winners, including one in a $100,000 stakes race, plus four seconds. The total haul for the magnificent seven amounts to $101,864. The Barbazons were breeders/co-breeders in three of them.
First on the list is Sir Banana Brian, who won at a mile-and-70-yards at Delaware Park and paid a juicy $25. The $10,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Patricia Generazio scored by nearly five lengths in 1:44.15. The 4-year-old colt became Neolithic’s 33rd winner of 2025, earning a check for $9,000 and raising his total to $53,840 on a record of 2-3-5 in 26 starts.
The first of the runners-up is Big Bucksalot, second by three-quarters of a length in a starter optional claimer at Thistledown. The 5-year-old gelding bred by Julie Jackson came from just off the pace in a six-furlong race that went in 1:11.77. He earned $4,000 and is just $433 short of reaching $100,000.
Next came Spotlight Girl, a West Virginia-bred 2-year-old filly owned, bred and trained by Angel Rodriguez. In her 5 1/2-furlong third start, at Charles Town, she led all the way into the stretch before being caught by the even-money favorite, and collected $6,064, jumping her total to $12,624.
On Friday, Neoequos, coming out of four straight graded stakes, including the Kentucky Derby, ran away and hid in the six-furlong, $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park. Sam Marin was aboard for the first stakes victory for the 3-year-old colt, accomplished by nearly four lengths in 1:09.51. Bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon in partnership with Matalona Thoroughbreds, and with seven owners, the $22,000 OBS October yearling paid $2.60 and raised his record to 3-2-2 in 10 starts. The $60,000 check increased his earnings to $354,050, second best among all Neolithic runners.
Earlier in the day, Miss Neo, making her first start in 6 1/2 months, finished second to a 7/10 favorite at Delaware Park. The 5-year-old mare bred by the Barbazons in partnership with Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson earned $3,200, boosting her earnings to $43,050.
The streak wound up in the 11th race at Gulfstream Park, when Dialithic and I Love Venezuela finished 1-2 in a race at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface. Dialithic is a 4-year-old filly bred by the Barbazons without partners, and she won by two lengths over I Love Venezuela, who had 7 1/2 lengths over the third-place finisher. Dialithic, a $25,000 OBS October yearling, paid $8.40 and earned $14,550, becoming winner No. 34. I Love Venezuela picked up $5,050 for second.