Turf News

Malicious Lady went through several jockeys without enjoying any success in her first five races at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico. Then, Andy Hernandez Sanchez hopped aboard and it all changed.

In a maiden race at one mile over a muddy track, Sanchez put the 2-year-old Neolithic filly on the lead leaving the gate, and she turned it into no contest, opening up by daylight and going on to score by an eye-catching 10 1/4 lengths. The filly bred by Terri Latner and Jeff Lovelady, a $20,000 OBS June 2-year-old, earned a check for $4,792, and became Neolithic’s 48th winner of 2024 from 74 starters, for an excellent 65 percent.

Gunnevera has added his sixth winner to his first-crop list, and Fontana Di Trevi’s score at Gulfstream Park may have been the most impressive of all.

Tyler Gaffalione was aboard the 2-year-old filly in the race at six furlongs, and the rider who just achieved his 2,500th winner had her in a stalking position heading down the backstretch. When Tyler gave her the go sign, Fontana Di Trevi proved to be a ton the best, winning by more than three lengths without being threatened in the late stages, clocked in 1:13.27.

After posting a second and a third in her first two races, the filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds was sent off at 7/5 and paid $4.80. She earned a check for $26,000, raising her three-race total to $38,800.

Freshman sire Gunnevera’s fifth winner is The Mole Baby, an $8,000 OBS June 2-year-old who broke her maiden in her third start a boat ride away, at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.

With J. C. Diaz in the saddle, in a race at 6 1/2 furlongs over a muddy track, the 2-year-old Kentucky-bred filly took the lead after a half and ran away and hid down the lane, scoring by seven widening lengths. She paid $3.10, earned a check for $3,480, and was claimed out of the race.

After My Denysse broke her maiden with a sensational $72.80 upset in the $300,000 My Dear Girl Stakes at Gulfstream Park last Saturday, Neolithic added two more winners at Gulfstream to give him 46 for the year from 74 starters, an excellent 62 percent.

BEDROCK BIRDIE – The 3-year-old filly bred by Matalona Thoroughbreds in partnership with Joe and Helen Barbazon, a $20,000 OBS October yearling, had Sam Marin aboard in a race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. She stalked the leaders in the two path, moved on the turn and ran down even-money favorite Fulminate in the last jump, winning by a nose. She paid $5.60 after getting the distance in 1:04.28, and earned a check for $24,100, boosting her total to $115,010 on a record of 3-4-1 in 11 starts.

VANISHING WISH – This 3-year-old filly is a stablemate of My Denysse, both owned and bred by Just For Fun Stable and trained by Ruben Sierra. After a pair of seconds in her previous two starts, she was sent off at 8/5 with Reylu Guterriez aboard in a race at five furlongs on the Tapeta. Fourth down the backstretch, she swung five wide into the lane and went on to score by 1 1/4 lengths, clocked in :57.66. She added $15,000 to the Just For Fun week, after My Denysse struck for $180,000.

Neolithic is now comfortably sitting in second place on Florida’s 2024 general sire list with earnings of $2,801,896, double her total of 2023.

My Denysse, still a maiden after her first four races, scored one of the biggest upsets in the many years of the $300,000 My Dear Girl Stakes, final leg of the Florida Stallion Stakes series for fillies.

The 2-year-old daughter of Neolithic, ridden by Jesus Rios, lit up the board at Gulfstream Park to the tune of $72.80, winning the 1 1/16th-mile race by a neck after a ding-dong stretch battle with unbeaten Stunner, who went off as the 1/5 favorite. It was 7 1/4 lengths back to the third-place finisher.

My Denysse, owned and bred by Ruben Sierra’s Just For Fun Stable, became the third black-type winner for Neolithic, and the check for $180,000 raised her total to $201,900. She had previously finished second once, third twice and fourth once in maiden specials. She also became her sire’s 44th winner of 2024, and moved him into second place on Florida’s general sire list, $75,000 clear of third.

Luis Saez guided Gunner Glacken to a wire-to-wire score in his career debut at Churchill Downs on Friday, giving freshman sire Gunnevera his fourth winner in his first crop.

The 2-year-old colt bred by Norman Dellheim and Katie Liebe sprinted to the lead in the $79,240 maiden special at six furlongs, held it through swift fractions of :21.75, :45.22 and :57.63, then drew off in the lane to prevail by nearly three lengths, clocked in 1:10.48. He paid $11.76 and earned a check for $40,320.

In her first career start as a 2-year-old at Gulfstream Park on September 26 of 2023, Great Venezuela finished second with Jesus Rios in the irons. For her second start, trainer Victor Barboza Jr. opted for a new rider, Leonel Reyes, who has since compiled a record of 6-0-1 in seven starts, all at Gulfstream, with the 3-year-old Neolithic filly owned and bred by Ocala’s Orlyana Farm.

Reyes’ seventh ride aboard Great Venezuela came Friday in a $41,000 starter optional claimer at five furlongs over the Tapeta surface, with the filly riding a three-race winning streak. At odds of 1 to 9, she made it four straight, fighting off some early challenges through fractions of :22.16 and :45.40, and running away late to score by 3 1/4 lengths, clocked in :57.78.

Great Venezuela paid $2.20, and earned a check for $24,100. The last four victories have come by an incredible combined total of 19 1/2 lengths. With her record of 6-1-1, she’s now given her owners eight checks amounting to earnings of $178,200, and eight breeders’ awards.

Despite a series of solid morning trials, even the sharpest handicappers allowed Carroll’s Honor to get away at odds of 12-1 in her career debut on opening day at Tampa Bay Downs, and the non-believers paid the price.

With in the saddle, the 2-year-old filly by freshman sire Curlin’s Honor broke like a shot from the No. 12 post in the $25,000 maiden claimer, stalked the pacesetter down the backstretch, surged to the lead at the top of the stretch and drew off with authority to score by 4 1/4 widening lengths. She was clocked in 1:05.04 for the 5 1/2 furlongs, paid a healthy $27, and earned a check for $12,670 for owner/breeder Donald Ming.

Carroll’s Honor became winner No. 4 in Curlin’s Honors first crop.

After a solid second-place finish in the $100,000 NYRA Bets Sprint at Tampa Bay Downs in March, If Not For Luck was given 7 1/2 months off by trainer Carlos Luis Perez. The 5-year-old son of Neolithic made his return Sunday at Gulfstream Park in a five-furlong, $61,000 allowance optional claimer on the grass, and showed he hasn’t lost any of the form he displayed in his previous three races in which he received Equibase ‘E’ speed figures of 93, 93 and 92.

If Not For Luck left from the No. 11 post with Jesus Rios and was in good early position down the backstretch. Rios swung him four wide on the turn, and in what looked like the Charge of the Light Brigade down the lane, the $35,000 OBS purchase out-gamed a host of rivals to score by a head; the fifth-place finisher lost it all by a length.

If Not For Luck was clocked in :54.71, just over one second off the course record, and received an ‘E’ figure of 89. He paid $22.80 and earned a check for $33,100, boosting his career total to $161,700, with $78,300 coming in 2024.

Neolithic’s progeny earnings for the year have reached $2,532,761.

Neolithic’s 2024 progeny earnings moved to within less than $1,400 from reaching the $2.5 million mark after Neolithica’s eye-catching seven-furlong score at Laurel Race Course on Friday.

The 3-year-old filly bred by Maria M. Haire, a $30,000 Timonium yearling, broke quickly from the No. 9 post with Ederik Robles and she was on the lead in a :23.95 first quarter. She opened up daylight on the turn and was six lengths in front by mid-stretch. She coasted the final sixteenth and the final margin was 2 1/2, in a clocking of 1:25.25.

The $11,730 check increased Neolithica’s earnings to $84,090 on a record of 4-1-0 in 11 starts. She paid $8.20 and received an 83 Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, best of her career by 11 points. Neolithic’s earnings have reached $2,498,686.