Turf News

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.

Neolithic’s winners-to-starters percentage for 2024 jumped to 60 with the maiden-breaking victory of Neoprene in her third start at Gulfstream Park on Friday. That’s the highest win percentage among all of Florida’s upper echelon stallions.

Neoprene was ridden by Richard Bracho in a $48,000 maiden special at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. The 3-year-old filly bred by SCF Inc. sat third early, went three wide into the stretch and prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:04.25, paying $4 as co-favorite. She became her sire’s 43rd winner of the year and earned a check for $30,800, giving her a total of $44,990 in three starts for owner/trainer Dennis Manning.

It took Cajun Vibes four tries to break his maiden, but when he achieved the milestone at Penn National under Jorge Gonzalez, it was a thing of beauty.

The 3-year-old Neolithic gelding became winner No. 42 for his sire this year with an eye-opening score going six furlongs and receiving his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 80. Cajun Vibes broke seventh after being involved in a brief bumping incident leaving the gate, but he quickly moved up to fourth heading down the backstretch. He began to close the gap coming to the turn, then put it in another gear at the top of the stretch and drew off with ease as announcer John Bogar chimed in with “5, 6, 7 . . . it’s Cajun Vibes in a romp.”

Ther final margin for the gelding bred by Curtis Mikkelsen and Patricia Horth was nearly 10 lengths, in a clocking of 1:10.69, and added $9,000 to his bank account.

Miguel Vasquez showed why he is, arguably, the best rider among the current roster at Gulfstream Park with a picture perfect ride aboard Right Angle, a 2-year-old Gunnevera filly making her debut in a race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface.

The filly bred by Frank Mermenstein and Tom McCrocklin was away quickly and stalked the early pace in the three path. Vasquez floated her wide on the turn and Right Angle proved easily best down the lane, winning by two lengths in 1:04.19 and giving her freshman sire his third winner. She paid $20 and earned a check of $19,300 for her owners, McCrocklin and Weila Ye.

There appears to be no letup of Super Saturday weekends at Gulfstream Park for Neolithic, and this Saturday vaulted the Pleasant Acres hero into second place again on Florida’s general sire list for 2024.

It began in race No. 5 with the victory of Great Venezuela, who was sent off at odds of 7/5 in a $62,500 allowance claimer at five furlongs on the grass. Leonel Reyes was aboard the 3-year-old filly, who was winning her third in a row for owner/breeder Orlyana Farm. Great Venezuela stalked the early pace down the backstretch while three wide, then ran down the leaders and was going away by 2 1/2 lengths at the wire, clocked in :54.99, less than 1 3/5 seconds off the course record. She paid $4.80 and earned a check for $33,700, jumping her total to $154,100 on a record of 5-1-1 in seven starts.

The eighth race was the $200,000 Affirmed, second division of the Florida Sire Stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings, going seven furlongs. Drayden Van Dyke was in the irons aboard Neoequos, a colt bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon and Matalona Thoroughbreds who had finished second to superstar Rated By Merit in the $100,000 Dr. Fager in his previous start, and repeated his performance in the Affirmed. He chased the 1/5 favorite through fractions of :22.74, :45.45 and :1:09.83 and fell short at the wire by less than four lengths, but was 7 1/4 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher. A $22,000 OBS October purchase, he collected $40,000, raising his total to $105,400.

The fillies went in race 11, the $200,000 Susan’s Girl, and Kip the Distance came from off the pace under Jonathan Ocasio to finish second behind Win N Your In, after seven furlongs in 1:25.23. Owned, bred and trained by Angel Rodriguez, she also earned $40,000, and now has banked $117,350.

The three checks brought Neolithic’s progeny earnings for 2024 to $2,394,161.

One hour apart – that’s how long it took Saturday for Pleasant Acres freshman stallions Curlin’s Honor and Gunnevera to get their third and second winners, respectively, at Gulfstream Park.

CURLIN’S HONOR: The third race, a $45,000 maiden special at 6 1/2 furlongs, went off at 2 p. m. Latch the Hatch prompted the early pace over the sloppy surface under apprentice rider Micah Husbands, then out-gamed 9/5 Oleg to the wire by a neck in a time of 1:18.07. The 2-year-old gelding, a $22,000 OBS October yearling bred by John Penn and making his first start, paid $24 and collected a check for $29,000.

GUNNEVERA: The fifth race, off at 3 p. m., went at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface. Bold N Breezy, making his second start in the race at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface, had Drayden Van Dyke in the irons. The 2-year-old colt, bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon and Matalona Thoroughbreds, was a $50,000 OBS yearling, coming out of the same sale as Latch the Hatch. Third down the backstretch, he won the race to the wire, scoring by nearly two lengths in 1:43.00. He paid $5.60, collected a check for $16,200, and was claimed out of the race.

Pleasant Fantasy completed a triple play for Pleasant Acres Stallions when he scored a convincing victory at the Meadowlands in his third start on Friday.

First: The 2-year-old colt became the second winner for the farm’s freshman sire, Curlin’s Honor. Second: He was bred by the farm’s owners, Joe and Helen Barbazon. Third: He’s owned in partnership by Breeze Easy LLC and Helen Barbazon.

Francisco Martinez was aboard Pleasant Fantasy, who stalked the pacesetter in the two path down the backstretch, went up to take the lead on the turn, and proved easily best down the lane to break his maiden by 2 1/2 lengths, clocked in 1:45.55 for the mile and a sixteenth on the turf. He paid $5.80 and earned a check for $12,000.

Another blockbuster Sunday at Gulfstream Park for Neolithic!

Race 1: Scarecrow wins and pays $12.20; earns $29,000. The 2-year-old colt bred by Endsley Oaks Farm was sold to Ocala’s Arindel for $19,000 at the OBS Winter sale. At OBS March, the colt was a $47,000 RNA and wound up racing for Arindel, winning in his debut. In the $45,000 maiden special, he came from out of the clouds and ran over the field late, scoring by 1 1/4 lengths over 7/5 favorite Excuses, who led all the way and had no excuses. The mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface went in 1:42.34.

Race 9: Private Thoughts wins and pays $8.00; earns $38,700. Prevent finishes second, earns $12,800. Private Thoughts was bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, is owned by attorney David Romanik and trainer Ron Spatz, and was an $11,000 OBS March 2-year-old. After three scratches, there were just four left in the field for the $62,000 allowance optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta surface. The 3-year-old gelding won by 4 1/4 lengths and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 98, his best in an 11-race career in which he has posted a record of 4-1-2 with earnings of $152,744.

Race 10: Dialithic finishes second, earns $5,600. Neolithic’s earnings total for the day came to $86,100 and he’s second to Khozan among Florida’s active sires with $2,240,807 in the bank for 2024.

Neolithic recently passed the $2 million mark in 2024 progeny earnings for the first time and at the rate he’s going, it looks like he’ll reach $2.5 million – or more – by year’s end.

The son of Harlan’s Holiday enjoyed an exceptional weekend, with Most Handsome making it 2-for-2 with an impressive score in the $95,000 Hollywood Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park, Ghost Bike romping over a sloppy track at Belterra Park, and Neophyte doing likewise over the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream.

MOST HANDSOME – The 2-year-old gelding bred by Julie Ann Jackson and owned by the successful duo of attorney David Romanik and trainer Ron Spatz, has made buyers look bad as he was an RNA at the last OBS March sale, and has now earned $98,650 in his two winning efforts. In the Hollywood Beach, Drayden Van Dyke sent him out quickly, edged him into the lead on the turn, and Most Handsome held on by a head, clocked in :57.60 for the five furlongs. He paid $5.60 and collected a check for $53,650.

GHOST BIKE – The 4-year-old gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald engaged in a head-and-head battle on the turn in the race at one mile, then proved to be a ton the best in the drive, winning by nearly five lengths in 1:39.49. He paid $16.60 and earned a check for $5,820, boosting his career total to $55,157 on a record of 4-1-6 in 26 starts.

NEOPHYTE – The 5-year-old gelding bred by Belinda Kitos (SCF Inc.), coming off a second in his last, paid $7.20 for his first victory of 2024. He won by 3 1/4 lengths under Jonathan Ocasio, clocked in :56.63 for the five furlongs on the turf. The check for $15,000 increased his bank account to $139,117 on a record of 4-6-9 in 28 tries.

Neolithic now has two stakes-winners and six stakes-placed runners in 2024, and his earnings have reached $2,145,952, less than $9,000 from third place on Florida’s general sire list.