Turf News

After the $62.20 Gulfstream Park debut stunner on Saturday by Brawn (Neolithic), and the $4.20 payoff on Fairhopecurly (Bucchero) at Belterra Park in his first start, it would have been hard to imagine a “Can you top this” day 24 hours later. But Sunday turned out to be something special for Pleasant Acres’ red-hot pair, with Neolithic striking again at Gulfstream Park, and Bucchero hitting a three-bagger at Monmouth Park, Gulfstream and Prairie Meadows.

NELIDA – At 1:51, the 3-year-old filly by Neolithic went wire-to-wire under Leonel Reyes, getting a mile and one-sixteenth on the Tapeta course in 1:44.40 and winning by nearly three lengths. It was just the second start for Nelida, who had finished second in her debut for owner/breeder Just For Fun Stable. She paid $3.40 and earned a check for $17,800, boosting her two-race take to $23,850, but Just For Fun lost her for $25,000.

LOOKIN’ SUPER – At Monmouth Park a little more than an hour later, Lookin’ Super lived up to his name, rallying from eighth and last under Luis Rivera Jr., and winning by 3 1/2 lengths with six furlongs in 1:11.48. It’s the second victory for the 3-year-old gelding, a $25,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Pam Edel, and raised his earnings to $39,840 on a record of 2-0-1 in nine starts. He received his best Equibase ‘E’ speed figure, an 85.

FREE SMOKE – While Lookin’ Super was headed back to the barn at Monmouth, Sonny Leon was getting every ounce out of Free Smoke, who was up by a neck to get his second victory at Gulfstream and a payoff of $31.60. The 3-year-old colt bred by Phil and Karen Matthews, a $145,000 OBS April 2-year-old, raced a mile and 70 yards in 1:41.03 on the Tapeta track, and earned a check for $25,800, increasing his total to $85,710 on a record of 2-2-2 in seven starts.

PINK PARTY PANTS – That evening, the 3-year-old daughter of Bucchero carried Walter DeLa Cruz to a 2 1/2-length score with 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.46. Winner of two of her last four at Prairie Meadows, the $40,000 OBS March 2-year-old bred by Dominique Damico now sports a record of 2-1-1 in 12 tries with earnings of $26,395.

The August surge by Pleasant Acres’ stallions continued in full force Saturday with 2-year-old first-time starters by Neolithic and Bucchero scoring at very different wagering levels.

GULFSTREAM PARK – Brawn, whose morning trials didn’t reveal a hint to his ability, lit up the tote board at $62.20 in a $58,000 maiden special at a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta surface. Jesus Rios rated Brawn comfortably on the rail down the backstretch, and the colt owned and bred by Just For Fun Stable ran down the two leaders late, closing a four-length gap and winning by three-quarters of a length. He became Neolithic’s 18th winner of 2023 and earned a healthy check for $41,000.

BELTERRA – On the other end of the spectrum, Fairhopecurly, who showed a bullet work of :47.40 for four furlongs at Turfway on her work tab, was sent off at 7/5 in a $16,200 maiden special and justified the bettors’ confidence. With Victor Lebron aboard, she drove past 7-1 shot Anoria down the lane and prevailed by nearly two lengths in :58.70 for five furlongs on the grass. The filly owned and bred by Scott Herbertson paid $4.80, earned $9,700, and is Bucchero’s 28th winner this year, fifth of the 2-year-old variety.

Sister Otoole won the CTT & TOC Stakes as a 5-year-old at Del Mar on Aug. 19 of last year. In an ironic twist, the daughter of Amira’s Prince then went winless, until capturing the $100,000 event again yesterday, exactly 365 days later.

Sister Otoole sat seventh and last in the early going under Antonio Fresu, then mowed’em down in the stretch and won by 1 1/4 lengths with a mile and 3/8ths on the grass in 2:17.45, and paying $12.60. In last year’s win, she came from 8th and last, won by half a length and paid $11.

Sister Otoole earned $60,000 and increased her career bank account to $395,470. The mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon is 4-5-4 in 21 starts; she’s the eighth winner this year for Amira’s Prince and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 100, the fifth time in her career she has reached the magic number.

Another first-time Bucchero winner, another candidate for TDN’s ‘Rising Star’ designation.

While few who have watched Hawaii Five-O over the years will forget its catchphrase, ‘Book’em Danno,’ nobody who saw the 2-year-old ‘Book’em Danno’ will soon forget how the Bucchero gelding decimated the field in a $72,589 maiden special at Monmouth Park yesterday.

With Samuel Marin in the irons, the debuting gelding bred in New Jersey by Gregory J. Kilka and Bright View Farm was off sixth in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs, then inhaled the pack while wide on the turn and continued on to a brilliant 9 1/2-length score in 1:04.77. Book’em Danno paid $8.80 and earned a healthy check for $43,125 while becoming Bucchero’s 27th winner of 2023, and fourth 2-year-old winner. He raised his sire’s progeny earnings to $1,203,596.

Bucchero, Gone Astray and Neolithic struck up north on Wednesday, and all three of their winners are nearing $100,000 in earnings.

BUCCHERO – Ms. Bucchero, who had previously been successful at Tampa Bay Downs, Parx Racing and Delaware Park, made Penn National her fourth winning venue, a sharp wire-to-wire performance at six furlongs under Jose Battista. The 3-year-old filly, who didn’t race at two, is now 4-1-0 in six starts this season after her nearly seven-length beauty, clocked in a quick 1:09.63.

Bred by Pam Edel, Ms. Bucchero was a $45,000 RNA at OBS April but has proved the buyers got it wrong – her check for $17,340 in the $28,900 allowance optional claimer raised her total to $93,250. She paid $3.60.

GONE ASTRAY – Valuable Breigh shipped from Parx to Delaware Park and has now won two in row at the track. The 4-year-old filly scored by 2 1/4 lengths on July 27, and yesterday romped by nearly five, getting six furlongs in 1:12.02 under Eliseo Ruiz. She also paid $3.60, and collected a check for $9,600 in the $16,450 starter optional claimer, boosting her total to $85,670.

NEOLITHIC – At Penn National, High Vibes, a $45,000 OBS June 2-year-old, made it two victories in her last three starts and raised her record to 3-2-5 in 20 tries. The $11,400 winner’s share boosted her total to $70,680. Under Angel Rodriguez, the 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly (Maria and Mary Haire) sat second early, made a two-wide move turning for home, then drew off to score by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:41.40 for the mile and one-sixteenth on the turf, paying $4.80.

It’s been a successful past few days for Gone Astray, who had a pair of winners at Monmouth Park, another at Thistledown and a fourth in Puerto Rico. The four earned $38,850 and raised Gone Astray’s progeny earnings for the year to $680,360, even though he had several seasons prior to his arrival at Pleasant Acres when he wasn’t advertised or in any stallion register, which severely limited his recent foal crops.

GIVE IT A GO – The 4-year-old gelding bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald became winner No. 23 for his sire in 2023 with a 3 1/4-length score at Monmouth under talented Madeline Rowland. He won by making a four-wide rally on the turn and paid a juicy $40.80 after getting six furlongs in 1:12.74. He earned $12,000.

MARSICO – One of two of the winners bred by SJT Racing Stable, the 4-year-old gelding is winner No. 24 for Gone Astray and contributed $9,300 to the total. He broke his maiden at Thistledown in his 11th start with a wire-to-wire effort under Fernando Salazar Becerra, scoring by three-quarters of a length, paying $3.00 and getting six furlongs in 1:13.22.

CHIQUIRIN – The second Monmouth winner and the second bred by SJT Racing Stable, the 4-year-old gelding raised his record to 3-1-2 in 16 starts, with two victories this year, and beat his best previous Equibase ‘E’ speed figure by 13 points – 84 to 71. With Samuel Marin up, he came between horses on the turn and continued on gamely to the wire, getting six furlongs in 1:11.66 and paying $14.60. His contribution to the four-win Gone Astray total is $13,200.

SHE’S CLASSY – The 5-year-old mare bred by Craig Wheeler has won two in a row at Camarero Race Track and boosted her record to 6-4-9 in 31 starts; she’s earned $109,613. Carrying highweight of 123 pounds, including Javier Santiago, she battled up front the entire trip and won by a head with six furlongs in 1:13.67.

Compared to the numbers of the stallions above him on Florida’s leading sire list, it may seem that Neolithic is well behind that group, but a closer look shows that the son of Harlan’s Holiday is having a pretty good year.

Neolithic is in the 13th spot among Florida’s current active sires, despite the fact that he has had just 38 runners since Jan. 1. But those 38 runners have produced 17 winners who have earned $547,911.

Big Bucksalot is his latest winner, accomplished via an eye-catching wire-to-wire performance over a sloppy track at Gulfstream Park. With Samuel Camacho Jr. in the irons, the 3-year-old gelding jumped out to the lead leaving the gate, was five lengths in front after a quarter in :24.01, and nobody ever got close. In the stretch, announcer Pete Aiello’s call was emphatic: “Big Bucksalot . . . with no intention of slowing down . . . this has been a powerhouse run by the son of Neolithic . . . he won while never being threatened.”

Big Bucksalot scored by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:37.63 for the mile and collected a check for $10,400.

The gelding bred by Julie Jackson didn’t race at two and is 2-0-1 in nine tries this year with earnings of $24,310.

When Dance Step broke her maiden at Monmouth Park on Aug. 21 of 2022, Samuel Marin was in the saddle. When she returned to the New Jersey track recently for the summer meeting, in her first two races Marin was already listed to ride other runners.

In start number three, trainer Kelly Breen was able to get Marin back, and it proved to be a wise choice. The 3-year-old daughter of Bucchero broke with the leaders in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs, dropped back to fourth in the run down the backstretch, then made a three-wide move on the turn to inherit the lead and ran away and hid down the lane, winning by 4 1/2 widening lengths in 1:06.34.

The $27,000 OBS April 2-year-old, bred by Andy and Susy Cant, became winner No. 26 for Bucchero in his sophomore year, and she received the best Equibase speed figure of her nine-race career – a 74. She now has a record of 2-1-1 and the winner’s check of $12,000 boosted her earnings to $54,595.

Prior to the ninth race at Colonial Downs yesterday, there was no reason for the casual fan to get excited about first-time starter Will I Play. The 3-year-old daughter’s sire, No Never No More, had just one winner so far this year, the filly’s works leading up to the race were mediocre at best, and she drew into a race with a field of 13.

But Will I Play, under an exceptional ride by Gavin Ashton, exploded down the stretch in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the outer turf course and caused an explosion on the tote board as well.

The filly bred in Maryland by Winding Creek Farm broke 11th, but Ashton quickly moved her up on the inside as the field approached the turn. Nearing the top of the stretch, she still had eight rivals in front of her and it appeared as though she had no place to go. But Ashton found a hole between runners and urged his filly through, then sent her after the leaders with a powerful move. Nearing the wire, surprised announcer Jason Beem chimed in with . . . “Will I Play emerges from the pack . . . I think between horses it’s Will I Play . . . a big price – 50-1.”

Will I Play, a $9,000 RNA at OBS June, won it by a neck and lit up the tote board – $118.20 – $52.80 – $31.20. She raced the distance in 1:06.94, earned a healthy check for $19,200 and has horsemen and horseplayers anxiously looking ahead to her second start.

Not too far from Colonial, Valuable Breigh went wire-to-wire racing 5 1/2 furlongs at Delaware Park. The 4-year-old Gone Astray filly sizzled past the poles in :21.75, :45.43 and :57.71 under Eliseo Ruiz en route to a 2 1/4-length score in 1:04.01. It was nearly eight lengths back to third.

It was the first try at Delaware for the filly bred by Carol Reitman, Susan Gannon and Warren Miller after eight races at Parx and she earned a check for $8,400, raising her total to $76,070 on a record of 4-2-2 in 21 starts. She paid $5.40.

Another pair of winners for Neolithic have given the son of Harlan’s Holiday 17 for the year.

LOANA – The Pennsylvania-bred filly, a $65,000 Timonium 2-year-old, broke her maiden at Louisiana Downs yesterday in a $24,600 maiden special at six furlongs. With David Cabrera aboard, the 3-year-old filly bred by Mary K. Haire survived a long stretch battle with 7/2 second choice Halfpriced, winning by a nose in 1:12.46. After seconds in her previous two starts, she paid $3.20 as favorite and added $14,400 to her bank account, which has reached $41,384.

EL PROFE – The 4-year-old colt is a solid 3-for-6 after winning a six-furlong test at Camarero in a 14-horse field. The colt bred by Angel Hernandez and Jose Perez was head-and-head for the lead early, opened up by 3 1/2 lengths heading into the stretch and held on late to score by a neck in 1:13.63. He paid $4.50.