Turf News

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.

Prior to hopping aboard Amber Princess in the third race at Century Mile yesterday, N’Rico Prescod was riding a 13-race losing streak dating back to July 9, but one would never have realized it after watching his perfect handling of the daughter of Amira’s Prince.

Amber Princess was away fourth leaving the gate in the race at seven furlongs, and Prescod was content to let the 6-year-old mare rest comfortably along the rail, about six lengths off the leaders, who were moving along in a :22.65 quarter. Prescod sent Amber Princess into contention on the turn, never leaving the inside, and the mare bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon took the rail route all the way to the wire, winning by two lengths in 1:25.67.

Amber Princess became winner No. 7 for Amira’s Prince in 2023 from just 11 starters; she paid $47.10 and raised her record to 3-3-4 in 34 tries. She collected a check for $6,300 Canadian, $4,783 in U. S dollars.

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort is the scene of the latest pair of winners by Gone Astray, Political Astray breaking her maiden and Hard Astray making it two victories in a row.

POLITICAL ASTRAY – The 4-year-old filly bred by Long Trail Stables had started seven times at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs with just one third to show for her efforts. The trip north proved to be the right tonic as Henderson Gonzalez took her virtually wire-to-wire in a $16,500 maiden special at five furlongs after the race was taken off the grass. After battling for the early lead and posting fractions of :22.71 and :46.53, Political Astray opened up by four lengths in mid-stretch and widened it to seven at the wire. She was clocked in :59.23, paid $7.40, and earned a check for $9,520 while becoming Gone Astray’s 22nd winner of 2023.

HARD ASTRAY – Yuri Yaranga guided the 6-year-old gelding to a wire-to-wire score by three-quarters of a length, getting a mile in 1:40.78. It was Hard Astray’s second straight score and raised his record to 8-2-1 in 27 starts, with earnings of $57,552. In both of his last two victories he received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 85.

One day after Beauty of the Sea gave Bucchero his first stakes-winner, Mattingly presented him with a stakes-placed runner for the second time this season. The 2-year-old colt bred by Lance Colwell finished second in the $126,000 Victoria Stakes at Woodbine.

With Sahin Ciraci in the saddle, Mattingly went head-and-head for the lead in sizzling fractions of :22.20, :45.13 and :57.29, then tired in deep stretch but held on to the runner-up spot. The final clocking of 1:03.60 is less than one second off the all-weather track record for 5 1/2 furlongs.

Mattingly, a $70,000 OBS March purchase owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable and Harlow Stable, earned $18,908 in U. S. funds and raised his total to $83,028 on a record of 1-2-0 in three starts. In his earlier debut at Gulfstream Park, he finished second in the Royal Palm Juvenile before breaking his maiden in his second try.

Saturday, July 15, 2023 will go down as another of those magnificent days when Pleasant Acres stallions hit a grand slam. There were no less than four winners yesterday, two by Bucchero and two by Amira’s Prince, the latter pair both bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon.

BUCCHERO – The 2-year-old filly Bucchera broke her maiden at Gulfstream Park in her third try, scoring by half a length under Hector Diaz after battling for the lead throughout the 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta surface. She paid $5.20 after getting the distance in 1:06.48, and collected a check for $24,600. The $20,000 OBS October purchase became Bucchero’s 26th winner of 2023.

A little while later, Beauty of the Sea, who didn’t race at two, gave Bucchero his first stakes-winner, extending her winning streak to three straight. She won by a head in the $104,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park with Jairo Rendon, clocked in 1:02.68 for the 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, just 1 1/2 seconds off the course record. The filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds paid $28.20, and the $60,000 winner’s check raised her five-race total to $118,960. At the same time, her sire moved up from seventh to sixth on Florida’s leading sire list with progeny earnings of $1,032,953.

AMIRA’S PRINCE – Three scratches reduced the field to four in a $25,000 starter allowance at Monmouth and Our Fantasy proved to be much the best, winning the mile and one-sixteenth test by nearly four lengths after making a wide, sweeping move on the turn with Samuel Marin aboard. The 6-year-old mare bred by the Barbazons collected $15,000, and her career total soared to $279,694 on an outstanding record of 9-9-9 in 40 starts. The $50,000 OBS April 2-year-old paid $5.60 for her third victory of 2023.

At Gulfstream, Pluma Roja, who had lost nine straight, broke that streak with a 3 3/4-length score and paid $38.60. His previous victory came on Dec. 14 of last year and he paid $58 that day. The 4-year-old gelding was clocked in 1:45.99 for the mile and one-sixteenth over the Tapeta course, and earned $12,200.

First-time winners at Laurel and Charles Town vaulted Neolithic over the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings over the weekend.

LAUREL – New Rome, a 3-year-old filly making her fourth start for owners/breeders Michael and Suzanne Masters, went wire-to-wire under Jean Briceno in a 5 1/2-furlong race over the turf course, and her clocking of 1:02.77 was just two seconds off the course record. She won by half a length, paid $6.40 and earned a check for $21,600, boosting her total to $37,960.

CHARLES TOWN – Voice of Now became winner No. 15 for Neolithic with another wire-to-wire performance under Andre Ramgeet. The 4-year-old gelding bred by Elizabeth LaPierre and Jennifer Given, an $11,000 OBS June 2-year-old, won by nearly three lengths, and it was another 8 1/4 back to the third-place finisher. Voice of Now paid $6.60 after getting 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:21.11, and the winner’s check of $11,100 raised her sire’s career progeny earnings to $2,012,258.