Turf News

Bucchero’s sizzling month of June continued yesterday with a maiden-breaking run by New Jersey-bred Delightful Ava at Monmouth Park.

The 3-year-old filly went wire-to-wire with Romero Maragh, racing ‘about’ 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass, winning in her fifth try and paying $14. She held off any challengers by passing the markers in :22.54, :45.22 and :57.76, before putting up a final clocking of 1:04.16 and scoring by half a length, worth $15,960 to owner/breeder Gregory Krlka.

Delightful Ava is Bucchero’s 21st winner in his sophomore season, and lifted him within less than $10,000 from reaching $800,000 in 2023 progeny earnings.

At this time of year, few stallions have reached a point where at least half of their runners have won at least one race. Long On Value has defied that statistic. The son of Value Plus has 10 starters and yesterday picked up his fifth winner; he’s 28th on Florida’s general sire list and only one stallion above him is also at 50 percent.

No. 5 for Long On Value is Constitutionalist, a 3-year-old filly who was so well-regarded she went off at 3/10 in a five-furlong maiden special at Mountaineer and paid $2.60. With Charle Oliveros in the saddle, the filly bred by George J. Kerr sat third early, moved after a quarter and was best by nearly three lengths at the wire.

Constitutionalist broke her maiden in her eighth start; she was clocked in 1:00.39 and collected a check of $9,570, boosting her total to $20,810.

The similarities between Oh Donna’s score in the third race at Belmont Park yesterday, and Dream Astray’s in the ninth race at Monmouth Park, were somewhat on the eerie side.

(1) Oh Donna is by Pleasant Acres stallion Bucchero; Dream Astray is by Pleasant Acres stallion Gone Astray.

(2) Oh Donna broke her maiden at the Meadowlands on Oct. 21 of 2022, and hadn’t raced since, a span of eight months. Dream Astray broke his maiden on Sept. 30 of 2022 at the Meadowlands, and hadn’t raced since, a span of 8 1/2 months. So both are now on two-race winning streaks, however far apart.

(3) Oh Donna broke through the gate, then went wire-to-wire in a seven-furlong race that went in 1:26.92, winning by 2 1/4 lengths. Dream Astray went wire-to-wire in a race at 1 1/16 miles on the grass that went in 1:43.24, winning by 3 3/4 lengths.

(4) Oh Donna earned a check for $15,400; Dream Astray earned $14,400.

Non-similar facts: Oh Donna is a 3-year-old filly bred by Edward R. Schuster in Florida – she paid $6.40 and was claimed. Dream Astray is a 5-year-old gelding bred by Kenneth D’Oyen in California – he paid $15.20 and wasn’t claimed.

After seven straight races at Gulfstream Park which produced one second and one third, Pink Party Pants shipped out west to Prairie Meadows and broke her maiden with a wire-to-wire performance in her first try over the track in Altoona, Iowa.

Ramsey Zimmerman carefully guided the 3-year-old filly from the first crop of Bucchero past the furlong markers in :22.80, :46.46 and :58.91 en route to a 2 1/4-length victory in 1:11.68 for the six furlongs and she earned a check for $7,980.

Bucchero has had 43 runners from his initial crop compete thus far in 2023 and 19 have won, resulting in $748,764 in progeny earnings. At that pace, he should wind up with about $1.6 million at year’s end, cementing a very successful sophomore season. However, only four of his 89 2-year-olds have started, so $2 million or more is a distinct possibility.

If anyone was looking for a movie to commemorate the career debut of Sentella, “A Star Is Born” seems highly appropriate.

The 3-year-old Neolithic filly bred by Andy and Susy Cant exploded on the scene at Charles Town last night in a $29,400 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs. With Jose Montano aboard, Sentella broke last of 10 from the No. 2 post, but her rider quickly rushed her up on the rail and she was settled in third under a stranglehold as they hit the quarter.

As the leaders were entering the stretch, they separated and Montano sent Sentella through the opening and into the lead, catching track announcer Paul Espinosa by surprise. When he picked up Sentella’s run, he shouted “Sentella with a huge move . . . she went by . . . just electric the move she put on . . . Sentella is drawing away like a good thing . . . wins by 7.” He was right on, the $11,000 OBS October yearling won by 7 1/4, clocked in :52.64.

The good thing had her final work at Charles Town – 4 furlongs in :47.60, second best of 21 at the distance that day, yet she was allowed to go off at 10-1, and she paid $22.80. Sentella’s initial payday came to $17,478 and it doesn’t appear as though it will be her last.

Long On Value has had just 10 runners thus far in 2023, but he picked up winner No. 4 when Don’t Question Me made an eye-opening run to capture a mile and a sixteenth maiden claimer at Penn National Wednesday night.

It took the 3-year-old gelding bred by Joseph Arbiritanza nine tries to get his first victory, but when it came, it was a thing of beauty. He broke fifth on the rail under Richard Chiappe, and drifted into the two path as they passed the quarter in :24.54. He began moving up on the backstretch and was fourth as they hit the half in :48.34, but suddenly dropped back for no apparent reason and was six lengths behind the leaders on the turn. Just as quickly, Don’t Question Me revved it up and closed the gap with a rush, went after the three battling leaders in the lane and coasted to the finish 1 1/2 lengths in front.

Don’t Question Me paid $13, earned a check for $8,160, and despite this being his first score, he raised his record to a respectable 1-0-3-3 in his nine starts.

Neolithic is less than $100,000 away from reaching the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings after the victory of Chalcolithic in a mile and 70-yard race at Delaware Park.

The 3-year-old filly owned and bred by William A. Smith enjoyed a rail trip early in the race under a stranglehold by Cecily Evans, swung out for racing room on the turn and was all out getting up at the wire by a neck. With her second victory in four starts this year, she paid $7, earned a check for $11,400 and lifted her sire over $1.9 million in earnings.

R Averie Lynn continued her assault on the Delaware Park oval yesterday, getting her eighth career victory, seven of them coming in Joe Biden’s home state.

The 5-year-old Gone Astray mare went wire-to-wire in a $25,500 starter allowance under Daniel Centeno and paid $5 for her second victory in a row, both of them receiving 87 Equibase ‘E’ speed figures. Bred by Dancing Wind Stables, R Averie Lynn was a $25,000 OBS July 2-year-old, and the $14,400 prize for her latest score, by nearly three lengths, boosted her lifetime earnings to $193,986 on a record of 8-12-3 in 34 starts.

Beauty of the Sea scored her second victory in a row on Saturday and gave sizzling Bucchero his fifth winner in the span of seven days.

The 3-year-old filly bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds finished fifth in her only try last year, but now has two victories and a second in her three 2023 starts at Gulfstream. With Edgar Perez aboard in yesterday’s race at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Tapeta course, Beauty of the Sea was off third from the rail, stalked the leaders until the turn, then split horses in early stretch and went on to score by two lengths. She was clocked in 1:04.19 and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 81.

Beauty of the Sea earned a check for $25,800, raising her four-race total to $58,960.

For handicappers who fancy wagering on runners by Pleasant Acres stallions, they broke the bank at Gulfstream Park yesterday, Florindia paying $31.60 in winning the second race, and Fast Fixer going one better with a $69.80 mutuel in the eighth. A $10 win parlay on the two would have returned in the neighborhood of $5,409.

2nd race: Florindia, owned and bred by Ramilo Rosas Medina, was making her third career start after finishing eight lengths behind in second place in her previous try. The 2-year-old filly by Gone Astray had the services of neophyte apprentice Maikol Hernandez, who was in with a light 111 pounds and had just one victory from 35 mounts to his credit going in. But Hernandez looked more like a seasoned veteran as he put Florindia on the lead early, battled one rival through a quarter in :22.87, then confidently roused his filly into a daylight advantage, and she drew off with ease to report home by 4 1/2 lengths, getting five furlongs in :59.18.

Florindia collected $43,000 for her maiden-breaker and gave Gone Astray winner No. 19 this year. Winner No. 18 was Rou One Astray, a 4-year-old gelding who won at Camarero on May 29 in his fourth start. Bred in Puerto Rico by Linda and Greg Jackson, after finishing second in his previous start he paid $2.10 to win in this one, which he won by 10 1/4 lenghs.

8th race: Before breaking his maiden yesterday in his seventh try, Fast Fixer had been the victim of a great deal of bad luck in several races, thus his price of 33-1. But this time, David Boraco gave the 3-year-old Bucchero gelding the perfect ride in his first trip over the Tapeta track, and Fast Fixer swung outside turning for home and went on to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:04.02 for the 5 1/2 furlongs. He earned $19,600 and is Bucchero’s 18th winner.

Stallions from Pleasant Acres with runners in the same races have combined to produce several exactas in the past few months, and now they’ve added another dimension – connecting for a Centeno-Cedeno daily double at Delaware Park.

It happened in the sixth and seventh races yesterday when the 4-year-old filly High Vibes, by Neolithic, won the sixth, followed in the seventh with a victory by the 3-year-old Bucchero filly Ms. Bucchero. The $2 daily double paid $45.40.

HIGH VIBES – The filly bred by Maria and Mary Haire went wire-to-wire under Daniel Centeno in the race at a mile and 70 yards on the grass, clocked in 1:39.96, just one second off the course record. The $45,000 OBS June 2-year-old scored by 3 1/2 lengths for her first victory this year, while raising her career record to 2-2-5 in 18 starts. She paid $12.60 and earned a check for $15,000, increasing her total to $59,130.

MS. BUCCHERO – After not making it to the races at two, the filly bred by Pamela Edel finished second in her March 11 debut at Tampa Bay Downs, and since has won three in a row. Her maiden-breaker came at Tampa by four lengths, followed by a 3 1/4-length score at Parx with Carol Cedeno aboard, and yesterday’s six-furlong beauty by 8 1/4 lengths with Cedeno again. She went wire-to-wire with six furlongs in 1:12.48, paid $6.20 and collected a check for $23,400, raising her four-race total to $75,760. Her Equibase ‘E’ speed figure was her best of the four races, a 99.

Several hours after the Delaware heroics, Bucchero was the recipient of another winner – Atlantic Vaquero – in the second race at Charles Town. Along with a winner in Puerto Rico – Jazhara – it gave the stallion 17 winners for the year.

Atlantic Vaquero is another who didn’t race at two, breaking his maiden in his third start at three. With Victor Rodriguez in the irons, the gelding bred by Blue River Bloodstock was off fourth in a race at 4 1/2 furlongs, rushed up to take the lead on the backstretch and quickly opened up by seven lengths. He was geared down nearing the wire and in a clocking of :53.15, the final margin was 4 3/4 lengths.

Atlantic Vaquero earned a check of $11,019 and paid $4.60. Jazhara, a 3-year-old filly, won in her first try at Camarero after three efforts at Tampa Bay Downs produced one third-place finish. She romped by 11 3/4 lengths going six furlongs.