No Never No More’s first winner of 2023 is Jomama Sassy, a 3-year-old filly bred in Minnesota by owner Eric Berg who broke her maiden in her sixth start.
Scott Bethke was aboard for the 4-furlong test at Fonner Park, and Jomama Sassy only had to face three rivals. She went out for the lead, battled on the front end for a quarter, then edged away and won by a length, clocked in :48.20. She paid $21.60 and earned a meager check for $2,940.
After his seventh career victory, which came at Parx Racing on April 27 of 2021, Town Jak went just short of two years before getting No. 8. That victory finally came yesterday at Finger Lakes with Jeremias Flores turning in a flawless ride aboard the 7-year-old Gone Astray gelding.
Town Jak broke third and remained there in hailing distance of the two pacesetters until the turn, when he picked it up, went three wide, and outgamed them to the finish by a hard-earned half a length. He paid $7.40 after getting 4 1/2 furlongs in :52.63.
Town Jak, a $17,000 OBS Winter Mixed Sale yearling bred by Jaime Ramirez, became winner No. 15 for Gone Astray this year, and raised his record to 8-9-8 in 50 starts. The winner’s check of $7,560 increased his total to $186,398.
Taking a winner’s circle photo is all the more satisfying when the breeder and the trainer are co-owners of the horse who has just broken his maiden in his career debut, accomplished via a sterling performance.
That was the case in the first race at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday after the victory of the 3-year-old Vidiano, a son of Neolithic who was bred by SCF Inc., trained by Dennis Manning, and co-owned by Manning and Belinda Kitos, owner of Ocala’s Southern Cross Farm with her husband, retired doctor Robert Kitos.
Vidiano had six moderate listed works at Oakridge Training Center, none that would make anyone sit up and take notice. But the gelding went off at just 6-1, so somebody knew something. With Sam Marin in the irons, Vidiano broke well from the No. 2 post in the race at six furlongs, shadowed the top four through a quick quarter in :22.29, then mysteriously dropped back by about 10 lengths going to the half.
Marin got him rolling on the turn and the gelding ate up ground in mid-track, then inhaled the leaders in the stretch as announcer Jason Beem chimed in with “Vidiano has all the momentum.” He wound up 2 1/4 lengths in front at the wire in a clocking of 1:10.53, receiving an excellent 82 ‘E’ speed figure in the process. Vidiano paid $15.20 and the partners collected $11,950.
After finishing second in her career debut last May in a race over the all-weather track at Golden Gate Fields, Yvonne’s Miss spent the next 10 months on the shelf, making her return at Lone Star Park with a new trainer in a race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the main track.
The layoff didn’t deter the betting faithful, and the 3-year-old California-bred daughter of Bucchero went off at odds of 3/10 in her first race back with Stewart Elliott. She had seven works listed, all over the all-weather track at Turfway, the best of which was the latest, a five-furlong trial in 1:00.60.
Yvonne’s Miss broke in the air and was off fourth and last in the short field, but the veteran Elliott sent her up on the outside on the turn and she proved to be a ton the best, drawing off late by 2 /4 lengths. She paid $2.60, collected a check for $9,600, and gave red-hot Bucchero his 12th winner of 2023.
Paying close attention to the first group of Bucchero’s foals who reached the race track last year, it quickly became apparent that they could run early, and weren’t in need of three or four starts to show their best form. Infamous Nono added his name to the precocious list yesterday in his debut at Tampa Bay Downs.
With veteran Jose Ferrer aboard, the 3-year-old gelding was slow to begin in the 5 1/2-furlong, $32,000 maiden special, and was well back in the pack four or five wide heading down the backstretch. As the field approached the turn, Ferrer turned on the jets and Infamous Nono made a monster 8-wide run, catching the leaders as they began the stretch battle, and closing with a burst to get up at the wire by a neck over 8/5 favorite Rainbow’s Pride.
Bucchero’s 11th winner of 2023 rewarded the stallion’s faithful to the tune of $14.60 after getting the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.77 and earning a check for $19,760. He was bred by the partnership of Pamela Edel, Lee and Elaine Vinson and Irish Eyes Stable and is trained by John Vinson.
Ailsa Morrison spent more than four months on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury, but she was in top form yesterday aboard Gone Nuts in a five-furlong race over the Tapeta course at Gulfstream Park.
Aboard her fourth mount since making her return, Morrison scored with the 4-year-old Gone Astray gelding to raise his record to 2-0-2 in seven starts, while getting his sire winner No. 13 of 2023.
Gone Nuts was off fourth early, racing four wide down the backstretch. Morrison sent him up four wide on the turn and the gelding bred by long-time Ocala breeder Jim Cavanaugh responded with a strong run to the wire, winning by a little more than a length in :57.57. He paid $7.20 and earned a check for $13,500, increasing his total to $63,110.
Slick handicappers are always quick to judge a trainer whose first-time starter pays off handsomely for a sharp victory after posting a series of mediocre morning trials.
That scenario played out in spades in Gulfstream’s 11th race Saturday, when trainer George Weaver struck with Devil’s Only Friend, a first-timer who gave Long On Value victory No. 3 of 2023, and paid $44.60 in so doing.
The 3-year-old gelding bred by Bulldog Racing had seven Palm Beach Downs works listed, none of them of the kind that would make someone sit up and take notice. But Kevin Krigger sent Devil’s Only Friend to the lead and they battled up front through six furlongs in a quick 1:09.81 before the gelding shook clear in upper stretch and won by nearly two lengths, getting 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass in 1:28.66, less than two seconds off the course record.
The $35,000 OBS March 2-year-old earned $26,800 and a solid Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 84.
Poiema returned from a vacation of more than three months yesterday and was reunited with former jockey Eddie Perez in the seventh race at Gulfstream Park; Perez took her wire-to-wire in a $51,000 allowance optional claimer at seven furlongs.
The 4-year-old filly broke on top, and never had a breather as she passed the furlong markers in :22.87, :45.70 and 1:10.34. She crossed under the wire three-quarters of a length in front clocked in 1:23.41, collecting a check for $31,300. Poiema raised her record to 4-3-2 in 18 starts and her earnings to $180,735, becoming winner No. 6 for Neolithic this year.
The $14,000 OBS June 2-year-old bred by Cheryl and James McGuire paid $8.60 and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 89. She’s her sire’s third highest earner and first to reach four victories.
It was just nine days ago that an all-Pleasant Acres exacta (Chalcolithic, by Neolithic; Bella Facia, by Long On Value) paid $229 for $2 at Tampa Bay Downs. In the third race at Gulfstream Park yesterday, Pleasant Acres stallions struck again, this time with a pair of Long On Value fillies.
The two 3-year-olds, Oopsie Doopsie and Constitutionalist, jumped out of the gate first and second in the race at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta track. Oopsie Doopsie, ridden by Edgard Zayas and owned and bred by George Kerr, put up fractions of :23.26, :46.72 and :58.61, and continued on an easy lead for the entire trip, with Constitutionalist not far behind. Oopsie Doopsie, won it by 3 1/4 lengths and the Long On Value $2 exacta paid $81.80.
In her first five starts on dirt and turf, Oopsie Doopsie had posted one second and a third, and this was her first try over the all-weather track. She earned $14,700, paid $13, and reached the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.57, giving her sire his second winner this year.
Amira’s Prince began yesterday having just two winners since Jan. 1, but in the space of 61 minutes at Tampa Bay Downs, doubled the number to four.
3rd race: Wrecking Ball, a 3-year-old gelding bred by Martin and Emily Goodell who didn’t start at two, broke his maiden under Samuel Marin in his third try in a $32,000 claimer at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Marin had Wrecking Ball coasting in third place on the rail and under a stranglehold down the backstretch, let him out on the turn, sent him after favored Whiskeymac for the stretch run and they blew by the even-money shot to score by 1 1/4 lengths.
Wrecking Ball earned $9,850 for his first victory, achieved in 1:44.26, and received his best speed figure – a 77 – from Equibase.
5th race: Night Jumper, a 3-year-old gelding making his first start of 2023, scored his fourth career victory in a field of six going one mile on the grass. In one of the rare occurrences in racing, Night Jumper led the finishers home in the exact order of their odds. The gelding owned and bred by Darsan Inc. was sent off at $2.10-1, followed by the second horse at $2.40-1, the third at $2.50-1. the fourth at $3.80-1, the fifth at $9.80-1 and the trailer at $47.90-1.
Night Jumper raced the mile in 1:35.62 with Samy Camacho, won by half a length and earned a check for $17,050, increasing his total to $125,372 on a record of 4-1-0 in 11 starts.