Handsome Mike picked up his 29th winner of 2019 when More Than Striking broke his maiden with a wire-to-wire beauty at Gulfstream Park on Friday.
With Luis Saez riding, the 3-year-old gelding raced 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.73 and scored by 2 3/4 lengths, earning a check for $11,600. More than Striking, owned and bred by Kathleen Amaya and Alexandra and Raffaele Centofanti, was the only first-time starter in the race. He paid $6.80 as second choice.
Treasure Beach’s relentless climb toward $4 million in lifetime progeny earnings continued last evening when New Found Treasure won in a romp at Penn National and Go Venezuela Go finished second at Charles Town.
New Found Treasure was the second choice at 6/5 racing a mile and 70 yards under Tyler Conner. The 3-year-old filly bred by Stonehedge Farm was third early, went two-wide on the final turn and overpowered the leaders, drawing off by 8 1/2 lengths and raising her record to 4-1-5 in 20 starts. The $6,000 check increased her earnings to $65,954.
Go Venezuela Go’s take for her fast-closing runner-up finish was $2,275 and bumped Treasure Beach up to $3,983,848 with four runners set to compete today at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs.
Treasure Beach is now less than $26,000 away from the $4 million mark in lifetime progeny earnings after the reporting of Run Black Run’s maiden score earlier in the week in Puerto Rico.
The 2-year-old colt bred by Orlyana Farm won by 1 1/4 lengths over a sloppy track at Camarero Race Track, his first victory in six starts. He paid $3.30 as favorite as Treasure Beach’s earnings soared to $3,974,848.
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Handsome Mike enjoyed a good day yesterday, with Don’t Spin Me going wire-to-wire at Tampa Bay Downs and J’s Handsome Fana romping to her third victory at Mahoning Valley. Don’t Spin Me, at odds of 7/5, went wire-to-wire under Antonio Gallardo, getting her second victory with seven furlongs in 1:26.47, while earning a check for $5,980 and a breeders’ award for Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon.
In a race at one mile, J’s Handsome Fana sat third in the early going under Erik Barbaran, moved four wide heading into the stretch and coasted to the wire 5 3/4 lengths in front. The 3-year-old filly bred by Faraway Farm paid $9.40 and earned a check for $6,660.
As the days dwindle down to a precious few, Treasure Beach and Handsome Mike each picked up another winner last evening, with Treasured Info getting her first victory of 2019 at Charles Town and Sky Mike becoming Handsome Mike’s second 2-year-old winner at Turfway Park.
Treasured Info’s second career victory fell in the ‘no-contest’ category. The 3-year-old filly bred by Patricia Generazio tracked the pace for a quarter in the 6 1/2-furlong race, then shot up to take the lead at the half and opened up daylight all the way to the wire, winning by 6 1/4 widening lengths. She became Treasure Beach’s 50th winner this year, collected a check for $6,300 and raised her sire’s career earnings to $3,952,689.
Sky Mike’s score was very similar to that of Treasured Info. Also racing 6 1/2 furlongs, he broke well from the No. 12 post and settled in second, moved to the lead at the half, then continued on to win by 2 1/2 lengths. He earned a check for $6,000 and increased Handsome Mike’s second-crop earnings to $1,043,976.
Treasure Beach celebrated the holiday season on several fronts yesterday when Patricia Generazio’s Saratoga Treasure overpowered the field in the $130,907 Autumn Days Stakes on the grass at Aqueduct.
Over an outer turf course labeled ‘yielding,’ the 4-year-old New York-bred filly (1) scored her first stakes victory in her first stakes try; (2) added $73,907 to her bank account, which jumped to $310,603, best of any Treasure Beach runner; (3) lifted her sire over the $2 million mark in just his third season; (4) gave Treasure Beach his first stakes-winner of 2019, and (5) elevated the stallion’s career progeny earnings to within $51,000 of $4 million.
With Eric Cancel riding, at odds of 17-1, Saratoga Treasure was off last in the field of eight going six furlongs. Cancel kept her in the three path down the backstretch, not electing to ask her for more until the field approached the turn. Then, she put it in overdrive and inhaled the other seven in a matter of seconds, taking the lead as they straightened out for home.
From there to the wire, it was strictly no contest as Saratoga Treasure drew off with authority to win by 3 1/2 lengths, raising her record to 5-2-3 in 16 starts. She’s won two in a row and three of her last four.
Darlindiva went wire-to-wire racing a mile and 40 yards at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday, earning a $6,280 check and a breeders’ award for Joe and Vivi Serena.
The 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike didn’t race at two and began slowly this year, but she has now posted a record of 2-2-1 in her last six starts. She completed the course in 1:43.03, winning by 1 1/4 lengths and paying $5 as favorite.
Out of 150 stallions listed, Handsome Mike is the 24th leading second-crop sire in North America, having recently passed the $1 million mark.
A Girls Bestfriend moved Treasure Beach a step closer to the $2 million mark in 2019 progeny earnings with a strong come-from-behind performance yesterday that lit up the tote board at Tampa Bay Downs.
The 4-year-old gelding owned and bred by Endsley Oaks Farm had only two horses beaten early in the one-mile race, but Leslie Mawing was able to maneuver him up to sixth on the backstretch. A wide move on the turn quickly reeled in the top five and A Girls Bestfriend was in cruise control down the stretch, defeating the 8/5 favorite by 1 1/4 lengths. He paid a whopping $94.40, became his sire’s 49th winner this year and the $8,150 check raised Treasure Beach’s earnings to $1,968,198.
In her first seven career starts, Do What It Takes didn’t have what it takes, with just one second and one third to her credit. Then, the lights came on and the daughter of Handsome Mike has responded with a record of 2-1-3-1 in her last seven tries.
Victory No. 2 came yesterday at Tampa Bay Downs with Antonio Gallardo in the saddle. The 3-year-old filly bred in New York by Joe and Helen Barbazon broke well from the 11 post in the six-furlong race and Gallardo had her tucked in third down the backstretch. He moved her after a half and a strong stretch run resulted in a neck victory in 1:11.93. A $10,000 OBS April purchase, Do What It Takes is now 2-2-4 in 14 starts with earnings of $32,370.
Handsome Mike and Treasure Beach made significant upward moves on Florida’s general sire list yesterday, with the former’s second crop breaking the million-dollar mark, and the latter’s third crop coming within $50,230 of reaching $2 million.
Love Daddy, the daughter of Handsome Mike whose earnings have been compromised by the difference in value of U. S. and Canadian funds, continued to impress as a 3-year-old with a neck victory in a 1 1/16ths-mile race over the all-weather track at Woodbine. Despite having to steady twice down the backstretch, the filly bred in New York by Joe and Helen Barbazon was able to recover and get up in time with a strong late run to raise her record to 4-2-2 in nine starts.
Canadian owner Paul Mouttet, who purchased Love Daddy for a bargain $9,000 at the 2018 OBS June 2-year-old sale, benefited to the tune of $27,000 in north-of-the-border funds, but Handsome Mike was only credited with $20,330 U. S. on the sire list. With all of her races having come at Woodbine, Love Daddy has totaled $85,179 on the list, while Mouttet has collected $113,367. Even so, Handsome Mike’s earnings jumped to $1,006,353.
Treasure Beach had six runners competing from Gulfstream to Aqueduct and three tracks in between on Friday. He came away with two winners, a second and two thirds, adding $35,558 to his 2019 earnings, which now stand at $1,949,770.
Celtic Treasure scored a wire-to-wire victory at Laurel Park, winning by seven lengths in 1:44.96 for the mile and one-sixteenth. The 3-year-old gelding bred by Irish Eyes Stable paid $4.80, earned $10,830, and is 4-1-1 in 13 starts lifetime with a bank account of $72,435. He’s won two in a row and three of his last four.
At Tampa Bay Downs, Small Hope carried Samy Camacho to a one-length, come-from-behind allowance score with a mile on the turf in 1:35.61, less than two seconds off the course record. The 4-year-old gelding bred in Kentucky by Helen Groves Revocable Trust didn’t race at two and three, and is 2-5-1 in nine starts since May 18; the $11,600 check boosting his earnings to $42,413.
Beach Dreaming moved Treasure Beach to within less than $90,000 of the $2 million mark in 2019 progeny earnings with a game victory on the grass at Gulfstream West yesterday.
Jose Batista rode the 4-year-old filly, who used the hedge to her advantage in the 1 1/16ths-mile trip, holding off 2-1 favorite Much About It by a head at the wire. Beach Dreaming, bred in Kentucky by Tom Cross, paid $8.80 as third choice. She boosted her record to 4-3-4 in 16 starts, while her earnings jumped to $72,140. She’s also 3-1-3 in her last nine.
Treasure Beach’s earnings soared to $1,910,384 as he seeks to pass the $2 million mark with just three crops racing.