Turf News

Treasure Hunter is now a 4-year-old, and the Kentucky-bred gelding by Treasure Beach is in the midst of enjoying his best season. With Eswan Flores in the irons yesterday, Treasure Hunter raised his record since Jan. 1 to 2-1-1 in four starts, running down 8/5 favorite Cabin John down the lane to score by a length in a one-mile race at Santa Anita.

The gelding bred by Norman Houston earned $27,600 for the score, lifting his bank account to $142,910, and $57,960 of the total has come via his four starts this year. He boosted his overall record to 4-7-3 in 22 tries, as Treasure Beach’s progeny earnings jumped to $520,041.

Running for Riz lived up to his name at Gulfstream Park yesterday, running right to the winner’s circle for co-owner and breeder Linda Riznick. The 3-year-old son of Handsome Mike shot to the lead out of the gate, and continued there for the entire six-furlong trip with Miguel Vasquez, reaching the wire 3 1/4 lengths in front.

Running for Riz posted fractions of :22.50, :45.07 and :57.22 en route to an excellent final time of 1:10.27. At odds of 6/5, he became Handsome Mike’s sixth winner this year and added $28,900 to his bank account, which has now jumped to $87,925 after just six races.

Galileo’s Affair celebrated Derby day with a sharp score at Gulfstream Park, getting her fourth career victory and giving Treasure Beach his 18th winner of 2019. Jeffrey Sanchez enjoyed a rocking-chair ride aboard the 4-year-old filly, who is now 4-3-7 in 23 starts with earnings of $123,380.

Sanchez settled Galileo’s Affair into fourth place in the one-mile race, and when the real running began, she inhaled the leaders and drew off to win by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:37.50. A $37,000 OBS April 2-year-old bred by Joe and Kris Carroll, she sent Treasure Beach’s earnings for the year to $484,131.

Treasure Beach also added two recent winners in Argentina, the 3-year-old filly La Renoleta scoring at Hippodromo Argentino De Palermo and the 3-year-old colt Logging On winning at Rosario.

The English translation of Johann Strauss II’s operetta Die Fledermaus is ‘The Bat,’ but the 4-year-old gelding Fledermaus looked more like a golden hawk as he broke his maiden in style at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday.

The 4-year-old Treasure Beach gelding had been threatening in recent tries, including a streak of four straight seconds, but this time he was not to be denied. With top rider Antonio Gallardo in the irons, Fledermaus wasn’t affected by a switch from the grass to a mile and 40 yards on the main track. Following a perfect stalking trip in third place, he swept into the lead at the quarter pole and cruised to the wire four lengths in front.

Fledermaus became Treasure Beach’s 17th winner this year and earned a winner’s check of $8,090 plus a breeder’s award for Glen View Oaks.

Paco Lopez gave Henny’s Treasure the picture-perfect ride at Gulfstream Park yesterday, resulting in the 3-year-old filly breaking her maiden and becoming the 16th winner this year for Treasure Beach.

Lopez rated Henny’s Treasure in fourth place in the two-path down the backstretch in the one-mile race on the turf. He moved her coming to the turn and went three wide into the stretch, taking the lead heading down the lane and holding the closers safe to prevail by one length.

Henny’s Treasure went off as the 8/5 favorite, and earned $19,700 for owner Patricia Generazio, who bred the filly in partnership with Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Treasure Beach’s 2019 progeny earnings surpassed $400,000 yesterday when Vino went wire-to-wire racing one mile on the grass at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old colt carried Nik Juarez to a 1 1/4-length victory in 1:34.04 and picked up a pair of checks for owner/breeder Mr. Amore Stable. Vino is the 15th winner for Treasure Beach since Jan. 1, and the $16,000 winner’s share increased the stallion’s earnings to $414,280.

At the second under tack session for the OBS Sale of 2-year-olds in training that begins on April 23, a colt from the first crop of Amira’s Prince shared the best clocking of the day for horses who worked a quarter of a mile. HIP No. 240, consigned by Blue River Bloodstock Inc., agent, is a dark bay or brown colt from the family of graded stakes-winning Buffalo Man. He sped a quarter in :20 1/5 seconds, one of only two runners to post that clocking on Tuesday.

Treasure Beach’s 14th winner of 2019 came at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico, where La Chele broke her maiden in her fifth career start. The 3-year-old filly sat in fourth place early in the six-furlong race, and when David Ortiz asked her to run on the turn, she fanned five wide and cruised past the field in the stretch, drawing off to score by 1 1/4 lengths. Bred by Frank D.Yates Jr. and Glen View Oaks, La Chele was a $10,000 2-year-old at the OBS June sale in 2018.

Don’t Spin Me spun around the track at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday in a good 1:11.53 for six furlongs to give Handsome Mike his fifth winner of 2019. The 3-year-old filly went wire-to-wire under Daniel Centeno and scored by two lengths, earning a check for $8,690. It was just the second start for Don’t Spin Me, who also earned a breeders’ award for Ed Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joe and Helen Barbazon.

Here Comes Jackie closed with a rush, missing second place by a neck but still posting her first stakes-placed finish in the $115,000 Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes as part of Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday.

At odds of 13-1, the 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike sat a good trip along the rail while stalking the leaders down the backstretch, and she got clear heading for home. It took a little time for Jose Ferrer to get her in gear at the top of the stretch, but when he did, Here Comes Jackie made a strong late surge and if the wire had come up one jump later, she would have been second. The filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon collected $10,000 for third and raised her career total to $63,700.