Turf News

The old saying “third time’s a charm” worked wonders at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday for Best Chance Yet, her sire, and her rider. The 3-year-old filly scored in a $22,500 maiden special in her third career start, she became Handsome Mike’s third winner of 2019, and Walber Alencar made it to the winner’s circle for the third time at the meeting.

Best Chance Yet’s first outing had come on the dirt with Quincy Hamilton riding. The filly didn’t show much interest and finished 20 lengths behind at odds of 42-1. In her second start, this one at five furlongs on the grass, she had Alencar aboard and he guided her from well off the pace to finish second at odds of 43-1.

The wagering public obviously didn’t get the message and in her third try, racing one mile on the turf, Best Chance Yet was allowed to go to the post at 32-1. After a bumping incident at the break, Alencar sent her up on the outside and she took the lead easily as they headed down the backstretch. After that, nobody ever got close and Best Chance Yet won by three lengths, paid $66.80, and earned a check for $13,350 plus a breeder’s award for owner/breeder Roberta Vigil.

Sunset Beach broke his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday in his fifth career start, putting away favorite Candy King with a powerful stretch run under veteran Antonio Gallardo. The 3-year-old Treasure Beach gelding was away third in the mile and one-eighth race, and sat a perfect trip starting down the backstretch. But the two pacesetters left room on the rail, and Gallardo took advantage midway down the backstretch.

Sunset Beach slipped through the opening and found himself nose-to-nose with Candy King on the lead, and they remained glued to each other until the eighth pole, when Sunset Beach drew off with authority to score by 4 1/4 lengths. He became winner No. 10 for his sire this year and collected a check of $8,090 for owner/breeder Ballybrit Stable, as Treasure Beach’s earnings jumped over the $300,000 mark.

If there’s any rider in the country who can orchestrate a stretch run to perfection it’s Joel Rosario, and that’s exactly what happened with Cajun Treasure at Santa Anita yesterday. Rosario got away third with the 4-year-old Treasure Beach colt in a $55,000 maiden special at “about” 6 1/2 furlongs over the downhill turf course.

They tracked 2 to 3 lengths behind the pacesetters until Rosario set his colt down in the stretch and Cajun Treasure did the rest, getting up in the shadow of the wire to win by a head, clocked in 1:13.61. The maiden victory by the $250,000 OBS April colt was worth $33,000 as he became his sire’s ninth winner of 2019. Cajun Treasure is 1-1-1 in five starts, with two fourths, and his earnings jumped to $57,180.

As Treasure Hunter cruised down the stretch in Friday’s eighth race at Santa Anita, track announcer Frank Mirahmadi trumpeted his performance with: “Treasure Hunter – a very sharp effort today.”

With Eswan Flores contributing a picture-perfect ride, the 4-year-old son of Treasure Beach had tracked the 8/5 second choice, Ferguson, right from the outset in the mile and one-sixteenth race on the grass. Flores sent Treasure Hunter after the pacesetter on the final turn and went by him in overdrive, opening up a quick three-length lead midway down the stretch. He then held 3/2 favorite Super Dooper Cooper safe in the final sixteenth, winning by 2 1/4 lengths and earning a check for $19,800.

Treasure Hunter was bred in Kentucky by owner Norman G. Houston III, and became his sire’s sixth $100,000 earner, moving into third place on that list at $115,310. He’s Treasure Beach’s eighth winner of 2019, and now sports a record of 3-7-3 in 21 starts.

New Found Treasure has enjoyed new-found life in her last four races, posting two victories and a second in that span after yesterday’s smart winning performance at Tampa Bay Downs.

With red-hot Samy Camacho aboard, the 3-year-old Treasure Beach filly was sent off as the 3/2 favorite and she settled into fifth place around the first turn and down the backstretch in the one-mile turf race. Camacho moved the filly up on the outside on the turn and caught pacesetter Feeling Good at the top of the stretch. The two bang-banged it all the way to the wire, with New Found Treasure getting up by a nose to become her sire’s seventh winner of 2019. She earned a check for $12,370, lifting Treasure Beach’s total to $204,870.

After finishing second twice in a row in the fall, Beach Dreaming was given a five-month vacation, making her return yesterday in a one-mile maiden race over the Gulfstream Park turf course.

The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Treasure Beach broke on top with Jose Batista, then gave up the lead to a 60-1 shot on the first turn. She tracked the pacesetter down the backstretch, moved up on even terms on the turn, took over the lead at the top of the stretch and was immediately challenged by 4/5 Super Mama. The two raced nose-to-nose down the stretch, and the game Beach Dreaming held off the 4/5 shot by a head.

Beach Dreaming earned a check of $13,200 for owner/breeder Tom Cross and became the sixth winner of 2019 for Treasure Beach.

In her first five dirt races at Louisiana Downs and Delta Downs, Naughty Me posted a record of 2-1-2 with earnings of $56,100, winning her last two starts at Delta. The 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike made her first appearance on the grass at Fair Grounds on Saturday in the one-mile, $60,000 Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight Stakes and was sent off at 41-1, highest price on the board.

The filly bred by Beth Bayer broke sharply with Ronan Singh and settled into second along the rail, about three lengths off the leader. She remained there until the turn where she became locked in a five-way battle up front until mid-stretch, finally succumbing to the 2/5 favorite and 5/2 second choice. Naughty Me earned $6,000 for her third-place finish and boosted her total to $61,100.

At Turf Paradise, Thirty Seconds Out won for the second time in his last three starts to give Treasure Beach his fifth winner of 2019. The 3-year-old gelding owned and bred by Carl and Sherry Walker broke his maiden on Dec. 12, getting six furlongs in 1:11.71. This time, he was clocked in 1:10.13, scoring by four lengths.

Like As De Trebol before him, Learn has gained his first U. S. winner, a filly who scored in her second start at Gulfstream Park after beginning her career overseas. Learn Story made two starts in the Dominican Republic last year, winning a maiden race, then finishing third in an allowance test back on July 28.

After a layoff of five months, the 3-year-old filly showed up at Gulfstream on Jan. 1 and finished sixth after an eventful trip in which she was in contention before having to take up sharply through the stretch run. Yesterday, Learn Story had the services of talented Jose Ortiz, and she needed every bit of his expertise to prevail in the six-furlong race.

Despite being bumped at the break, Ortiz broke his filly on the lead and immediately began a battle inside Sky Run which continued all the way into the stretch. Learn Story began to open a little daylight, but Sky Run rallied and the two went nose to nose all the way to the finish, with Learn Story’s nose hitting the wire first, and she rewarded her backers with a payoff of $12.60. The victory was worth $12,600 and Learn Story is now 2-0-1 in four starts.

Ambassador Jim became Treasure Beach’s leading money-winner via a powerful performance in a $51,000 allowance race on the grass at Gulfstream Park yesterday. Paco Lopez broke the colt in mid-pack and settled him in fifth place on the rail down the backstretch of the 1 1/16th-mile test. Unable to find racing room on the turn, Lopez was content to wait until the top of the stretch, where he barreled through the middle of the field and won with speed to spare, reporting home by nearly two lengths for his third victory.

The $31,300 winner’s check for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio increased Ambassador Jim’s earnings to $160,662 and moved Treasure Beach into 10th place on Florida’s leading sire list for 2019. The son of Galileo has surpassed the $2 million mark in career progeny earnings.

Treasure Beach’s great success in Argentina also continues unabated. He gained two more winners on the same day last week, with the colt Milone and the filly Tapones de Punta both breaking their maiden at San Isidro.

As De Trebol is set to begin his first season at stud at Pleasant Acres, but the son of record-setting sire Tapit previously had six foals in the Dominican Republic. One of those foals has reached the races, a just-turned 3-year-old filly named Best Trebol, who won both her starts – a maiden race and an allowance – in July of last year at Quinto Centenario.

Best Trebol has since shipped to South Florida and has made it 3-for-3 with a sharp six-furlong performance at Gulfstream Park. Miguel Vasquez was aboard the filly for her U. S. debut, and the bettors sent her off at odds of 5-1. Despite being bumped at the break, Best Trebol sat in a contending position down the backstretch, went four wide on the turn, and proved to be much the best down the stretch, drawing off to score by 2 1/2 lengths.

Best Trebol paid $12.20 as fourth choice in a field of eight, earned a check for $12,600, and was claimed out of the race by Ron Paoluccio Racing and trainer Anthony Quartarolo.