Turf News

“A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” opened a highly successful two-year run on Broadway in 1962 and in the 58 years since has spawned a myriad of “A funny thing happened on the way to” stories, editorials, columns, TV skits and much more.

With that in mind, a funny thing happened to Shar’s Treasure leaving the gate in the fourth race at Louisiana Downs yesterday. In his first four career races, three as a 2-year-old last year and the fourth in Louisiana on July 13, the Treasure Beach gelding had been taken so far back in the early going that he had been left with virtually no chance to win. The funny thing that happened yesterday in an $18,000 maiden special on the grass was that first-time rider Jose Guerrero shot Shar’s Treasure right to the lead, and except for a brief moment when a rival came up alongside him early on the backstretch, the outcome was never in doubt.

Shar’s Treasure opened up daylight on the turn and left the field behind in the stretch, completing his wire-to-wire score 3 1/2 lengths in front. He raced 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:33.87, paid a whopping $68.40, and collected a check for $10,800. He also gave Treasure Beach winner No. 26 this year, and vaulted the surging stallion past $704,000 in earnings.

Jockey Mike Allen was in the saddle when 3-year-old Whiskey Dash broke his maiden in his second start on July 1, first day of the new fiscal year for Tampa Bay Downs. Yesterday, Allen made it two straight for the Amira’s Prince gelding, this one about 1,000 miles north over the all-weather track at Presque Isle Downs.

Allen and Whiskey Dash tracked the pacesetter through swift fractions of :22.41, :45.68 and :58.20, then ran down Arba in deep stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:04.53 for the 5 1/2 furlongs. It was nearly five lengths back to the third-place finisher.

Bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon, the $13,000 OBS June 2-year-old paid $5 and earned a check for $9,600, raising his total for three races to $16,395.

Couple of Nikki’s set herself up for yesterday’s one-mile turf race at Gulfstream Park by finishing second in her previous two starts and the public responded by sending her off as the 8/5 favorite.

With Emisael Jaramillo aboard, the 3-year-old filly broke her maiden in her 11th try, becoming Treasure Beach’s 25th winner this year and solidifying his hold on eighth place on the Florida general sire list.

Couple of Nikki’s was off third and sat in a stalking position outside the two pacesetters down the backstretch. When Jaramillo sent her after the lead three wide, the filly took over after three-quarters and continued on for a two-length victory, worth $11,600 and a breeder’s award for owner Patricia Generazio, a long-time Pleasant Acres client.

A pair of come-from-behind turf victories vaulted Treasure Beach back into eighth place yesterday on Florida’s general sire list, the first coming at Woodbine and the other at Penn National.

In Canada, Cerrado was making his first start since a losing effort on Nov. 1, prior to which he had won his last two. With Justin Stein riding, the 4-year-old gelding was off slowly in the one-mile race over the inner turf course, and he was still sixth after three-quarters of a mile. Stein sent Cerrado up five wide on the turn, and the gelding bred by Stroud Lane Farm closed with a rush, getting up to win by a head in 1:35.67.

A $15,000 OBS June 2-year-old, Cerrado collected $13,800 in Canadian funds ($10,294 U. S.) and is now 3-0-1 in 14 starts with earnings of $42,179.

New Found Treasure was the 9/5 favorite racing a mile and 70 yards at Penn National, and Julio Hernandez also took her off the pace at the outset. The 4-year-old filly bred by Stonehedge Farm came off the rail on the turn, closed in the three path into the stretch and was easily best late, gaining her fifth victory by 2 1/4 lengths. She earned $9,240, which boosted her career total to $81,034.

Treasure Beach now has 24 winners this year with progeny earnings of $658,106.

At the age of four, Running for Riz continues to run well and increase his career earnings for owner and co-breeder Linda Riznick.

The 4-year-old son of Handsome Mike went wire-to-wire in a $48,000 allowance optional claimer yesterday, raising his record to 3-2-2-4 in 20 starts, all of them contested at Gulfstream Park. From the rail, Cristian Torres sent Running for Riz to the front out of the gate, and they passed the furlong markers in :22.86 and 45.69 en route to a 3 3/4-length victory in 1:11.69, turning away a single challenge along the way from Hydraulic.

Running for Riz paid $10.80 as he became winner No. 24 for Handsome Mike this year. It increased the colt’s bank account by $29,500, and raised his career total to $151,730.

The race to become the first Florida freshman sire of 2020 to get a winner came down to a battle today between Sophisticurl, by Pleasant Acres stallion Ride On Curlin, and Frankly My Dear, by Ocala Stud’s Jess’s Dream, in the fourth at Gulfstream Park. The two fillies had met previously on June 21, with Frankly My Dear finishing second and Sophisticurl right behind her in third.

Frankly My Dear left from the No. 6 post with Rajiv Maragh in the 5 1/2-furlong maiden special, while Sophisticurl was in the eighth slot with Samy Camacho.

The two broke out of the gate in unison, 7/2 Frankly My Dear on the inside and 15-1 Sophisticurl right on her neck in the two path, and they remained that way through fractions of :22.81, 46.39 and :58.94. Frankly My Dear had her neck in front down the lane, but under a strong ride by Camacho, Sophisticurl edged past her rival nearing the wire and she won by a head in 1:05.65.

The maiden-breaking victory by Sophisticurl was worth $36,000 for owner Rolling Meadows Farm and a breeders’ award for Pleasant Acres owners Joe and Helen Barbazon, who have been on fire in the last month; this is their ninth award in that span. The winner is now 1-0-2 in four starts with earnings of $45,250.

Somebody had some good information concerning La Flamenca prior to the second race at Delaware Park yesterday.

As the field walked slowly toward the starting gate in the six-furlong race, the 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike was sitting on the tote board at odds of 5-1. Shortly after she broke second with Huber Villa-Gomez and settled into a stalking position right off the pacesetter, the odds changed and La Flamenca was no longer 5-1 – she was 5/2.

After tracking the leader down the backstretch, she made a bold move in the two-path, took the lead midway on the turn, and proved to be a ton the best in the run to the wire, winning by nearly four lengths in 1:11.65. La Flamenca paid $7.60, and earned a check for $9,000 for her second victory this year, raising her total to $39,990.

On March 21, Blue Mistress broke her maiden on the grass impressively at Tampa Bay Downs while racing for a claiming price of $16,000. So it would seem that trainer Lester Barbazon Jr. sliding her way up the ladder into the $60,000 Portofino Bay Stakes at Gulfstream yesterday was a very ambitious move.

Considering the major jump in class, the 3-year-old daughter of Handsome Mike handled herself well, finishing third in the 1 1/16th-mile race on the grass that went in 1:43.30. Harry Hernandez took her away quickly and Blue Mistress settled into third place down the backstretch. Hernandez moved her on the turn, and – at odds of 27-1 – she made a strong run at the leaders and actually took the lead at the top of the stretch. However, she was unable to hold off the first two finishers in deep stretch.

The improving filly bred by Joe and Helen Barbazon earned a check for $5,880.

The 3-year-old Treasure Beach filly Josefa showed she was moving in the right direction in her last race on June 21 when she finished third at Gulfstream Park and received a 72 ‘E’ rating from Equibase, easily her best in her first nine races.

Sharp handicappers who picked up on that statistic were rewarded with a $15.60 payoff yesterday when Josefa romped racing a mile on the turf course, breaking her maiden while earning a new high rating of 85.

With red-hot apprentice Joseph Trejos riding, Josefa sat a close-up third on the inside in the early going. Trejos sent her through an opening between the two leaders turning for home and from there to the wire, it was strictly no contest.

The filly bred by Eduardo Soto was nearly five lengths in front at the finish clocked in 1:35.80, and she collected a check for $12,800. Treasure Beach went over the $605,000 mark in 2020 progeny earnings and moved up to eighth on Florida’s sire list.

Winter’s Wonder accomplished three objectives yesterday while winning the second race at Gulfstream Park, a $45,000 maiden special at one mile over the turf course.

First, the 4-year-old gelding broke his maiden and became Handsome Mike’s 23rd winner this year. Second, he earned a check for $27,500 to raise Handsome Mike’s progeny earnings for the year to $538,763, moving the son of Scat Daddy from 13th to 10th on Florida’s General Sire list, right behind Treasure Beach. Third, he earned Joe and Helen Barbazon an eye-opening eighth breeders’ award (five at Gulfstream and three at Tampa Bay Downs) in the last 16 days.

Winter’s Wonder sat a comfortable third on the rail under Cristian Torres, three lengths off the lead, for most of the one-mile trip. Torres rushed him up three wide to battle for the lead on the turn, and the $10,000 OBS March 2-year-old held off 9/10 favorite Mony by 1 1/2 lengths at the wire, clocked in 1:37.79 and paying $6.20 as second choice.