Gone Astray Moves To Pleasant Acres Stallions In Florida

Pleasant Acres Stallions is excited to announce the arrival of Gone Astray (Dixie Union / Illicit, by Mr. Prospector) to their successful stallion breeding facilities. His fee for 2022 is $2,500.

Gone Astray is a multiple graded stakes winner of $1,125,162 by Dixie Union, out of the Mr. Prospector mare Illicit. He won the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby, the G2 Ohio Derby, and the G3 Salvatore Mile. He was seven times stakes-placed and averaged up to $87,595 per start during his career.

Gone Astray entered into stud in 2012 and from there, he proved his dominance in the industry as a prolific and consistent producer. As of Oct. 27, he has accumulated $12,784,589 in progeny earnings with an average of $49,361 per start. Out of 259 runners, he has 175 winners that include 10 black type winners, 19 black type placed, and two graded stakes winners. Consistently on the leading Florida sire lists, Gone Astray was the number-three first-crop sire (2015), number-two second crop sire (2016), the number-three third crop sire (2017) 4th crop sire (2018), number-four fifth crop sire (2019), and number-three sixth crop sire (2020).

As a stallion, Gone Astray has been extremely well received and has proven success with his progeny. Some of his prominent runners to date include:

  • Three Rules (Gone Astray / Joy Rules, by Full Mandate) won five out of six races as a 2-year-old – four black type. He won the 2017 G3 Carry Back Stakes at Gulfstream Park, placed second in the 2017 G2 Swale Stakes, and was third in the 2017 G2 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes. Career earnings: $971,825.
  • Noble Drama (Gone Astray / Queen Drama, by Burning Roma) won the 2018 FTBOA Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes (black type), the 2018 FTBOA Florida Sire Wildcat Heir Stakes (black type), the 2020 Sunshine Millions Classic Stakes (black type), and the 2020 Benny The Bull Stakes (black type). Career earnings to date: $742,837.
  • Starship Bonita (Gone Astray / Happy Honeymoon, by Honour and Glory) won the 2017 FTBOA Florida Sire Susan's Girl Stakes (black type), the 2018 Sheer Drama Stakes (black type), and the 2021 Sheer Drama Stakes (black type) just last month. Career earnings to date: $577,237.
  • Shifty She (Gone Astray / Perilous Hope, by Strong Hope) won the 2021 Powder Break Stakes (black type), the 2021 Ginger Punch Stakes (black type), and the 2021 G3 Noble Damsel Stakes. Career earnings to date: $317,395.

“Gone Astray has been a complete success since he entered into stud in 2012. We are excited to bring him to Pleasant Acres Stallions, where he can continue to produce graded stakes and black type winners for our Florida breeders,” said Joe Barbazon. “Gone Astray isn't a gamble for breeders. He is currently 10th on the lifetime sires by progeny earnings list behind some stallions who began their careers decades ago.”

Gone Astray joins stallions Amira's Prince, Bellavia, Breaking Lucky, Bucchero, Curlin's Honor, Gunnevera, Handsome Mike, Leinster, Long On Value, Neolithic, No Never No More, Ride On Curlin, and Sweetontheladies, at the 220-acre farm located just northwest of Ocala. Pleasant Acres Stallions has received many accolades for excellence, including 2017 Florida Freshman Sire of the Year for Poseidon's Warrior, 2017 DRF Florida-bred Beyer Award, 2009 Florida Breeder of the Year, 2009 Florida Broodmare of the Year, Breeder of the 2009 Florida Horse of the Year, and was ranked third in the nation for leading breeders in 2009 by average earnings per starter with 10 or more starters.

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Three Rules to Stand in Florida at Wesfield

Three Rules (Gone Astray–Joy Rules, by Full Mandate), named the Florida-bred Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old male in 2016 after sweeping the male division of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes that year, has been retired and will stand the 2022 breeding season at Robert Smith's Wesfield Farm in Ocala. His fee has not been announced.

Three Rules, winner of the 2017 GIII Carry Back S. and third-place finisher in the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S., was bred in Florida and raced for Bert Pilcher in the name of his Shade Tree Thoroughbreds in partnership with Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald.

“Robert Smith at Wesfield will stand Three Rules for us,” Pilcher said. “He wants to breed some of his mares to him and some of his clients have inquired about breeding some of their mares. Of course, I will be supporting him and I have clients who are excited to see him at stud and plan to breed their mares to him. I think he will be very popular in Florida and I think he will produce a very nice race horse.

“He was a fabulous 2-year-old who only lost one race that year and that came in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and he beat some nice horses in that race. And then he competed well in the [Kentucky Derby] preps at Gulfstream before becoming a graded stakes-winner later that year.”

Three Rules finished his career with six wins, two seconds and two thirds while earning $972,825.

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‘Blue-Collar’ Noble Drama Set To Defend Title In Sunshine Classic

Harold Queen's Noble Drama has amassed earnings of more than $600,000 while winning five stakes and placing in 12 stakes during his 24-race career. Not bad for the “black sheep” of his family.

Noble Drama is out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse champion sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1-stakes winner Sheer Drama.

While his exploits pale in comparisons to those of his Grade 1 kin, Noble Drama has been a most productive member of trainer David Fawkes' Gulfstream Park-based stable for the past few years.

“He's a little horse that always tries to win. He always tries hard. If you weren't looking for him, you wouldn't know he's in the barn. He's easy to deal with. There's never an issue with him,” said Fawkes, who also trained both Big Drama and Sheer Drama for Queen. “I'd take 20 of him.”

Queen's 6-year-old homebred gelding is scheduled to make a title defense in Saturday's $75,000 Sunshine Classic, one of four stakes for Florida-breds on Saturday's 12-race program in Hallandale Beach, Fla., with a 11:45 a.m. first-race post time. Noble Drama is also eligible for a win-only bonus of $25,000 offered to Florida Sire Stakes-eligible entrants.

The ever-versatile son of Gone Astray has never been a source of drama while winning from 6 ½ furlongs to the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Sunshine Classic.

“He's just a racehorse. He likes doing it. He's an easy-keeper. He's light, easy on himself. He's not a heavy-built horse,” Fawkes said. “He's a great blue-collar horse. We can take him anywhere we want. He doesn't have to take his surface with him. He's won at Calder; he's won at Tampa; and he's won here.”

Noble Drama is coming off a somewhat disappointing third-place finish as the 6-5 favorite in a seven-furlong Florida Sire Stakes race at Tampa Bay Downs Dec. 12.

“The race at Tampa, I really don't have an excuse for him, why he lost contact with the field. He left himself too much to do,” Fawkes said.

Noble Drama won back-to-back stakes in his two most recent starts at Gulfstream Park, where he scored in the seven-furlong Benny The Bull and the mile FSS Wildcat Heir.

Emisael Jaramillo, who rode Noble Drama in the Wildcat Heir, has the call.

Equine Authority Inc.'s Red Crescent, who finished a head behind Noble Drama while finishing second in last year's Sunshine Classic, is set for another clash this year. The John Vinson-trained 7-year-old gelding is coming off a sharp optional claiming allowance victory Dec. 3.

Paco Lopez has the return mount aboard Red Crescent.

Michael Dubb and partners' Last Judgment will drop from a troubled eighth-place finish in the Dec. 19 Mr. Prospector (G3, his first start for trainer Michael Maker since being claimed out of a Belmont optional claiming allowance win for $62,500.

Jose Ortiz has the call on the 5-year-old gelded son of Congrats.

IAB Stable and Walter Fralick's Quenane, who registered a 27-1 upset over Noble Drama in the Nov. 14 Sunshine Classic Preview over a sloppy Gulfstream Park West track; Mathis Stable LLC's Roman Empire, a Todd Pletcher-trained 4-year-old who finished second in a Dec. 9 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream; Dig Than Mine LLC and trainer Steve Klesaris' Scar, who won a Dec. 20 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream; and Marco Thoroughbred Corp.'s Kaufy Bean, a late-developing 4-year-old son of Adios Charlie, round out the field.

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‘Older And Smarter’ Noble Drama In Career Form Ahead Of Saturday’s Millions Classic Preview

Noble Drama's accomplishments may pale in comparison to those of his kin, but Harold Queen's homebred 5-year-old gelding has carved out quite a profitable niche for himself.

Out of Queen Drama, a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and a full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama has established himself as a dominating force in the Florida-bred ranks, amassing nearly $600,000 in purse earnings during a 22-race career that includes five stakes wins and 10 stakes placings.

The David Fawkes-trained son of Gone Astray will seek to continue his dominance in Saturday's $60,000 Millions Classic Preview, a mile event for Florida-bred 3-year-olds and up on the nine-race Sunshine Millions Preview card at Gulfstream Park West that include four other stakes.

“Hopefully, this will be the steppingstone to the next one. He's doing really good,” said Fawkes, referring to the $100,000 Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park Jan. 16.

Noble Drama enters the Classic Preview in career-best form, coming off back-to-back victories at Gulfstream in the Sept. 6 Benny The Bull at seven furlongs and the Sept. 26 FSS Wildcat Heir at a mile around one turn.

“He's been really good to us recently,” Fawkes said. “He's gotten older and smarter and he really likes what he's doing.”

In the Benny The Bull, Noble Drama overcame bumping at the start and rallied from seventh to win going away by 2 ½ lengths. In the Wildcat Heir, he settled in mid-pack before kicking in through the stretch to win by a length.

The very versatile gelding has won multiple stakes around two turns, including a victory in the 1 1/8-mile Sunshine Millions Classic last year.

“He beat some nice horses last time. He's really turned into a decent horse. You'd love to have a barn full of horses like him,” Fawkes said.

Emisael Jaramillo has the return mount aboard Noble Drama.

Jacks or Better Farm's Garter and Tie, one of the nice horses beaten by Noble Drama in the Wildcat Heir, is scheduled to return in the Classic Preview. The 4-year-old son of Brooks 'n Down made a big move on the turn into the homestretch before making a strong stretch drive, in which he closed the gap from 3 ½ lengths to a length in the final eighth of a mile.

“We've met Noble Drama four times and he's beaten us three times,” trainer Ralph Nicks said. “So, we'll have to improve.”

The Nicks trainee was stakes-placed in his previous two starts despite encountering trouble at the start of both races. He rallied to finish second behind heavily favored Cool Arrow in the Opening Lead before checking in third behind Noble Drama in the Wildcat Heir.

“He's doing well. The only thing with him is: his two-turn races haven't been as good as his one-turn races,” Nicks said. “That's always a question with him. We'll see what happens.

Edgard Zayas has the mount aboard Garter and Tie, who broke his maiden in the 2018 FSS Affirmed and has won two other stakes.

Equine Authority Inc.'s Red Crescent is set to title defense in the Millions Classic Preview, which he won by 1 ½ lengths last year. The 6-year-old son of Overdriven went on to finish second behind Noble Drama in the Sunshine Millions Classic, but is winless in five starts this year. The John Vinson-trained gelding finished fifth last time out in the Benny The Bull, in which he faded after stalking the pace while coming off a two-month layoff.

In his two prior starts, he finished third behind victorious Eye of a Jedi, finishing 1 ¾ lengths behind runner-up Noble Drama in the Sea of Tranquility and finished a length behind runner-up and multiple-stakes winner Diamond Oops in an optional claiming allowance.

Samy Camacho has the mount aboard Red Crescent.

Raymond Mamone's Debbie's Passion, IAB Stables and Walter Fralick's Quenane round out the field.

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