Pleasant Acres Stallions

04/27/2025

OCALA, FL—Florida-bred Neoequos has made the field for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) run May 3, as announced by Churchill Downs officials Friday. Neoequos has drawn into the $5 million Run for the Roses after Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners decided to withdraw Built from the Derby field, opting instead for the $600,000 Pat Day Mile (G2) to be run on the Derby undercard.

Owned by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Ian Parsard, Shining Stables LLC and Stefania Farms LLC’s, Neoequos is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., who put the c**t through a bullet half-mile breeze at Gulfstream Park Thursday morning. Neoequos worked in company with Mr. Narcissistic, finishing on even terms with his veteran stablemate in :48.43, the fastest four-furlong clocking of the morning.

According to the Churchill Downs press office, Neoequos is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Saturday from his base at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton, Beach, Fla.

He will be the 121st Florida-bred to race in the Kentucky Derby and first since Tami Bobo and Tristan de Meric’s Simplification finished fourth in the 2022 edition won by longshot Rich Strike.

Neoequos makes the Derby field with 40 points on the Derby Leaderboard. He earned 15 points for finishing third in the $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth won by Sovereignty on March 1 and 25 points for finishing third behind winner Tappan Street in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa on March 29, both at Gulfstream Park. Both Tappan Street and Sovereignty are scheduled to run in the Derby.

By Pleasant Acres Stallions’ Neolithic out of Bold Birdie, by Birdstone, Neoequos was bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon and Matalona Thoroughbreds LLC. He has earned $291,050 from two wins, two seconds and two thirds in seven lifetime starts.

Joseph purchased Neoequos at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale for a bargain $22,000, selecting him out of Lisa McGreevy’s Abbie Road Farm consignment based in Sparr, Fla. Susan Montanye of Ocala prepared Neoequos for his racing career at her SBM Training and Sales operation, also located in Ocala.

Post positions for the Kentucky Derby will be drawn at Churchill Downs this Saturday. Joseph is expected to name Flavien Prat as the jockey for Neoequos.

About the FTBOA

Established in 1948, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association is a not-for-profit association with the mission of promoting the Florida Thoroughbred. The FTBOA represents more than 1,300 thoroughbred breeders and owners internationally who breed, raise, sell, train and race Thoroughbreds born in the state of Florida. The FTBOA is located at 801 SW 60th Avenue in Ocala, Fla., the heart of one of the top equine regions worldwide and recognized as the Horse Capital of the World®.

04/27/2025

Florida-bred Neoequos trained for the first time at Churchill Downs Sunday morning, jogging at 7:15 a.m. for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The son of Pleasant Acres Stallions' Neolithic bred by Helen and Joseph Barbazon and Matalona Thoroughbreds drew post two during Saturday night's Kentucky Derby post position draw and is listed at 30-1 on the morning line. ©Photo be Renee Torbit/Coady Media Sachs Media

04/27/2025

💙💛💙

Florida-bred Neoequos trained for the first time at Churchill Downs Sunday morning, jogging at 7:15 a.m. for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The son of Pleasant Acres Stallions' Neolithic bred by Helen and Joseph Barbazon and Matalona Thoroughbreds drew post two during Saturday night's Kentucky Derby post position draw and is listed at 30-1 on the morning line. ©Photo be Renee Torbit/Coady Media Sachs Media

04/27/2025

Here are the official post positions for the 151st Kentucky Derby! 🌹

04/27/2025

Post positions for the Kentucky Derby! NEOLITHIC’s Neoequos #2 ❤️🐎🐎🐎🐎

04/26/2025

Wowww wheeeee!!! 🥰🎉🎉🎉

Kentucky Derby fair odds: Avoid these worst bets in the run for the roses.

https://www.horseracingnation.com/news/Kentucky_Derby_fair_odds_Takeout_reducers_aplenty_among_full_field_123

04/26/2025

NEOLITHIC – Harlan’s Holiday / Swingit, by Victory Gallop. 77% WINNERS FROM RUNNERS! Nearly 14% BTHrs! NEOLITHIC son Neoequos - bred in the Sunshine State by Helen Barbazon, Joseph Barbazon, and Matalona Thoroughbreds - is heading to Kentucky for the 2025 Kentucky Derby! Congratulations to all connections!With $2,278,028 in earnings, Neolithic is the highest earner by sire of sires Harlan’s Holiday. Neolithic recorded three blazing fast triple-digit Beyers during his career – 106, 102, and 100. He won at 2 and 3 and finished 2nd at 3 in the G3 Discover Stakes. At 4, he was 2nd in the G2 Hagyard Fayette Stakes, and 3rd in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, G1 Woodward Stakes, and G1 Emirates Airlines Dubai World Cup.NEOLITHIC is by famed HARLAN’S HOLIDAY who, from 10 crops, produced 95 stakes winners and 6 champions – including INTO MISCHIEF. His 1st dam, MSW SWINGIT, is also dam to MGSW TRAVEL COLUMN. NEOLITHIC’s 2nd dam, Free Ransom, produced SINGIT – a multiple stakes-placed black type winner. His 3rd dam, Pay the Ransom, was half-sister to SW VALID CARNAUBA – daughter of NEOLITHIC’s 4th dam, Carnauba, Champion 2YO and 3YO Filly in Italy.

04/26/2025

How about this???? ❤️❤️❤️🐎

Here's everything you need to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby contender Neoequos, including the horse's trainer, jockey and what they're saying.

04/24/2025

APRIL 22, 2025 BY BERNIE DICKMAN
Most Handsome strikes again for Romanik and Spatz!

Attorney David Romanik and his trainer, Ron Spatz, have had an exceptionally good run with many runners by Pleasant Acres stallions. Their latest success is with Most Handsome, a 3-year-old gelding by Neolithic who went wire-to-wire under Emisael Jaramillo at Gulfstream Park in a $56,000 allowance optional claimer at five furlongs on the grass.

Jaramillo sent Most Handsome to the lead and the gelding bred by Julie Ann Jackson never looked back, winning by three-quarters of a length and getting the distance in :54.92, just over one second from the course record. He paid $12.20 and collected $33,100 for his co-owners.

Most Handsome increased his record to 3-0-1 in six starts with earnings of $146,360. Neolithic now has 21 winners in 2025 and progeny earnings of $898,545.

04/24/2025

APRIL 21, 2025 BY BERNIE DICKMAN
Barton puts trust in Bodexpress runners!

Bodexpress picked up his fifth winner in his second crop when Just Trust Me went virtually wire-to-wire under Kevin Krigger in a $22,000 allowance optional claimer at Turf Paradise.

Coming off a pair of seconds, the 3-year-old c**t bred by Richard Barton Enterprises shot out to the lead, battled head-and-head through sizzling fractions of :21.42, :43.86 and :56.22, then took over by himself in the lane and drew off to score by nearly two lengths, clocked in 1:09.34 for the six furlongs. He paid $6.40 and the check for $13,200 raised his earnings to $90,740 on a record of 3-4-1 in 12 starts.

04/24/2025

APRIL 20, 2025 BY BERNIE DICKMAN
Squire scores, Leinster has 2 winners!

After becoming the nation’s first freshman sire of 2025 to get a winner, Leinster also became the first to get two winners when Joe Bravo piloted Squire to a narrow victory in a $79,000 maiden special at Gulfstream Park.

Making his debut, Squire was off in mid-pack and raced about eight lengths off the pace down the backstretch. Bravo let him roll nearing the turn and the c**t bred by co-owner Amy E. and Ciaran Dunne responded with a strong wide run into the stretch and was up in the final strides to win by a head. He was clocked in :54.11 for the 4 1/2 furlongs and received an Equibase ‘E’ speed figure of 79. Amy Dunne and co-owner/trainer Patrick Biancone collected a check for $50,000 for the score.

Leinster has already racked up progeny earnings of $86,866.

04/24/2025

APRIL 19, 2025 BY BERNIE DICKMAN
Bowersock hits Tampa trifecta with Gunnevera gelding!

Veteran Tampa Bay Downs trainer Maria Bowersock hit a trifecta in Oldsmar with her 3-year-old maiden Mywifehasagun. Bowersock is the breeder and trainer of the gelding by Gunnevera, and she co-owns him with Robert D. Bone.

Making his eighth start, with Ronnie Allen Jr. in the irons, Mywifehasagun followed the pace under a strong hold down the backstretch, made an imposing move on the turn and took the lead into the stretch, then drew off with ease down the lane to score by 4 1/2 lengths. He raced a mile and 40 yards in 1:42.64, paid $16.40, and earned a check for $12,100 for his co-owners and a breeder’s award for Bowersock. He’s now 1-0-2 in eight starts with a bank account of $19,050.

04/21/2025

Leinster's 1st Crop is ON FIRE!!! With his first juveniles just hitting the track, LEINSTER is making headlines with two impressive maiden special weight winners. SQUIRE (out of Saudi Chroma, by Lucky Pulpit), dominated a $70,000 MSW at Gulfstream Park, following on the heels of LENNILU (out of Lulu's Pom Pom, by Pomeroy) who captured a $90,000 MSW – proving his progeny are winning right from the start at the highest maiden levels. Combined with his three six-figure sales results in March and April, LEINSTER is delivering both commercial and racing success!

04/21/2025

Way to gooooooooo NEOLITHIC!

04/20/2025

Happy Easter from your friends at Pleasant Acres Stallions!

04/19/2025

APRIL 8, 2025 BY BERNIE DICKMAN
Barbazon-bred Leinster filly wins first 2-year-old race of the year at Keeneland

The honor of getting the first 2-year-old winner of 2025 not only goes to a freshman sire from Pleasant Acres Stallions, but to breeders Joe and Helen Barbazon as well.

The first race for 2-year-olds in North America, a $72,826 maiden special at 4 1/2 furlongs, was held at Keeneland Race Course on Sunday. It was won by Lennilu, a filly by Leinster bred at Pleasant Acres who had four listed workouts at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach. Each one was better than the last, culminating with a bullet :35.90 for three furlongs, best of 30 trials at the distance that day, and responsible for the filly’s 5/2 price on the tote board.

Luis Saez was aboard Lennilu, who was a $25,000 OBS Winter Mixed yearling. Saez sent her out quickly and Lennilu raced down the backstretch in fourth place over a sloppy surface, while saving ground. She remained inside into the stretch, swung off the rail for the run down the lane, and out-gamed Kadabra to the wire by one length. Lennilu was clocked in :52.32 and paid $7.50, while earning a check for $34,115.

On Monday, the same race for c**ts was run at Keeneland, and the Leinster c**t Monster from Arindel Farm finished a fast-closing but non-threatening fourth after he was murdered from both sides leaving the gate, and trailed by about 12 lengths down the backstretch. Also a $25,000 OBS Winter Mixed yearling, he earned $2,751, giving Leinster a total of $36,866 for the two days.

04/19/2025

APRIL 7, 2025 BY BERNIE DICKMAN
Bodexpress fillies earn checks in $126,000 Evening Jewel!

Hot Girl Walk and Going Deep, California-breds and Bodexpress’s leading two money-winners, finished third and fourth in the $126,000 Evening Jewel Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Hot Girl Walk had previously become her sire’s first stakes-winner when she captured the Generous Portion Stakes at Del Mar. Under Antonio Fresu, she was up close early in the 6 1/2-furlong Evening Jewel, but hung late and finished 3 3/4 lengths back. The 3-year-old filly earned a check for $15,000 for owner/breeder Richard Barton, raising her total to $133,000 on a record of 2-1-1 in six starts.

Going Deep, with Edwin Maldonado, ran evenly for fourth place and collected $7,500, bringing her earnings to $102,900 and her record to 2-2-0 in six starts.