After winning once in four tries at the Tampa Bay Downs meeting in the spring, First Homestead traveled north to Finger Lakes in upper New York State and has found the track to his liking. The 4-year-old gelding by First Dude won yesterday and now has registered two victories and a second in three starts.

With Joel Cruz aboard, First Homestead set the pace off the rail over the track labeled sloppy, and passed the furlong markers in :23.31 and :46.96. He opened up by four lengths in the stretch, then drew off to score by a comfortable 5 3/4, wrapped up, clocked in 1:11.39. Based on his first two performances over the track, First Homestead was sent off as the prohibitive 1/5 favorite, and paid $2.40. He earned $7,560, increasing his earnings to $40,996 on a record of 4-2-0 in 12 starts.

On May 17, at Indiana Grande Race Course, Sunset Paula Jo won for the sixth time in her career, and was claimed out of the race for $18,000. The 6-year-old First Dude mare didn’t show up in the entries again until last weekend, this time in a $27,000 claimer at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.

Sent off as the even-money favorite in the mile and one-sixteenth race over a sloppy track, Sunset Paula Jo went head-and-head for the lead out of the gate, took over by herself at the three-quarters, and went on to score by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:46.95. The $5,336 winner’s check boosted her career bank account to $139,408 on a record of 7-2-5 in 30 starts.