In the span of a little less than two hours yesterday, First Dude emulated the Major League baseball playoffs with an impressive triple of his own – one winner at Belmont Park and a back-to-back pair at Gulfstream.

    The heroics staged by a 2-year-old filly and two 3-year-old geldings blasted First Dude over the $2 million mark in 2021 progeny earnings, his sixth consecutive year achieving the feat. Two of the victories were firsts for the year, giving the son of Stephen Got Even 55 individual winners for the season, second most among all Florida stallions.

    Lady Milagro, the 2-year-old filly bred in Kentucky by owners Danielle Rivas and Amanda Laderer, was making her third New York start in a 1 1/16-mile test over the inner turf course. Eric Cancel sent her to the lead and they lulled the others to sleep with snail-like fractions of :24.64, 49.03 and 1:12.98. Lady Milagro then turned away two challengers on the final turn, and held off one late runner to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:43.62. She paid $14 and earned a check for $27,500.

    A little more than an hour later, Famous Gent presented First Dude with a track record over the newly-installed Tapeta surface at Gulfstream Park (however short-lived it may turn out to be), winning at ‘about’ one mile and 70 yards in 1:45.68. Edgard Zayas was aboard the gelding, who made a strong move on the final turn to take the lead, lost it to Ocean Delight in the run down the stretch, then gamely rebounded to turn back the favorite by a nose at the wire. Famous Gent paid $9.40, earned a check for $17,200, and was claimed away from his owners/breeders – Trilogy Stable and Laurie Plesa – after compiling earnings of $89,240.  

    A half hour later, Zayas made it two in a row as Picking Up Pennies completed the triple, going wire-to-wire and winning by 5 3/4 lengths in 1:09.20 for six furlongs. He earned a ’96’ Equibase speed figure, his best in seven starts, and missed the track record by just one second. Track announcer Pete Aiello contributed to the baseball theme with his stretch call – “Picking Up Pennies is going, going, gone.”

    In his  previous start, the improving Picking Up Pennies won by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:10.29, getting an ‘E’ of 95. The $30,000 OBS October yearling collected $23,900 and raised his career total to $83,530, while First Dude’s 2021 progeny earnings soared to $2,006,942.