LEO-SAG STABLES Home to Gulfstream Park
Thoroughbred Racing Syndicates & Partnerships
Hollywood Florida
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"CUBA RETURNS"
To Head Sunday's Bernie Down 'Cap'
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"World Class Operation"
Trainer: Bobby DiBona
| Birthplace: Boston, MA | Residence: Davie, FL |
Bobby Dibona was introduced to racing through his friend’s father, who owned horses stabled at Suffolk Downs. In 1989 Dibona became an owner himself, winning his first race out at Suffolk. In 2000 he took out his trainer’s license and won his first race that year with Hurricane Havoc at Gulfstream. He has been stabling at Monmouth Park the past four seasons and has enjoyed great success, most notably with Actin Good, winner of the 2007 Grade 3 Pegasus, and Cuba, an $18,000 claim that has earned over $400,000 since the acquisition and victor of last year’s Charles Hesse Handicap.
continued:
Cuba, who became the best claim trainer Bobby Dibona ever made last year, returns after a four-month layoff to top Sunday’s $60,000 Bernie Dowd Handicap for New Jersey-breds.
The 8-year-old son of Not for Love – Shaunlee, by Deputy Minister, won three races here last season, including the Charles Hesse III Handicap, and turned in one of his best efforts of the year in the Grade 3 Iselin, when he encountered a world of trouble and finished fifth. Cuba went on to run third behind Commentator in the Mass ‘Cap at Suffolk, and then won the Maryland Million Classic at Laurel.
Claimed for $18,000 at the start of the 2008 season by Dibona, Cuba won seven races and earned $393,180 last year.
“He won a race at Gulfstream in January,” Dibona said, “but he needed a break, and after he ran sixth on February 12, I stopped on him.
“He freshened at Gulfstream, and shipped here on May 1,” the trainer said. “He’s had five works over the track, and he’s ready to roll.”
Cuba finished third behind LunaPark and Meadow Blue in last year’s Dowd, a mile and 70-yard test for older state-breds, a race run over a sloppy main track.
“It wasn’t the track as much as the fact that he missed the break that beat him that day,” Dibona said. “He never got untracked.”
Because of his 2008 success, Cuba must carry topweight of 123 pounds in the Dowd as he goes from Post 3 with Carlos Marquez Jr. aboard for the first time.
Bobby
Dibona Monmouth Park Stats:
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Starts
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1
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2
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3
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Earnings
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| Monmouth 2008 |
81
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16
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14
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15
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$397,985
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| Meadowlands 2008 |
9
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0
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8
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1
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$31,380
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| Total |
184
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30
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27
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34
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$907,259
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Contact us for more information and join our mailing list today!
CONTACT US TODAY!
We have opened up a new claiming group that will operate in the Florida & Jersey area this winter. This year was a success running at Monmouth Park and Saratoga with our 7-year old gelding named Cuba. Cuba was in the money in 8 of 10 starts including 6 wins! Cuba is taking some well deserved R&R for 60 days and will be back at Gulfstream Park this winter.
Please contact us anytime! We look forward to hearing from you.
ACTINGOOD Pegasus "07"
When trainer Bobby Dibona saddled Actin Good for the $250,000 Pegasus
Stakes (gr. III) on the Breeders Cup undercard at Monmouth Park Oct.
7, he respected the horse more than the bettors who sent him off at
odds of 10-1. Actin Good rewarded Dibona's faith with a gutsy front running performance, fighting through a head-and-head stretch
duel with Now A Victor to take the 1 1/8-mile event by a neck.
As they hit the far turn, Now A Victor made a bid for the lead and
claimed it momentarily, but Actin Good fought back on the inside and
reclaimed his position for a final time of 1:51.54.
The 3-year-old gelding came off a 3 3/4-length win in an allowance
race at Suffolk Downs Sept. 2 for owners Leo-Sag Stables, G. Goldsmith
and Greg and Jerrich Stable. Before that, his last start was in
January, when he finished 14th in the Sunshine Millions Dash at
Gulfstream Park as a colt. Dibona took Actin Good out of training to
geld him and brought him back slowly. He is unbeaten since his return.
I always thought he was one of the top 3-year-olds, said Dibona. He
was having problems and mentally just couldn't get it right, so I
gelded him and he just really settled down and got all business-like.
It was all by design, and he just showed the kind of horse he is I
always knew I had a very good one. We loved him all week; I really
thought I was gonna win this race.
A 3-year-old bred in Florida by Johnson Hollow Farm by Yes Its True
out of the Colonial Affair mare Hollow Design, Actingood now has a
3-2-2 record from nine starts. The Pegasus was his first graded win.
Stable Alert!!