From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (May 28, 2022)—George Krikorian’s homebred Big Switch was completely dominant as the odds-on favorite in Saturday’s $150,000 Melair Stakes at Santa Anita, winning by 4 ¼ lengths. Ridden by Juan Hernandez and trained by John Sadler, who coincidentally trained the race’s undefeated namesake, Big Switch got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:44.87 while notching her second stakes victory.
The Melair is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired 3-year-old fillies.
Attentive to the early pace set by It’s Simple, Big Switch easily moved on terms with the leader heading into the far turn and had a one length edge on Rose Maddox and Youteyourhonor a quarter mile out. From there, Big Switch widened through the lane, winning like a filly with considerable upside.
A winner of the seven-furlong Golden State Juvenile Fillies in her second start on Nov. 5 at Del Mar, Big Switch was most recently fifth versus open company in a 6 ½ furlong hillside turf allowance on Feb. 25.
“It’s great, she (Melair) was a great filly and kind of really launched my career early on,” said Sadler. “Kind of fitting this year Marianne Millard, one of the breeders of Melair, she passed about a month ago, so it’s kind of all the culmination of the owners. She was a great mare so it’s fun to win this.
“(Big Switch) won her first two, she’s run five times, won two stakes. She didn’t like the grass the other day. Sometimes, you have to try. We’ve got a lot of turf races so, we kind of put a line through that and then I got her ready for this one. She’s a nice filly, I think she’s going to be good as she goes on. She’s a nice, big, beautiful filly, so I think there’s a lot more there to work with. She’ll get a chance, we have all these Cal-bred rules…We will figure out the best spots for her but I think down the line she will run in open company.”
Off at 3-5 among a field six sophomore fillies, Big Switch returned $3.40, $2.20 and $2.10.
By hot sire Mr. Big out of the Malibu Moon mare Two Faced Moon, Big Switch got her third win from five starts and with the winner’s share of $90,000, increased her earnings to $245,544.
“Mr. Big is a really good stallion, he moves the mares up and has produced a lot of nice winners,” said Krikorian. “Big Switch has a two-year-old sister that is right behind her. She won nice and easy, and she looks beautiful. She is so good to look at.”
Ridden by Kyle Frey, Rose Maddox shook loose of Youteyourhonor turning for home and finished some 10 ¼ lengths clear of her for the place. Off at 5-2, “Rose” paid $3.00 and $2.20.
Ridden by Tyler Baze, Youteyourhonor drifted out through the lane and finished 9 ½ lengths in front of Everlys Girl. Off at 7-1, she paid $2.40 to show.
Fractions on the race were 22.98, 47.17, 1:12.25 and 1:38.26.