From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2023)—Two for two down Santa Anita’s unique hillside turf course coming into Saturday’s $200,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint, presented by John Deere, the Carla Gaines-conditioned Big Summer was all heart in winning her biggest race to date by three quarters of a length. Ridden by Joe Bravo, Big Summer, a 5-year-old mare by Mr. Big, got about 6 ½ furlongs down the hill in 1:13.10.
The Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for California-bred or sired runners.
“She’s just got a great finishing kick,” said Gaines. “She breaks and she settles and when Joe calls on her, she goes, she’s perfect. The ownership makes the Cal-Breds special, the people who breed them, thank you.”
Bred by Bob Abrams and Michael Dutko, Big Summer, who is out of the Cee’s Tizzy mare Ultimate Summer, is owned by Robert Abrams, Mitchell Dutko and Michael Paran. Big Summer’s siblings include stakes winners Tribalist and Ultimate Bango.
In-hand from her rail post out of the gate, Big Summer tracked the early leaders to the half mile pole, took the lead and was inside a four-horse spread at the dirt crossing, three sixteenths of a mile out. Although she appeared to stay on her left lead, Big Summer was tenacious on the lead and held off a determined Eddie’s New Dream late.
“Honestly, for her to overcome the one-post took a lot,” said Bravo. “You don’t really want to overthink a race like that or tell her what to do. I let her find own spot. I didn’t think it would be that close around the turn. She was going comfortably underneath me, and I knew it was going to be tough to beat her from there. She did it all, I’m so proud of her. She made us look good out there.”
Most recently second going six furlongs on synthetic Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields Dec. 10, Big Summer was off at 7-2 and paid $9.80, $4.60 and $2.60.
In winning her first stakes, Big Summer improved her overall mark to 11-4-5-2. With today’s winner’s share of $110,000, she increased her earnings to $315,160.
Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Eddie’s New Dream was off at 3-1 and paid $4.20 and $2.60 while finishing a half length in front of favored Alice Marble.
Off at 6-5, Alice Marble, who was ridden by Flavien Prat, finished three lengths clear of a late closing Tam’s Little Angel and paid $2.10 to show.
Fractions on the race were 22.21, 44.29 and 1:07.17.