Big Pond cut back in distance a furlong and turned the tables on her California-bred rival Daddysruby as she took command a furlong out under Frankie Dettori. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Race Is Part Of Lucrative CTBA-Sponsored Golden State Series
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—Idle since a heartbreak nose defeat in the Grade I La Brea on opening day, George Krikorian’s homebred Big Pond cut back in distance a furlong and turned the tables on her California-bred rival Daddysruby as she took command a furlong out and powered to a three- length score in Sunday’s $100,000 Spring Fever Stakes at Santa Anita.
The Spring Fever is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sponsored horses.
Trained by Tim Yakteen and ridden by Frankie Dettori, Big Pond got six furlongs in 1:09.28 and could very likely be headed back to graded stakes competition in her most convincing win to date.
As expected, Daddysruby, who took the La Brea in gate to wire fashion, bounded to the lead but Big Pond pressed her every step of the way to the far turn. With a half-length edge leaving the three-furlong pole, Daddysruby was no match for the winner when it counted and tired to finish third, beaten five lengths.
Off at 5-1 in the La Brea, Big Pond was hammered to even money versus five rival California-bred fillies and mares today and paid $4.00, $2.60 and $2.10.
With Dettori getting his third win on the day, Big Pond, a 4-year-old daughter of Mr. Big out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Beside Still Water, notched her second stakes win and her third win from six overall starts. With the winner’s share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $273,230.
Scary Fast Ride, third, a length and a half off the lead turning for home, proved second best as she outfinished Daddysruby to be second by two lengths under Abdul Alsagoor. Off at 9-1, Scary Fast Ride paid $5.80 and $3.00.
Ridden for the first time by Edwin Maldonado and trained by Peter Miller, Daddysruby was off as the second choice at 8-5 and paid $2.40 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of Rose Maddox, who appeared to full of run at the top of the lane.
Fractions on the race were 22.71, 45.38 and 57.41.
Racing will resume on Friday with first post time for a nine-race card at 12:30 p.m.
$100,000 Sweet Life Stakes Quotes
Jockey Quotes
Lanfranco Dettori, Big Pond, Winner: “I thought maybe she wouldn’t have the legs that Daddysruby had, because I thought she would be the faster of the six. In fairness after a furlong, I was at the tail end of her and I thought, ‘I’m not going to let her get away with it today.’ And I put pressure on Daddysruby all the way. I asked my filly at the quarter pole, and she put up a good fight and won well.”
Trainer Quotes
Tim Yakteen, Big Pond, Winner: “She’s a big scopey filly so the cut back in distance was just a little concerning especially when we drew the inside, with the speed on the outside of us, but I guess having the ground break out from underneath us went in our favor. We were able to just pop to the outside of the speed. She had trained exceptionally well (out of the La Brea), we were planning on the Santa Monica, (Grade II, seven furlongs on Feb. 3), unfortunately she caught a little bug the week of the Santa Monica, so we had to skip that, and we came into the Spring Fever which sometimes it is a blessing in disguise the way things work out for us.
Owner/Breeder Quotes
George Krikorian, Big Pond, Winner: “It does feel really good that she came back and won today. She was so professional the way she did it too.
“As they came around the turn, I thought that she had a really good chance to win because she was so comfortable in her stride and that’s the way she ran.”
