Hernandez gets third stakes and fourth win on the day
ARCADIA, Calif.—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 and providing leading rider Juan Hernandez with third stakes win and fourth overall tally on the day. 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.
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.
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.
$150,000, MELAIR STAKES QUOTES
JOCKEY QUOTES
JUAN HERNANDEZ, BIG SWITCH, WINNER: “I think she likes the dirt better. The last time she was on the turf and bobbled at the break. I had to use her to recover, and she was flat after that. She never accelerated. She seemed like she loved the dirt. She was very happy and comfortable today. She broke sharp today and I was able to give her a clear trip. At the five-eighths, she did the rest. She took the lead and never stopped from there.”
TRAINER QUOTES
JOHN SADLER, BIG SWITCH, WINNER: “It’s great, she (Melair) was a great filly and kind of really launched my career early on. Kind of fitting this year Marianne Millard, one of the breeders she passed about a month ago, so it’s kind of all the culmination of the trained early and the owners. She was a great mare so its fun to win this.
“She 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.”
OWNER QUOTES
GEORGE KRIKORIAN, BIG SWITCH, WINNER: “Mr. Big is a really good stallion, he moves the mares up and has produced a lot of nice winners. 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.”
NOTES: The winning owner/breeder is George Krikorian.
Santa Anita Press Release
Photo by Benoit Photos
