DEL MAR No Vron, no problem for Big City Lights.
After finishing second to The Chosen Vron in the past two Cary Grant Stakes — and four times overall in the last 26 months — Big City Lights dominated Saturday’s seven-furlong dirt test for older California-bred horses.
Under jockey Kazushi Kimura, Big City Lights powered into the lead while hugging the rail on the far turn and pulled away to an 81/2-length win over second favorite Man O Rose (Edwin Maldonado). Long shot Moose Mitchell (Armando Aguilar) was third in the five-horse field.
Kimura scored the second of his three wins Saturday aboard the 5-year-old son of Mr. Big, who is trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. It was the sixth win in 12 career starts for Mr. Big, who has finished in the money in every career start — and behind The Chosen Vron five times.
Big City Lights was fourth at the quarter pole and third after a half mile. But he was clearly the fastest horse, shooting into the lead deep into the turn and building a 4½-length lead by the time he reached the stretch. The 4-to-5 favorite, Big City Lights paid $3.80.
“He kind of surprises me,” Mandella said of Big City Lights. “He’s not interested in the early speed like he used to be, but he’s finishing great so I can’t complain. Kimura did a good thing slipping through there. This was too nice of a spot for him. When they’re there, you gotta go.”
Kimura said that heading into the race, I realized it’s a small field and that there was going to be speed.
“I just tried to pray for my break, he said. It was smooth sailing behind the horses. Then I saw a huge gap on the inside. He’s very confident to ride. After the last race, I was hoping he would jump into the Breeders’ Cup sprint … but maybe next year.”
Kimura’s other wins Saturday were aboard Wild Recruit ($3.40) in the fourth and Takes Three ($10.80) in the ninth.
Cal-bred fillies go
The second half of the weekend’s two $100,000, seven-furlong dirt stakes for Cal-bred horses is Sunday’s feature. The Betty Grable Stakes for older fillies and mares has drawn seven starters led by the Michael McCarthy-trained Pushiness and the Carla Gaines-trained Big Summer.
Umberto Rispoli will be aboard Pushiness as the 3-year-old daughter of Kantharos returns to the Cal-bred ranks after finishes of first and third (at Del Mar last Aug. 24) in open allowance races. Pushiness won a pair of Cal-bred stakes at Del Mar under Rispoli, most recently the Fleet Treat Stakes on July 26.
Like Big City Lights, Big Summer is an offspring of Mr. Big. The 6-year-old mare has five wins in 19 starts and has been in the money 17 times. Big Summer is coming off a runner-up finish to Grand Slam Smile (California’s top juvenile filly of 2023) in an Oct. 12 race on the turf at Santa Anita and will again have Hector Berrios up. Big Summer is returning to the dirt after six straight starts on grass.
Not-so newcomer
Apprentice jockey Serafin Carmona picked up his third win of the meeting Saturday with long shot Baltic Fire ($33.80) in the seventh race. He also had two second-place finishes among his seven starts Saturday.
Carmona is not your typical apprentice jockey. He turned 37 in September and served as an exercise rider for 14 years at Santa Anita before deciding to try his hand at racing.
The native of Panama was the second-leading rider at Minnesota’s Canterbury Park before returning to Santa Anita in September.
Notable
Reigning fall meeting jockey champion Juan Hernandez returns to action Sunday following a two-day suspension. But he will not have a mount in the featured Betty Grable Stakes.
Two fillies who shipped in to run in the Goldikova Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard — Sacred Wish (trainer George Weaver) and Aspen Grove (trainer Jack Sisterson) — have remained at Del Mar with an eye toward running in the season-ending Turf Festival. Sacred Wish finished third in the Goldikova, a one-mile turf test for older fillies and mares.