With Victor Espinoza masterfully rationing his early speed, pacesetter Big
Kick amassed an insurmountable lead in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,500
San Juan
Capistrano, and 3-5 favorite Quick Casablanca had to settle for second in
the closing day feature at Santa Anita.
Big Kick didn’t have the established class of the odds-on favorite, but went
off as the 9-2 second choice as the likely controlling speed. The Mike Machowsky
trainee had just wired a 1 1/4-mile optional claimer over the course on June 13,
when he was eligible to be claimed for $50,000. Not only did he repeat those
front-running heroics here, but he was even more emphatic on the significant
step up in class and trip to about 1 3/4 miles.
Quickly establishing command after the start on the downhill part of the
course, Big Kick sped clear of Black Spirit and a rank Dr Action, while Quick
Casablanca was patiently handled near the rear. American Act, who broke
awkwardly, lagged behind the field and was eventually eased out of the marathon.
Big Kick settled into a comfortable rhythm through fractions of :48 4/5 and
1:12 on the firm turf, and began to open up on Black Spirit around the clubhouse
turn and into the backstretch. The Tiznow gelding continued to gallop well
within himself, enjoying a four-length lead, as he clocked the mile in 1:37. By
the time Big Kick reached the 1 1/4-mile mark in 2:02 3/5, he widened his margin
to 10 lengths, and the field was getting strung out in his wake.
Quick Casablanca set about to improve his position as they proceeded down the
backstretch, and he rallied into an isolated second on the far turn. But he
still had a double-digit deficit to overcome, and Big Kick kept motoring into
the homestretch, full of momentum. Quick Casablanca was the only possible
danger, for he was valiantly making up ground, but not quite fast enough. And
Big Kick had enough left to maintain a 2 3/4-length margin at the wire in a
final time of 2:46 3/5.
“I wanted to let him run out of there,” Espinoza recapped. “I didn’t want to
rate him too much. I wanted to let him do it and he was doing it comfortably. I
wanted to open up two or three lengths and it was so easy so I let him stretch
his legs even more. We got to the three-eighths and it was time to open it up as
much as I could. I thought that if I could open up from there they were all
going to have a hard time catching me. It worked out.
“I was too far in front to be worried about (Quick Casablanca and Joe Talamo)
and he still had plenty left and enough energy to get it done.
“It’s been a fun and interesting month that I’ve had with a lot of ups and
downs,” Espinoza summed up, alluding to California Chrome’s failed Triple Crown
bid and his riding at Royal Ascot. “But that’s life for a jockey, that’s why
it’s fun, you never know what’s going to happen. I just continue to work hard
and ride hard and I just pay attention to my job.”
Machowsky’s hopes were rising as Big Kick passed the stands on the first
circuit.
“I just told Victor (Espinoza) to be aggressive away from there and try to
get him to relax and it all worked out,” the trainer and part-owner said. “He’s
just a high-loping horse, he gets the lead and he kind of relaxes. He’ll go fast
if you need him to, or you can slow him down like he did today.
“When he came by the wire the first time, I couldn’t have been happier. His
ears were flicking back and forth and Victor was sitting on him — I knew he’d
kick clear.”
Quick Casablanca’s team commented about how the race unfolded.
“I had a great trip but I got outrun,” jockey Joe Talamo said. “(Big Kick)
set his own pace and I just had to keep going with it. From the half-mile pole
home I was trying to make up ground. I tip my hat to him, that horse was goin’
for the distance. It was impressive.”
“That’s racing,” said Dan Landers, assistant to Hall of Famer Ron McAnally.
No one else got involved. Quick Casablanca reported home 9 3/4 lengths clear
of third-placer Starspangled Heat. Bailoutbobby was a further 9 1/4 lengths
adrift in fourth, trailed by Black Spirit and the tailed-off Dr Action. American
Act walked off the course on his own power. Irish Surf was scratched, along with
Dr Action’s stablemate from the Mike Puype barn, Lideris, who finished fifth in
Saturday’s Gold Cup.
Big Kick paid $11.60 for his first career stakes victory, advanced his record
to 19-5-2-1, and nearly doubled his earnings to $254,631. Bred by Adena Springs
in Ontario, the bay RNA’d for $90,000 as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky
July, and began his career in the Stronach Stables silks. His only previous
stakes attempt came in the 2012 Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine, where he wound up
13th while still a maiden in his fifth start.
After winning twice but subsequently failing to progress in the allowance
ranks on the Mid-Atlantic circuit, Big Kick was sold to Machowsky, as agent, for
$30,000 at Keeneland last November. He won second time out for his new
connections — Ernest Marchosky, Ken Shaw, Kate Walters and Machowsky’s Lo Hi
Stable — in a $40,000 claimer going a mile on Santa Anita’s main track March
20. Big Kick ran fourth in his next two appearances at the same track and trip
before his revelation on the turf.
“I’ll probably look at the Del Mar Handicap (at 1 3/8 miles) on August 23, a
race with distance. Distance is his thing,” Machowsky said.
Big Kick was produced by the winning Diamant Lady, a daughter of Mr. Greeley
and Grade 2 heroine Gene’s Lady.
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