Jockey Jose Ortiz swept the open two-year-old stakes at Remington Park Friday night, including the $401,200 Remington Springboard Mile aboard 13-10 favorite Make It Big.
Invading from Gulfstream Park, where he had won twice against Florida-bred company, Make It Big dueled with second choice Osbourne down the stretch and edged clear late to win by a half-length. It was three lengths back to Concept and another five lengths to Classic Moment.
Make It Big earned 10 qualifying points toward the 2022 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Osbourne earned four, but Concept and Classic Moment, as well as two others in the field of seven, were ineligible to accrue qualifying points having raced with Lasix in the Springboard Mile.
Owned by the Brunetti family’s Red Oak Stable and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Make It Big finished up in 1:41.23 over a fast track and paid $4.60.
Ortiz was substituting for the recently-sidelined Edgard Zayas, who guided Make It Big to a pair of seven-furlong victories in October. The odds-on favorite in both, Make It Big broke won his debut by 8 1/2 lengths and followed up three weeks later with a 2 1/4-length triumph in the Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint. Make It Big has now bankrolled $303,828.
“We will enjoy these Kentucky Derby points, but we will have to discuss where we send him next,” said Red Oak racing manager Rick Sacco.
Bred by SHH Ventures, Make It Big is a son of Neolithic and the Congrats mare Ruby On My Mind. He was bought by Red Oak for $120,000 at the OBS Spring sale of two-year-olds earlier this year.
Trapeze S.
Ortiz had a cozier win aboard Optionality in the $101,100 Trapeze S. for fillies as the daughter of Gun Runner romped by 8 1/4 lengths over 13-10 favorite Golden Sights. She covered the mile in faster time than the colts did a half-hour later, stopping the clock in 1:41.10, and paid $6.20.
A homebred racing for Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen, Optionality now sports a record of 6-3-1-2, $124,000. After placing in her first three starts, she has since won three in a row by open lengths. She preceded the Trapeze with a maiden win at Indiana Grand and the Zia Park Princess S., both over six furlongs.
Bred in Kentucky, Optionality was produced by the stakes-winning Pulpit mare Simplify, who has also reared the stakes-winning Simple Surprise. The latter is the dam of this year’s Hopeful (G1) winner Gunite.
