Alice Marble will run in Irish O'Brien regardless of surface

Alice Marble will be ready to race at Santa Anita on Friday in the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares, regardless of the surface used for the race.

Big Summer, her leading rival, might scratch from the Irish O’Brien, scheduled at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, if it is moved to the main track.

Santa Anita sustained three inches of rain on Tuesday and early Wednesday, track officials said, leading to the possibility of a surface switch on Friday.

Alice Marble, trained by Phil D’Amato for owner and breeder Nick Alexander, was third to Big Summer in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint for statebreds on the hillside turf course on Jan. 7, and rebounded to win the Spring Fever Stakes for statebred fillies and mares at six furlongs on dirt on Feb. 19.

“She’s shown she can run on the dirt as well as the grass,” D’Amato said Wednesday. “I don’t think it matters what surface she runs on.”

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A winner of 6 of 14 starts, Alice Marble was beaten 1 1/4 lengths in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint. She raced wide on the hillside portion of the course and behind rivals briefly.

“She was never able to get the right position,” D’Amato said.

Big Summer closed from fifth and won the Sunshine Millions Turf Sprint by three-quarters of a length. Big Summer closed from last of six to finish second by a neck in the restricted Wishing Well Stakes on the hillside turf course Feb. 18.

Trainer Carla Gaines mentioned the Grade 2 Monrovia Stakes on the hillside on April 8 as another turf option if Big Summer is scratched Friday, but also spoke confidently about the way Big Summer has worked on dirt.

Big Summer has not raced on dirt since she won an allowance race for statebreds at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar in November.

“She’s very effective on the dirt,” Gaines said. “Her works have been outstanding. We’ll have to play it by ear.”

Big Summer worked five furlongs on dirt in 59.20 seconds last Friday, the quickest of 25 works at the distance.

The Irish O’Brien is the sixth race on a 10-race program that begins at 1 p.m. Pacific.

Alice Marble and Big Summer are part of a field of six that includes Taming the Tigress, who was second in the Spring Fever, and Rose Maddox, who won the Moscow Burning Stakes for statebreds at a mile on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 28.

Shocking Grey, winner of one-mile turf races in her last two starts, and Feeling Grazeful, second and third in allowance races earlier this year, will both have their first start in a stakes in the Irish O’Brien.

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