Big Data rewards connections' patience with Super Derby triumph

Big Data’s connections have been patient with their promising 3-year-old and on Saturday were rewarded when the horse won his stakes debut in the $200,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.

The 1 1/8-mile race also marked the first start at two turns for Big Data and his first race on the road, as he had made his previous seven starts at Gulfstream Park.

“We were looking for a gradual introduction to stakes company and two turns and this seemed like the best spot,” said Michael Lerman, who trains Big Data for Petal Power Racing.

Louisiana Downs brought back the Super Derby this meet after a three-year hiatus. It had been the goal of the track’s new ownership to run the former Grade 1 fixture in some format. The Super Derby served as the richest race of the current meet at Louisiana Downs.

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Big Data ($8.20) was content to let the speed go as Machine Gun Man set a pressured pace of 23.80 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.71 for the half-mile and 1:13.41 for six furlongs. Big Data saved ground while racing along the rail down the backside and around the final turn, and forged past the leaders in the stretch to cover the distance on a fast track in 1:51.83.

“I had a lot of horse at the end,” winning rider Emisael Jaramillo said through a translator during a post-race interview broadcast by Louisiana Downs.

Big Data won by three-quarters of a length over No White Flags, while it was another half-length back in third to How Did He Do That.

Promise Me a Ride, who finished sixth as the favorite, was carried out extremely wide on the first turn by Donegal Arrow.

Big Data shipped in early in the week from Gulfstream and Lerman was pleased with how the horse acclimated to the warm temperatures in Louisiana.

“It was pretty hot the last few weeks [at Gulfstream],” Lerman said. “It wasn’t going to be a shock coming here and at the end of the day that’s one of the reasons we were okay with this. It wasn’t going to affect him.”

Lerman also liked the Super Derby’s distance for Big Data. The son of Cloud Computing came into the Super Derby off a win in a one-turn-mile allowance at Gulfstream, where he has consistently run well in overnight races that have drawn such notable young horses as Arcangelo, Lord Miles, Il Miracolo and West Coast Cowboy.

Big Data has now won 3 of 8 starts for earnings of $213,680.

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