Big Score provides lift for Yakteen, Krikorian

DEL MAR, Calif. -- An unexpected victory by the 2-year-old colt Big Score when making his debut in a grass race on Sunday helped buoy the spirits of trainer Tim Yakteen and owner George Krikorian, whose graded stakes-placed filly Big Book suffered catastrophic injuries when working on Saturday morning and whose condition deteriorated to the point that she was euthanized on Monday.

Big Score, like Big Book sired by Krikorian’s Dynaformer stallion Mr. Big, unleashed a terrific closing charge to win the one-mile turf race by 2 3/4 lengths.

“That was a very nice win, a pleasant surprise,” Yakteen said. “I don’t think turf horses, especially that young, flatter themselves working on dirt. We were looking for a nice experience, and it worked out quite well.”

Yakteen said Big Score would be aimed at the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 3.

Big Book, 4, won three times in seven starts and in 2015 finished second to Stellar Wind in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes here. Both she and the unstarted 2-year-old filly Whisky and Wine, trained by Jeff Mullins, were injured while working within a few minutes of one another on Saturday morning, incidents that caused Beholder’s workout, scheduled that day, to end up postponed by 24 hours. Whisky and Wine also was euthanized.