Big Thorn, Thissmytime notch first stakes victories

MIAMI, Fla. - A pair of main-track-only entrants, Big Thorn and Thissmytime, became stakes winners for the first time after a series of showers early in the day forced both the $60,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf and Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Preview to be moved to a sloppy main track Sunday afternoon at Gulfstream Park West.

Big Thorn rallied from just off the pace to a 4 1/2-length victory over Castle King in the Juvenile Fillies Turf under jockey Paco Lopez. An hour later, Thissmytime cruised to an even easier and more impressive 11 3/4-length triumph in the Filly and Mare Turf Preview with Joe Bravo aboard, her final time of 1:21.40 shattering the course record in the process. Both races had been postponed from the previous Saturday due to the adverse conditions of the turf course.

Big Thorn, an easy maiden winner against Florida-breds here Oct. 29, rated just off the early leads under Lopez, took command into the stretch and drew off readily thereafter. Fulmini was easily second-best, finishing more than nine lengths clear of the others in a scratch-reduced field of just seven 2-year-olds.

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Big Thorn covered seven panels in 1:23.23 and paid $6.00 as the tepid favorite.

“We were fortunate that the race came off the grass and it helped shortening it up to seven-eighths,” said David Fawkes, who trains the homebred Big Thorn for Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. “I didn’t expect him to be as close as he was but he (Lopez) had so much horse through the whole race. He ran a little green last time, but today he was much more professional.”

Thissmytime disposed of defending champion Picara after three furlongs and steadily extended her advantage thereafter The 3-year-old daughter of Carpe Diem, runner-up in the Big Drama in her only other stakes appearance, completed seven furlongs in 1:21.40, easily eclipsing the old Calder Racecourse/Gulfstream Park West track mark of 1:21.82 set by Constant Escort at Calder in 1996.

Starship Nala was a distant second followed by the 9-5 favorite R Perogative.

Thissmytime, who is trained by Kathleen O’Connell for Windylea Farm LLC, won for the third time in just eight career starts and paid $11.00.