Castellano wins Sunshine Millions turf stakes with Starship Jubilee, Big Changes
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Starship Jubilee repeated as the winner Saturday in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park, and this time in a more convincing fashion.
Overcoming the outside post in a field of 13 Florida-breds, Starship Jubilee won the 1 1/16-mile race by 4 1/2 lengths with Javier Castellano aboard, paying $4.20 as a solid favorite after finishing in 1:43.33 over firm going. Bitacora, a 35-1 shot, was up late to get second by a neck over Mrs. Ramona G.
Last year, Starship Jubilee was fully extended to win the Filly and Mare Turf by a length.
“She’s run against horses in graded, open company, so when you see them in a restricted race, it almost feels like there’s more pressure on you,” said trainer Kevin Attard. “I was just happy to see her perform as she did and win for the new connections as well.”
Starship Jubilee was purchased at auction in November by Blue Heaven Farm and remained in the care of Attard, who along with his father, Tino, claimed her nearly two years ago for a mere $16,000 for the mare’s previous owners. Starship Jubilee ultimately became a Grade 2 winner for Kevin Attard and now has earned $652,018 from 26 career starts.
Attard said he might give his stable star “a little bit of a break and then gear her up toward Woodbine, but we’ll discuss it with the owners and take it from there.”
Big Changes a clear-cut winner
Earlier Saturday, Big Changes ($3.60) put in a dominant performance in his first race against Florida-breds, capturing the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Turf under Castellano. Second Mate was 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner in second and another neck before Archer Road in a field of six.
Brad Cox is the trainer of Big Changes, a 7-year-old Midshipman gelding owned by Steve Landers. While steadily increasing his profile in 23 prior starts, including victories in three straight ungraded turf stakes last year, Big Changes never had raced in Florida, where he was bred by Joanne Crowe and Joe Pickerrell.
“I like it,” Cox said immediately afterward by phone from his New Orleans winter base. “He’s really become a good horse. We’ll bring him back home [Sunday] and see what’s next, maybe one of the graded races here or we’ll take a look at what’s going on later there at Gulfstream.”
Big Changes finished 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.48 for his 10th win in 24 starts. His earnings now stand at $520,620.
