Sugar Fish blossoming for trainer Jeff Mullins

ARCADIA, Calif. - In late March, trainer Jeff Mullins was worried he had made a mistake by entering the 3-year-old filly Sugar Fish in a $40,000 claimer for maidens at Santa Anita.

Fortunately for Mullins, there were no claims submitted for Sugar Fish, who won the seven-furlong race by 10 lengths.

Two starts and 10 weeks later, Mullins and owners Sweetwater Stable and Michael Talla are soon to decide what stakes best fit Sugar Fish in coming months.

The victory in the maiden claimer was the first of an active three-race winning streak that reached an unexpected level when Sugar Fish overpowered three rivals to win her first stakes in Saturday’s Grade 2 Summertime Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita by 9 3/4 lengths.

Not only was Sugar Fish a maiden claimer not too long ago, but she overcame a worrisome stumble at the start of the $196,000 Summertime Oaks.

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“We were hoping to get a piece and get some black type,” Mullins recalled at his barn on Sunday morning.

With a small field, such a goal seemed achievable – until the gates opened. Sugar Fish needed a few strides to recover from the stumble. She was last of four early before settling into a stalking position under jockey Tyler Baze.

“I could see her fighting to win, but not running like she did after falling at the start,” Mullins said.

Baze kept Sugar Fish on the inside and took command of the race in early stretch.

By Accelerate, Sugar Fish had two starts for trainer Librado Barocio last September and October, finishing fourth and fifth in maiden races.

Sugar Fish was moved to Mullins for her 3-year-old season and was second by a head in a $40,000 claimer for maidens on Feb. 15 in her 2024 debut.

“One she got here, she began blossoming,” Mullins said.

Purchased for $40,000 as a yearling, Sugar Fish has earned $189,540.

The next lucrative open-company stakes for 3-year-old fillies on dirt in Southern California is the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes, a $150,000 race at a mile at Del Mar on Aug. 31.

There are two graded stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf at Del Mar worth $200,000 and $300,000. They are unlikely to include Sugar Fish.

“She’s doing so good on the dirt,” Mullins said.

On Sunday, Mullins did not have an immediate race goal for the rapidly improving Sugar Fish.

“She’s one of those fillies that doesn’t get tired,” he said. “She got a big ol’ stride on her.

“We’ll coast for a few days and see how she trains from here.”

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