Tom's Tribute to focus of turf miles this spring

Tom’s Tribute will stay in turf miles at Santa Anita this spring after winning Sunday’s $79,750 Thunder Road Stakes over that distance in 1:31.78, a time that equaled Wise Dan’s course record set in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Trainer Jim Cassidy said Wednesday that he has picked two races for Tom’s Tribute – the $100,000 American Stakes on May 17 and the $400,000 Shoemaker Mile on June 14. The Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile will be the top race of the spring for turf-milers in California.

Tom’s Tribute won his second stakes in the Thunder Road, by far the best performance of his 10-race career. Ridden by Mike Smith, Tom’s Tribute closed from seventh in a field of eight to win the Thunder Road by 2 1/4 lengths over Joelito.

Cassidy said one of the keys to the win was working with Smith to keep the 4-year-old Tom’s Tribute calm during the post parade.

“The thing I talked about with Mike was to get him to relax and don’t let him get all wound up,” Cassidy said.

Owned by Marilyn Braly, Tom’s Tribute has won four races and earned $226,800. Tom’s Tribute won the minor Uniformity Stakes on the hillside turf course last October but had lost his first three starts of this meeting in turf miles – a sixth Dec. 26 in the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort Stakes, a second Feb. 1 in the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes, and a seventh March 8 in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile.

Cassidy said that Tom’s Tribute had breathing difficulties in the Kilroe Mile, which were helped by an equipment change. The Arcadia Stakes and Kilroe Mile were won by Winning Prize, the division leader in turf miles in California this year.