BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Wallace R. Moore Jr.’s Ashima and jockey Emisael Jaramillo led at every pole in winning the $75,000 Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf by a length-and-a-quarter for her first career stakes victory. The dark bay or brown filly trained by Salvatore Santoro defeated six other Florida-bred fillies and mares, 4-years-old and older, over a mile on the turf.
Jaramillo hustled Ashima from post five to beat 6-5 favorite Great Venezuela and jockey Leonel Reyes into the clubhouse turn as rider John Velazquez placed Princess Bettina in a good position just behind them on the rail.
Ashima put two lengths on Great Venezuela around the bend to finish the first two furlongs in :23.36 as Princess Bettina stayed close in third while keeping an inside track. They continued in that order through a half-mile in :47.16 and six furlongs in 1:10.45 as Ashima remained resilient in the run for home.
Never threatened in the stretch, Ashima completed the distance in 1:33.73 on the firm turf as Great Venezuela finished second, a half-length faster than Princess Bettina in third. They were followed in order by Love Mami Love, Maryquitecontrary, Beach Ready and My Sunny Valentine. Parallel was scratched.
Ashima paid $17 to win.
It was the fourth straight win, all at Gulfstream Park, for Ashima going back to a four-length score against $8,000 claiming fillies at Gulfstream on Oct. 20, a race in which she was claimed by trainer Carlos David. Santoro and Moore then claimed her for $8,000 out of her next race when eight-lengths the best. Her next race saw her win against first condition, $20,000 optional claiming fillies on Dec. 12.
“I liked her and I just felt something towards her. I said, ‘You know what, we need to claim this horse,’” Santoro said. “All this horse wanted was, ‘I love you, too.’ That’s all we did.
“Right now she’s my only horse, I’ve got like five or six others that are probably coming in.”
The 4-year-old filly has now won six of 13 career starts with a second and two thirds while earning $150,590.
Ashima is by The Big Beast out of Nurse John, by Colonel John and was bred in Florida by Cat Racing Stable. She is the first stakes winner for Nurse John, who has two winners from two starters from three foals. She has an unnamed yearling colt by Modernist.
