BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Under pressure while leading early, Big Martini and jockey Sonny Leon drew clear at the top of the stretch to win the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Marion County by two lengths at Tampa Bay Downs Saturday. It was the first career stakes victory for the 4-year-old gelding who defeated three others in the seven-furlong test for 3-year-olds and older by registered Florida stallions.
Odds-on favorite Loco Abarrio, winner of the FTBOA Gil Campbell Memorial at Gulfstream Park last out, went right to the front from post four but was quickly joined by Big Martini on the inside and 2-1 second choice Khozeiress between horses as those three raced in tandem out of the backstretch chute.
Big Martini took a half-length advantage on Khozeiress with five-furlongs to run as Loco Abarrio raced a length back in third and Pure Class tucked in behind them.
After a quarter-mile in 22.15, three lengths separated the field as Khozeiress edged closer to Big Martini on the lead while Loco Abarrio was unable to keep pace and dropped back to the outside of Pure Class on the rail.
Khozeiress drew even with Big Martini past the quarter pole but could not maintain the challenge in the run for home when Big Martini raced to a three-length advantage with a furlong to the finish. Pure Class took second from Khozeiress in mid-stretch but could not make up ground on Big Martini, who raced under the wire in a final time of 1:22.19. Pure Class was second with Khozeiress another four-and-a-quarter lengths back in third. Loco Abarrio was fourth. Everdoit and Holiday Pay were scratched.
“Before the two scratches, I was going to play with the break and see what happens,” Leon said. “But when the field got down to four horses, I thought, we’re in the one hole and I’ve got to go. If I saw somebody was going to fight with my horse for the lead, I was going to settle my horse down a little. But it didn’t really happen and he was going easy the whole way.
“Sometimes you can have a plan but when you break from the gate, everything changes,” Leon added. “A jockey should always have a Plan B.”
The final time was the second fastest in eight runnings of the Marion County, behind only the 1:21.68 stakes record set by World of Trouble in 2018.
Trained by Rohan Crichton, Big Martini paid $7.20 to win.
“The fact that he broke so fast… …that’s why maybe I shouldn’t tell jockeys what to do,” Crichton said laughing. “He looked fantastic and Sonny [Leon] gave him an enterprising ride. I really think this horse is getting into himself. He keeps getting better and hopefully that trend will continue.”
The victory by Big Martini avenged two second-place finishes to Loco Abarrio going back to a first level, $20,000 optional claiming at Gulfstream in June of last year and when a half-length shy of his rival in the Gil Campbell. He was also fourth in the $96,0000 Benny the Bull won by Comedy Town with Loco Abarrio second at Gulfstream in August.
In one start since the Campbell, Big Martini was fourth in an upper level, $62,500 optional claiming won by Steal Sunshine going a mile at Gulfstream on Nov. 22.
Owned by Daniel L. Walters and Dennis G. Smith, Big Martini earned $60,000 to increase his career bankroll to $268,308. He is by The Big Beast out of Dirty Martini, by Hard Spun and was bred in Florida by Bett Usher and Elaine Daughtery.
Dirty Martini has two winners from two starters and four foals including an unraced 2-year-old gelding, Lucky Twist, by Breaking Lucky; and a weanling colt, Martini On Tap, by Magic On Tap. Big Martini is the only black-type performer for Dirty Martini, who was bred to Florida-bred Pappacap in 2024.
Big Martini is a two-time graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales having first sold for $10,000 to Siria Enriquez at the 2021 Winter Mixed Sales where he was consigned by Perrone Sales. He was then consigned by Blue River Bloodstock to the 2022 OBS June Sale where Crichton bought him for $87,000.
