Go Between Wins Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita
Florida-breds Take Seven of Eight Races in Bi-Coastal Sunshine Millions
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
2008 – Florida-bred Go Between and jockey Garret Gomez won the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita, capping a big day for Florida-breds and trainer Bill Mott.
Held at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park on the same day, the Sunshine Millions was a series of eight races worth a total of $3.6 million that pitted Florida-breds against their California counterparts. Florida-breds won seven of the eight races in the 2008 renewal and Mott trained two other Florida-bred Sunshine winners in War Monger, who took the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Turf at Gulfstream; and Quite A Bride, winner of the $500,000 San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf.
Florida-bred Dearest Trickski was the other Florida-bred winner at Santa Anita, taking the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint.
Florida-breds swept the four Sunshine Millions races at Gulfstream Park. In addition to War Monger’s victory, Benny the Bull took the $300,000 Sprint, American County won the $250,000 Oaks and the $500,000 Distaff went to Ginger Punch.
Go Between came from far back to rally and win the Classic by two lengths in a track record time of 1:45.64 on the all-weather main surface.
Celtic Dreamin was second with Seminole Native third.
Owned by Peter Vegso and bred in Florida under his Vegso Racing Stable label, Go Between earned $550,000 to increase his career bankroll to $1,803,880. In his next three starts, all on synthetic, the chestnut son of Point Given would finish second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap won by Heatseeker (Ire), second to Sterwins in the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland and second to Mast Track in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup. He then won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar before finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf won by Raven’s Pass during the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita in the last race of his career.
Go Between had career earnings of $2,908,880 and currently ranks 15th on the all-time list of Florida-bred money earners. He won eight of 27 career starts with seven seconds and six thirds.
