Gulfstream Park: Ashima, Lightning Tones win Saturday stakes

Two starts after being claimed for the bargain price of $8,000, Ashima became a stakes winner on her first try with a front-running, 1 1/4-length triumph in the $75,000 Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf for older Florida-bred females Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Ashima ($17), a 4-year-old daughter of The Big Beast, was racing for just the fourth time on turf in her 13th start and the first time in nine months. Her prior two starts were wins over Gulfstream’s synthetic Tapeta course, both going longer, including a 4 1/2-length triumph Nov. 17 when she was taken by trainer Sal Santoro.

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“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.”

As they did in a front-running, optional-claiming allowance together Dec. 12, jockey Emisael Jaramillo got Ashima comfortable on the front end from outside all but two of her six rivals. She settled through a quarter-mile in 23.36 seconds and a half in 47.16 second, tracked to her outside by 6-5 favorite Great Venezuela, who was riding a four-race win streak.

Six furlongs went in 1:10.45 with Ashima still in command. She put away Great Venezuela once set down for a drive after straightening for home and finished up the mile in 1:33.73 over a firm turf course. Great Venezuela held second with Princess Bettina third.

Love Mami Love, Maryquitecontrary, Beach Ready and My Sunny Valentine completed the order of finish. Parallel was scratched.

Dating to October, Ashima has won four straight races for three different trainers and improved her career record to 13: 6-1-2 with $150,590 in purse earnings. Owned by Wallace Moore Jr., she makes up the entirety of Santoro’s Gulfstream-based stable.

“Right now he’s my only horse,” said Santoro, who won the 2012 Delta Downs Princess (G3) and 2013 Honeybee (G3) and Fantasy (G3) with Rose to Gold. “I’ve got like five or six others that are probably coming in.”

Lightning Tones rallies in Sunshine Classic

Lightning Tones ($15.40), facing Florida-breds for the first time in his 26th career start, reeled in pacesetting One Sharp Cookie in deep stretch and edged clear to register a last-to-first victory in the 23rd running of the $75,000 Sunshine Classic for older Florida-breds.

The winner of the seven-furlong Carry Back in 2023 at Gulfstream for previous trainer Danny Hurtak, late-running Lightning Tones earned his first victory in three tries since being claimed for $16,000 in July.

One Sharp Cookie, racing for the first time since mid-October, was eager for the lead and held it through splits of 23.61, 47.48 and 1:12.21. Jockey Jorge Ruiz began to move up on the far outside leaving the backstretch, rolled up near the leaders rounding the far turn and closed steadily through the stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:44.34 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast main track.

One Sharp Cookie held second followed by 2-1 favorite Secret Chat, Shaq Diesel, Awesome Train, Souper Watson and Khozeiress. Defending winner Lure Him In was scratched along with Power Humor, Belts ’n Brooks, Holiday Pay and Big Martini.

Lightning Tones, who is owned by JC Racing Stables, is 26: 5-6-4. He added $45,570 to bring his career purse total to $236,730.