A field of nine line up in Friday’s $400,000 Springboard Mile. (Photo credit: Remington Park).
The $400,000 Springboard Mile, Remington Park’s top 2-year-old race, drew a field of nine. Undefeated Make It Big has been tabbed as the morning-line favorite at 3-1 odds for the race on Friday, Dec. 17, the final night of the season.
A Florida-bred colt by Neolithic from the Congrats mare Ruby On My Mind, Make It Big is owned by Red Oak Stable of Old Bridge, N.J., and trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. Named to ride is Jose Ortiz, currently the fourth-leading jockey in the country with nearly $24 million in mount earnings this year.
The Springboard Mile will be the first open company test for Make It Big who has faced Florida-breds in breaking his maiden and winning the $60,000 Ocala Stud Juvenile Sprint. Both races were at Gulfstream Park at seven furlongs.
The Springboard Mile offers 2022 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to eligible runners who finish in the top four positions.
Fincher Looks for Back to Back Wins
Trainer Todd Fincher will attempt his to win his second consecutive Springboard, starting Bye Bye Bobby for owner B4 Farms. Fincher saddled Senor Buscador to the Springboard win in 2020. Bye Bye Bobby has had only one race, a victory in the $50,000 Zia Park Juvenile on Nov. 23. The Kentucky-bred colt by Quality Road from the Red Bullet mare Revel In The Win, won the six-furlong stakes event with a closing move to score by 1-1/2 lengths under Roimes Chirinos who maintains the mount.
Local Remington Park stakes winners Concept and Rowdy Rascal will also attempt the Springboard Mile. Concept (5-1 morning-line odds) won the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes on the Oklahoma Derby undercard on Sept. 26 before a disappointing fourth in the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes on Oct. 29. Concept is conditioned by all-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen and will be ridden by Carlos Montalvo.
Rowdy Rascal (12-1) will try to run his winning streak to four consecutive races with the most recent pair of scores in the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile and the $75,000 Don McNeill Stakes, both versus Oklahoma-breds. Boyd Caster trains Rowdy Rascal and jockey Freddy Manrrique will continue to ride, as he has in all of the gelding’s victories.
The Springboard Mile Field
Concept: Steve Asmussen, Carlos Montalvo, 5-1
Make It Big: Saffie Joseph, Jr., Jose Ortiz, 7-2
Bye Bye Bobby: Todd Fincher, Roimes Chirinos, 4-1
Shamayim: Rosa Ramirez, Eduardo Perez, 20-1
Classic Moment: Steve Asmussen, Stewart Elliott, 4-1
Rowdy Rascal: Boyd Caster, Freddy Manrrique, 12-1
Rich Strike: Eric Reed, Sonny Leon, 8-1
Revenir: Danny Pish, Danny Sorenson, 12-1
Osbourne: Ron Moquett, Julien Leparoux, 6-1
There are four other stakes races on Dec. 17, including:
Race 8, $70,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)
Race 9, $70,000 Useeit Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile (Oklahoma-breds)
Race 10, $100,000 She’s All In Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and older, 1 mile-70 yards
Race 11, $100,000 Trapeze Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 1 mile
The first race on the final of the season is at 5pm. All times are Central.
