Photo:

Gulfstream Park / Ryan Thompson – edited

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.

Click here for Gulfstream Park entries and results.

“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.