Trainer Gary Stute Keys Mare, Wins Pick Six

(from Oak Tree at Santa Anita notes)
Gary Stute had the only winning Pick Six ticket at Oak Tree Sunday worth $124,881, thanks in large part to a victory by the mare he trains, Da Svedonya, who paid $14.40 in winning the seventh race for $12,500 claiming fillies and mares.

Da Svedonya (it means "goodbye" in Russian) rallied from eighth and last to win the six furlong race by 2 ½ lengths under Felipe Martinez.

The 5-year-old California-bred daughter of Lil Tyler had only a maiden win from 26 previous starts, with six seconds and four thirds.

"But she'd been training real good," said Stute, who will be 49 on Nov. 26. He is the son of trainer Mel Stute and his wife, owner/breeder Annabelle.

"I ran the mare three times back-to-back-to-back at Pomona because that's where her only win was," he said. "There were a lot of horses dropping off good races so I figured they must all be poor risks. I felt my horse had a good chance."

Stute said it was the second Pick Six he's hit.

"I had half of one on Belmont day (2004) when Birdstone beat Smarty Jones," he said. "It paid $48,000 and I had half. If Smarty Jones had won it would have paid $700."

Stute said he hadn't cashed his ticket as of Wednesday morning, but he knew what he was doing with some of the money.

"My mom's getting a large portion of it," he said.