DEL MAR, Calif. – Too Sassy caught trainer Sam Scolamieri’s attention as a yearling last summer. Scolamieri had trained another foal out of I’m Sassy and thought Too Sassy was exceptional.
"I said, ‘This is the nicest thing yet,' " Scolamieri recalled on Monday in the Del Mar winner’s circle.
A few minutes earlier, Too Sassy scored an upset win in the $101,000 Generous Portion Stakes for 2-year-old California-bred fillies. Ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, Too Sassy ($52.20) was always near the front and pulled clear through the final furlong to win by 3 1/4 lengths over 5-2 Mohaven.
Too Sassy ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.02.
Mohaven, sixth early in a field of eight, finished a length in front of 6-5 favorite Liberation, the early pacesetter through fractions of 21.40 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.66 for a half-mile. What’s a Good Name finished fourth, followed by Lino’s Angel, Tapatia Mia, My Kat, and Jasmina.
Scolamieri, 74, is a co-breeder of Too Sassy, who is by Om and races for Ted Serna’s Windy Ridge Stable. Too Sassy gave Scolomieri his first stakes win since Obey won the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar in 2015.
Too Sassy was third in her debut in a five-furlong maiden race for statebred fillies at Los Alamitos on June 28. She then won a maiden race for statebred fillies at five furlongs on turf by 2 1/4 lengths at Del Mar on Aug. 7.
“It all worked out the way we wanted to,” Scolamieri said of Too Sassy’s summer.
Scolamieri has a six-horse stable based at the nearby San Luis Rey Downs training center. He said he has no immediate race plans for Too Sassy, who he hopes will have a lengthy career.
“When I get nice ones, I want to keep them around,” he said.
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