Former Claimers Make Names for Themselves

Two of the seven horses in trainer Gary Stute’s barn have important dates this weekend at Santa Anita.

Da Svedonya is among the probables for the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint on Saturday, and Awesome Lady is among those scheduled to run in the $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap on Sunday.

Da Svedonya and Awesome Lady were claimed by Stute, the son of Mel Stute and the nephew of Warren Stute. The Stute brothers are fixtures in thoroughbred racing in California and, between them, have more than 110 years of training experience.

Taken last Aug. 31 at Del Mar for $16,000, Da Svedonya has won three of 10 for Stute and owners Don Beardsworth, Dennis Decauwer and Peter Lurie while moving up in class. In three of her defeats, the California-bred daughter of Lil Tyler has been second.

A winner only once in her first 23 starts, the stretch-running Da Svedonya has never been better than she is now. Whether she is good enough to win Saturday remains to be seen, but she should get the hot pace she needs.

Awesome Lady, a 5-year-old daughter of Bianconi, was claimed for $40,000 by Stute in the summer of 2004 for a partnership that includes himself, Mike Cavanaugh and Bo Hirsch.

Originally purchased for $35,000 as a yearling, Awesome Lady is already a stakes winner at the meet. On Dec. 31, she splashed to an easy win in the $112,600 Monrovia Handicap, a race moved from turf to dirt because of rain.

The Monrovia victory was the seventh of Awesome Lady’s career and pushed her earnings to nearly $285,000, but the water will be deeper in the Santa Monica, a Grade I at seven furlongs.

Upsets by both mares would be sweet but Stute is realistic. If Da Svedonya and Awesome Lady are able to hit the board, it will be quite an achievement for the former claimers.

“Da Svedonya is training super,” he said. “It might be a little too tough for her, but when mares get sharp, you better take a shot for that kind of money. Right now she’s doing well and the timing of the race is perfect.

“I really liked Awesome Lady when I claimed her. I’m surprised that I have been as patient with her as I have because I’m not known for my patience, but being patient seems to have paid off.

“I always thought she would be a mud-running fool, so I loved her when it came up muddy for the Monrovia, especially when [likely favorite] Resplendency was scratched. She ran the way I hoped she would.”

Stute and the partnership of Lurie, a broadcaster for Horse Racing Television (HRTV); Decauwer, a partner in an accounting firm in Rancho Cucamonga, and Beardsworth, retired from the defense industry and living in Arizona, has been successful in recent years.

Besides Da Svedonya, the foursome has done well with other claimers, such as Tialinga and Time To Honor, who won a $50,000 stakes on California Cup Day last fall.

“We work well as a team,” Stute said.

“We listen to each other and if one of us sees something that we might be nervous about, we mention it. The only problem we’ve had so far is, Peter is a Dodger fan and Dennis and I are Angel fans.”

Decauwer, a racing fan for about 35 years and an owner for the last 20, was the main reason Da Svedonya was claimed nearly five months ago.

“She had broken her maiden at Fairplex Park and I thought she had the right style for the track,” he said. “I watch a lot of tapes and I thought she had run well at Fairplex the year before.

“Her race pattern indicated she was probably sound and it’s been our experience with Gary that if you have a horse that’s sound, chances are you will win a race.

“Gary is really great in communication. You never want for information on how your horses are doing.”

Da Svedonya has certainly improved since joining the stable, even after she failed to win in three starts at Fairplex in a span of 16 days last September.

She also has been especially kind to her trainer. When she won a $20,000 claimer during the Oak Tree meet last Nov. 21, Stute had her singled on a $96 pick six ticket. The ticket was the only one that had all six winners that day and it was worth, before taxes, more than $130,000.

“She really impressed me when she won for $12,500 [on Oct. 23] the time before because there was big track bias that day,” he said. “She was the only horse all day that came from worse than second. So, I thought she had a huge chance when she ran for $20,000. She won again and I hit the pick six, so she is my favorite horse.”

Involved in one way or another at the track since he was 12, Stute says he has learned a lot from his father and uncle.

“I’ve learned that there is no set rule,” he said. “My dad trains exactly the opposite of my uncle and I think both are two of the best horsemen I’ve ever met. It just goes to show, there are a lot of ways to get there, but just make sure [the horses] are fit when they are running. You can train slow and long or short and fast, but I think you have to go with one or the other.”

Da Svedonya was a horse Lurie had liked as a possible claim two or three years earlier, but the partnership decided not to invest, so he was a little reluctant when her name was brought up again in the summer.

“I thought, ‘Why are we taking a shot now?’ ” he said. “Dennis said, ‘I just think she will do really well at Fairplex,’ so I said, ‘If that’s what we are going to do with her, I’m in.’

“We won a race with Tialinga the day we claimed her and I was at Del Mar. I was told to come back and see the new horse. I went back to the barn and I saw this magnificent animal. I said, ‘This is Da Svedonya?’ Somebody said no, the one next to it. She was so out of shape, a little stocky thing. She’s gotten so muscular now.

“It hasn’t always been gravy for us. We’ve taken our hits, but we all work well together.

“I give all the credit in the world to Gary. He’s the boss. He’s obviously a good horseman and he’s not afraid to listen to other people.”