Super Tuesday Hopes to Make It a Super Sunday

by DEBRA GINSBURG

California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Director John Harris has come up with some noble names for the Thoroughbreds he raises at his ranch in Coalinga. According to Kevin Conley, who paid a visit to Harris Farms while writing his book, Stud, Harris is adept at making playful references to a horse's sire and dam.

When he bred Nopro Blama to Moscow Ballet, for instance, he wanted the name of the mare's newborn filly to reflect the collapse of the Soviet Union. She became 1994 California Horse of the Year Soviet Problem.

He also got a lot of good names for foals sired by the late Political Ambition: Soft Money, Early and Often and Work the Crowd, to name but a few. The 4-year-old filly Super Tuesday that Harris owns in partnership with Sheila Williams was named for clusters of primary elections for those with "political ambitions."

In Super Tuesday's case, she has already won her primaries with flying colors and is now headed for the big dance, the Cal Fed California Gold Rush for $1.3 million in purses for California-breds Sunday at Hollywood Park. 

Entered in the $175,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, Super Tuesday already has a stakes win over that surface and distance. She scored her first stakes victory in the 3-year-old filly division of the California Sires Stakes at Hollywood last summer and was also second in the Cal Cup Distaff Starter Handicap over 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Santa Anita in November.

As a newly turned 4-year-old this year, she captured the $100,000 Work the Crowd Handicap against Cal-breds at Golden Gate Fields. That race was, of course, named for Super Tuesday's paternal half-sister and champion filly that Harris raced with the late California Senator Ken Maddy.

In her most recent start, she won an allowance race at Golden Gate Fields by three lengths, her fifth win in 15 starts for career earnings of $244,910. Her stiffest competition in the Fran's Valentine is likely to come from Stetson Lady, a daughter of Marquetry bred by Halo Farms, who faded to second in the Pro or Con, a half-length ahead of the fast-closing Super Tuesday.

In addition to giving horses clever names, Harris also seems to enjoy winning races named for his former stars. He also captured last year's Soviet Problem Handicap with Image of Glory. The Fran's Valentine may not be named for a former Harris horse, but it can't hurt Super Tuesday a bit to win a race named for the only Cal-bred Kentucky Oaks winner and top distaff money earner.