HORSE RACING: STRONG FIELD FOR CALIFORNIA CUP MATRON.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ARCADIA - The California Cup's 15-year history has produced no shortage of memories, including triumphs by the popular Best Pal Best Pal (born February 12, 1988 in Ramona, California - died November 24, 1998 in Ramona, California) was a champion racehorse, who to this day holds the record for purses of any California-bred racehorse, earning his owners, the Golden Eagle Farm, US$5. (1993), Budroyale (1998) and Megan's Interco (1993, '95, '96), Laffit Pincay's 9,000th career victory (2000), Bob Baffert's three-win breakout (1991) and Bill Shoemaker's return to the winner's circle win·ner's circle n. pl. winners' circles An enclosed area at a racetrack where the winning horse and jockey are brought for awards and publicity. Noun 1. after the jockey-turned-trainer's automobile accident Ask a Lawyer Question Country: United States of America State: Utah Say you're at a red light in a left hand turning lane and the light turns green so you let up slightly on the break antedating moving forward and the vehicle (also 1991). But Santa Anita's annual showcase for California-bred horses - an event known better for quantity than quality - probably hasn't produced a race with the deep strength of today's $150,000 Cal Cup Matron. Scheduled as the third of the afternoon's 10 races, the Matron has three Grade II-level winners among the six fillies and mares entered to go 1 1/16 miles. --Yearly Report, the 7-5 morning-line favorite trained by Baffert, comes in after a fourth-place finish in the sloppy-track Alabama (at Saratoga), but before that the 3-year-old filly won the Grade II Santa Ynez (Santa Anita), Black-Eyed Susan black-eyed Susan or yellow daisy, North American daisylike wildflower (Rudbeckia hirta) of the family Asteraceae (aster family) with yellow rays and a dark brown center. It is a weedy biennial or annual and grows in dry places. (Pimlico) and Delaware Oaks (Delaware Park). She goes for her sixth win in eight starts. --Summer Wind Dancer, the 9-5 second choice from the Jeff Mullins barn, was a well-beaten favorite in the Lady's Secret Handicap last time out, but before a layoff the gray 4-year-old won the Grade III Hawthorne (Hollywood Park) and Grade II Delaware Handicap (Delaware Park). --Dream of Summer, listed at 9-2, won this summer's Grade II A Gleam Handicap (Hollywood Park) and Rancho Bernardo Handicap The Rancho Bernardo Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It is open to fillies and mares age three and up and raced at a distance of six and one-half furlongs on the dirt. (Del Mar) and is No. 8 in the official rankings of candidates for the Oct. 30 Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs (3/4 mile), the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the at Lone Star Park Lone Star Park is a horse racing track located in Grand Prairie, Texas. History Lone Star Park opened in 1997. The track offers separate meets for Thoroughbred racing and Quarter Horse racing. In October of 2002, Magna Entertainment Corp. near Dallas. Cal Cup races can't receive Grade I, II or III status because they're restricted to state-bred horses. But whoever wins the Matron today will have won a graded-caliber contest. She could become the first female to win the California Horse of the Year title since Cat's Cradle in 1995. At issue for handicappers is whether Yearly Report's nearly two-month break has prepared her to bounce back from the Alabama; whether Dream of Summer can steal an early lead over speedy Yearly Report and Royally Chosen in her first race longer than seven furlongs; and whether Summer Wind Dancer can kick past the front-runners in the stretch. Yearly Report is ridden by Corey Nakatani, Summer Wind Dancer by Victor Espinoza and Dream of Summer by Mike Smith. Rounding out the field are Royally Chosen, Bartok's Blithe blithe adj. blith·er, blith·est 1. Carefree and lighthearted. 2. Lacking or showing a lack of due concern; casual: spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation. and Bit of Folly. Officially, the Cal Cup's main event is the $250,000 Cal Cup Classic, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that will be run as the eighth race. Excess Summer, ridden by Gary Stevens for Mullins, is favored after winning four of his past seven starts. Calkins Road and Tizbud, respectively the 2002 and 2003 Classic winners, also are in the 10-horse field. Mullins also has favored Stage Player in the $175,000 Cal Cup Mile, the ninth race. After three horses were scratched Friday, the Cal Cup races average a healthy 9.5 horses. Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 heymodesti(at)aol.com CALIFORNIA CUP XV When: Today, 12:30 p.m. first post, Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, USA. It is known for offering some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the autumn and in winter. Racing at Santa Anita began in 1934. , Arcadia What: 10 races, with purses totaling $1.325 million, restricted to horses bred in California. CAPTION(S): box Box: CALIFORNIA CUP XV (see text) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion