California Flag flies high in Turf Sprint

California Flag ran away from his rivals in the Turf Sprint (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

Dueled into submission in the 2008
Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Hi Card Ranch’s
homebred CALIFORNIA FLAG (Avenue of Flags) experienced a far more favorable scenario in
Saturday’s renewal of the about 6 1/2-furlong turf dash at Santa Anita worth
$909,000. Breaking
on top and finding no pressure from any quarter from 13 rivals, the gray sped
through splits of :21 2/5 and :43 and strolled home by 1 3/4 lengths while completing the distance in
1:11 1/5 under Joe Talamo. California Flag paid $8.80, $5.60 and $3.80 as the
3-1 favorite.

“He made the lead pretty easily, and going right until about the
three-eighths pole, I was pretty confident,” Talamo said. “He had so much in
reserve coming down the stretch and really kicked it in the last part.”

Deep closers occupied the next two slots, with course-and-distance
specialist Gotta Have Her (Royal Academy) finishing fast to edge
Cannonball (Catienus) for second by three parts of a length. One of
three females in the field, Gotta Have Her returned $8.80 and $5.60 at
9-1 and capped the $1 exacta worth $38.60. Cannonball, the near 6-1
third choice, paid $4.80 with the $1 trifecta coming back $317.50. A
head behind Cannonball was Delta Storm (Storm Boot), a 17-1 chance who
completed the $4,226.70 superfecta (3-7-6-14) with a $1 base.

Joe Talamo added a first BC win to his already impressive resume (Ted Terquinio/Horsephotos.com)

California Flag earned his first stakes win in the 2008 Morvich H. (G3),
scoring in a course record time of 1:11.10 for about 6 1/2 furlongs. He was
thrown in the deep end when entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, leading
during the latter part of the race before fading badly to finish 10th, and
returned to a much more congenial spot in the Hollywood Turf Express H. (G3) in
late November to conclude his four-year-old campaign with an easy 4 1/2-length
victory.

“The difference between this year and last year is that last
year we just said
‘go’ and this year we used our heads,” trainer Brian Koriner said. “The horse
has matured.”

The gray didn’t make his 2009 bow until recording a neck score in the
Green Flash H. on August 19, then successfully defended his title in the
September 30 Morvich. He has compiled a record of 16-8-0-1, $952,996.

California Flag is out of Ultrafleet (Afleet), making him a full brother to
multiple Grade 3 heroine Cambiocorsa (Avenue of Flags) and a half-sibling to the
Grade 3-placed Shadow Raider (Memo [Chi]). Ultrafleet also has an unraced
juvenile filly named Platinum Mine (Memo [Chi]), a yearling colt named Vader
(Vindication) and a weanling filly called Cosmopolitan (Harlan’s Holiday).