Gold Cup highlights weekend stakes action at Santa Anita Park

Catch a Flight (left) and Moreno (right) will duke it out yet again in the Gold Cup (Benoit Photos)

Saturday’s $500,000
Gold
Cup at Santa Anita S. (G1) is the feature event on a day that also includes
the $300,000

Triple Bend S. (G1), $200,000

Royal Heroine S. (G2) and $100,000

Senorita S. (G3) at the Southern California track.

However, the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup takes center stage on the card with an
11-horse field comprised of Catch a Flight (Giant’s Causeway), Finnegans Wake
(Mizzen Mast), Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) and Moreno (Ghostzapper).

Catch a Flight and Moreno were one-two, respectively, while separated by just
a half-length in the Californian S. (G2) last out, with the re-opposing Hard
Aces (Hard Spun) filling the third spot.

Before the Californian, Catch a Flight sandwiched a third-placing in the
Santa Anita H. (G1) between wins in an optional claimer and the Precisionist S.
(G3). Moreno also ran in the Big ‘Cap, finishing second, a head in front of
Catch a Flight, and followed that with a third in the New Orleans H. (G2) and a
two-length victory in the Charles Town Classic (G2) prior to the Californian.

Turf specialist Finnegans Wake has placed just once in five tries on the
dirt/synthetic, but trainer Peter Miller is giving it another go with his
six-year-old bay charge. The Kentucky-bred has won four of his last six,
including the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) two back on the Kentucky Derby
undercard, but will be getting a jockey switch to Mike Smith as regular rider
Victor Espinoza has chosen to stick with Hard Aces in this spot.

Masochistic (left) and San Onofre (right) re-oppose in the Triple Bend after going one-two in the Kona Gold (Benoit Photos)

The distance drops from 10 furlongs in the Gold Cup to seven furlongs in the
Triple Bend.

The well-matched seven-horse field features Masochistic (Sought After), who
scored over the re-opposing San Onofre (Surf Cat) and Sahara Sky (Pleasant Tap)
in the Kona Gold S. (G2) last out on April 11. The bay gelding was making his
first start for new trainer Ron Ellis in that contest, which was just his second
try against stakes rivals. Masochistic, whose record currently stands at
7-5-1-0, ran second in the Los Alamitos Mile in September while under the
tutelage of A.C. Avila.

San Onofre is suffering from a case of seconditis, having filled that spot in
all three of his starts so far this season. The Karen Headley trainee has yet to
be worse than second, including the Kona Gold and Los Angeles S. (G3), and gets
Alex Solis in the irons.

Sahara Sky started in the Kona Gold off a sixth-place effort in the 2014
Triple Bend for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and was flying down the center of the
track to just run out of room late in that 6 1/2-furlong affair. Hero of the 2013 Metropolitan H.
(G1), the seven-year-old dark bay also boasts a trio of Grade 2 wins on his
resume and keeps Rafael Bejarano aboard.

Queen of the Sand (outside) and Fanticola (inside) renew their rivalry in the Royal Heroine (Benoit Photos)

Kicking off the stakes action on Saturday will be the Senorita sending nine
runners a mile on the turf. Avenge (War Front), a head victress of her stakes
bow in the Ultrafleet S. last out, will try to keep her current three-race win
streak going against the likes of Group 3-placed Prize Exhibit (Showcasing) as
well as stakes scorers Long Hot Summer (Street Boss) and Lutine Belle (Bellamy
Road).

Two races later, Fanticola (Silent Name) faces nine in the Royal Heroine off
a tough-luck neck second in the Gamely H. (G1) on May 25. The Philip D’Amato
trainee captured the Megahertz S. to kick off her five-year-old campaign, then
was third in the Wishing Well S. and second by a nose in the Santa Barbara S.
(G3) prior to the Gamely. In that latter event, the dark bay mare led throughout
before just being caught on the wire under Joseph Talamo, who retains the mount
in the Royal Heroine.

Queen of the Sand beat Fanticola in the Santa Barbara but offered no run in
the Gamely to be eighth, while Blingismything (Arch) shocked at 25-1 to get
third in the latter contest. Birdlover (Byron) skipped those two races in favor
of the Wilshire S. (G3), where she led before being caught by a neck to be
third, and a head victory in the Mizdirection S. for her past two.