Affirmed H. (G3) winner GRAZEN (Benchmark) has
been established as the even-money favorite to become the fourth three-year-old
to capture Oak Tree’s $200,000
California Cup Classic on Saturday when facing five rivals in the 1 1/8-mile
event that highlights the 20th Cal
Cup at Santa Anita.
This year’s popular Cal Cup extravaganza has been advanced to the first
Saturday of Oak Tree’s 41st season in part to allow entrants the possibility of
competing in the two-day Breeders’ Cup, to be staged November 6 and 7.
Following a troubled career debut in September of last year, the Mike
Mitchell-trained Grazen
has won four of five starts in 2009, including Hollywood Park’s Affirmed. His only setback
this season came in the subsequent Swaps S. (G2), in which he
ran second to Misremembered (Candy Ride [Arg]), who had been second in the Affirmed.
“It’s really neat to breed something special,” owner-breeder Nick
Alexander said. “Up until now, we’d been known as the king of the $12,500 maiden
claimers at Golden Gate.”
If Grazen runs to his laurels on Saturday, Alexander said consideration will be
given to the Dirt Mile (G1) on Breeders’ Cup Saturday.
Garrett Gomez will ride the gray colt.
BOLD CHIEFTAIN (Chief Seattle), the 5-2 second choice on Jon White’s morning line, is the most
accomplished of the Cal Cup Classic entrants, with a 12-6-4 record in 30 career starts for
earnings of $963,411. A victory or a second would promote the six-year-old dark
bay, an upset winner of the 2007 Cal Cup Classic, to millionaire
status. He is the 122-pound highweight.
LETHAL HEAT (Unusual Heat), co-owned and trained by Barry Abrams, will attempt to become
the first filly or mare to gain victory in the Classic.
The four-year-old miss has been competitive against graded rivals this year —
running third, just three parts of a length behind undefeated champion Zenyatta
(Street Cry [Ire]), in the Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1), beaten two lengths in
third in the Del Mar Mile H. (G2) against the boys and second by a neck in the
Palomar H. (G2) most recently. Alex Solis has the riding engagement on Lethal
Heat, who is listed at 7-2 on the morning
line.
UNUSUAL SUSPECT (Unusual Heat) is the 120-pound highweight among a cast of
nine turf runners set for the $125,000
California Cup Mile, the second richest of the Cal Cup races.
Trained and co-owned by Abrams, the five-year-old Unusual Suspect has raced 40
times with an 8-4-4 mark and earnings of $736,100. The five-year-old won the
2007 Cal Cup Mile at odds of 12-1 but ran fifth in last
year’s edition. He captured the Cougar II H. in early August at Del Mar, and
returns to California following a foray at Arlington Park, where he finished
sixth in the Washington Park H. (G3) last out.
The Cal Cup Mile also features DEWEY’S SPECIAL (Skimming), who will be seeking his fourth straight win in an
attempt to remain perfect this year for trainer Ron Ellis and jockey Jose
Valdivia Jr. The four-year-old gelding most recently took Del Mar’s
California Dreamin’ H. on July 26.
LADY RAILRIDER (Ride the Rails) and HOT N’ DUSTY (Unusual Heat) head a cast
of five fillies and mares entered in the $100,000
California Cup Matron H. at 1 1/16 miles on the Pro-Ride. The former miss
was a three-length winner of the Work the Crowd S. at Golden Gate Fields two
back, while Hot N’ Dusty has just missed in the Solana Beach H. and Adoration S.
in her past two. Also in the Matron is SMOOTH PERFORMER (Benchmark), an easy
victress of the E. B. Johnston S. over Fairplex’s dirt last out.
GOLDEN DOC A (Unusual Heat), a Grade 1 winner during her three-year-old
campaign, will seek to get back to her winning ways in the $100,000
California Cup Distaff H. going about 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf.
The Abrams trainee was third in the Rancho Bernardo H. (G3) in her last start,
and will face the likes of dual stakes queens BOOTLEG ANNIE (Go for Gin), third
in the Solana Beach, and STRAWBERRY TART (Atticus), runner-up in the San
Clemente H. (G2).
The $100,000
California Cup Sprint drew a field of nine to go six furlongs on the
Pro-Ride, including the first and second from the Pirate’s Bounty S. — DANCING
IN SILKS (Black Minnaloushe) and CANDY PULL (In Excess [Ire]) — as well as the
top two from the Governor’s Cup H. — LIT’SGOODLOOKNGRAY (Lit de Justice) and
BIG BAD LEROYBROWN (Wild Again).
The California Cup Classic goes as the 6TH race on a 10-race program that gets
underway at noon (PDT). Rounding out the stakes action will be the $100,000
California Cup Juvenile, which will go as the 10TH race. The card also
features the $100,000
California Cup Juvenile Fillies and $75,000
California Cup Distance H.