Bold Chieftain passes million mark in Cal Cup Classic

Bold Chieftain wore the winner’s garland following the Cal Cup Classic (Benoit Photo) Dwaine Hall et al’s BOLD CHIEFTAIN (Chief Seattle) captured the 2007 California Cup Classic by a half-length, but trainer Bill Morey sent the dark bay to the Cal Cup Mile last season, where he wound up a nice second. Returning for a title defense one year later, the now six-year-old horse was a 1 1/2-length winner in Saturday’s $196,000 Cal Cup Classic, but the nine-furlong Pro-Ride test was marred by the breakdowns of both pacesetter Grazen (Benchmark) and Blackbriar (Cape Town). Grazen took the lead out of the gate and posted splits of :24 1/5, :49 2/5, 1:13 1/5 and 1:37 2/5, all the while pressed by the filly Lethal Heat (Unusual Heat). Bold Chieftain was stalking back in third, and those three never changed position all the way to the stretch. It was there that Grazen suffered his career-ending injury. “He was always traveling really good,” explained Garrett Gomez, who was aboard Grazen. “We started to sprint, we came off the turn, and he switched leads. Then I heard a little noise. He nodded a little bit and kind of stutter-stepped on me. I picked him up. I gave him one or two more jumps. Then I felt him, and I just tried to get him stopped as fast as I could without hurting him anymore.” “We won’t have to put (Grazen) down,” trainer Mike Mitchell said. “It looks like he tore a tendon. We’ll put a good support on him, and he should be OK. He’ll never run again. But we won’t have to put the horse down anyway.” Blackbriar, who had been traveling in fourth, was not so fortunate. The dark bay four-year-old took a bad step in midstretch, fracturing sesamoids, and was euthanized after being vanned off the track.

Bold Chieftain managed to overtake Lethal Heat to finish the race in 1:50
1/5. The $120,000 winner’s share pushed the dark bay’s earnings past the million
mark, as he’s now accumulated $1,083,411 lifetime to go along with his 31-13-6-4
career mark.

“Becoming a millionaire is special,” Morey said. “This is our second horse
we’ve developed into a millionaire. Dixie Dot Com was our first, and both these
horses learned their ABC’s in our barn and it’s rewarding. We’ll let him call
the shots (for future races). I went pretty hard on this guy to get him here. We
went up to Sacramento on a mission. We were going to win that Governor’s Cup or
we weren’t coming here. So, I’ve been on this horse pretty good. I didn’t let
him out of my sight. I took my RV up there the whole two weeks with him there.
Anyway, we’ll just see how he comes out of this and go from there.

“I’m so sorry about the wreck in the race here. That always dampens the thing
a little bit. I’m trying hard to enjoy the win, but I feel sorry for the other
connections.”

Bold Chieftain was a five-length winner of the Governor’s Cup prior to this
race, had now owns a total of 10 stakes scores and eight black-type placings,
including a second in last year’s Del Mar Mile H. (G2) and a third in this
season’s San Francisco Mile S. (G2).

“This is special,” jockey Russell Baze said of the win. “I’ve been riding
this horse since he was a two-year-old. He’s had some quirks, but he’s been a
very honest horse.”

The second richest race on Cal Cup Day was the $125,000

California Cup Mile H., and Don van Racing et al’s THE USUAL Q. T. (Unusual
Heat) delayed the start of the firm turf event by refusing to load. The James
Cassidy charge was finally persuaded to enter the gate, and he rewarded the
starters’ persistence with a one-length win under Gomez. The three-year-old
gelding was making his stakes bow in this spot and ran one mile in 1:33 1/5 to
take his third straight victory following a maiden victory and
allowance/optional claiming score at Del Mar. The Usual Q. T. pushed his
earnings to $186,670 and boasts an 8-3-4-0 mark.

The Cal Cup stakes action began when LADY RAILRIDER (Ride the Rails) scored
by 1 3/4 lengths in the $100,000

California Cup Matron H. Frank Alvarado guided the Steven Specht charge
through the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44 1/5. The four-year-old miss was making just
her second start over the Pro-Ride, having finished second in the Sunshine
Millions Distaff earlier this season, and was a three-length victress of the
Work the Crowd S. two back. Her record now stands at 17-6-5-3, $366,700.

Al and Saundra Kirkwood’s BOOTLEG ANNIE (Go for Gin) reunited with jockey
Rafael Bejarano in the $100,000

California Cup Distaff H., and the pair won their fourth race together from
as many starts. Trained by Kathy Walsh, the five-year-old mare was an easy
scorer of the Fran’s Valentine S. with Bejarano in April while going 1 1/16
miles, but cut back to about 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf here, posting a
final time of 1:13 1/5. Bootleg Annie boosted her career line 30-15-4-5,
$445,358. Ken Kinakin’s DANCING IN SILKS (Black Minnaloushe) just nosed out M
One Rifle (One Man Army) in the $100,000

California Cup Sprint H. to add a second straight stakes to his mark, which
now shows 12-6-2-2. The Carla Gaines-conditioned four-year-old tracked the early
pace set by M One Rifle before taking command and just holding to complete six
furlongs on the Pro-Ride in 1:08 2/5. Dancing in Silks captured the Pirate’s
Bounty S. prior to this one, and has accumulated $367,622 in earnings.

Robert Master’s BENCH THE JUDGE (Tribal Rule) more than doubled his earnings
to $116,322 when capturing the $100,000

California Cup Juvenile with Christian Santiago Reyes aboard. Third in the
Barretts Juvenile S. for trainer Doug O’Neill prior to
this one, the dark bay ran seven furlongs on the Pro-Ride in 1:23
3/5. Eric Kruljac and Nezi Simmons’ LA NEZ (Storm Creek) was cross-entered to both
the $100,000

California Cup Juvenile Fillies and Sunday’s Oak Tree S. (G1), and her
connections were rewarded when the Kruljac trainee scored by 1 1/2
lengths in the former event. With Mike Smith aboard, the dark bay miss, who was
third in the Darley Debutante S. (G1) prior to this one, stopped the clock for
seven furlongs on the Pro-Ride in 1:23 1/5 to capture her first stakes. The win
moved her career line to 5-2-2-1, and she’s now earned $150,600.

Donald R. Dizney’s homebred CENTURY PARK (General Meeting)
posted a head victory in the $75,000

California Cup Distance H. under Tyler Baze to earn her first win since
taking the Santa Ysabel S. (G3) on January 11. The Bob Baffert trainee took a short
lead entering the stretch and just held to finish 1 1/4 miles on the firm turf
in 1:59 3/5. The dark bay filly has placed in the Sunland Park Oaks and
China Doll S. this season and was fourth in the Honeymoon H. (G2). Century Park’s record now stands at 16-3-2-4, $206,656.