California Cup Day At Santa Anita This Saturday

The best Thoroughbreds bred or sired in California will be on display this Saturday as they compete in five stakes races on California Cup Day at Santa Anita Park. First post is 3:30 p.m. for a nine-race card.

Among the program’s headliners are graded stakes winner Big City Lights, who seeks a repeat in the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint; the versatile and ultra-consistent multiple stakes winner Grand Slam Smile in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint presented by John Deere; and promising 3-year-old filly Cashed, who goes in the Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks after finishing second in the Grade II Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos in December. The other stakes on the card are the California Chrome Cal Cup Derby and Unusual Heat Turf Classic presented by City National Bank.

Kicking off the stakes action is the $125,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at six furlongs. Big City Lights, trained by Richard Mandella, dominated last year’s edition with a 7 ¾-length victory. Two starts back, Big City Lights—a 7-year-old full horse by Mr. Big—tried the deep waters of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar and finished off the board.

Looming as serious threats to Big City Lights are the streaking Man O Rose, a winner of three straight stakes versus statebreds for trainer Jeff Mullins; Speedy Wilson, who was third in the GI Malibu on Opening Day for trainer Phil D’Amato; and Book Smart for trainer Bob Hess Jr.

The Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint goes as the second race at approximately 4 p.m. The field in post position order: Book Smart, Mike Smith; Drop Um, Kyle Frey; Big City Lights, Mirco Demuro; Speedy Wilson, Armando Ayuso; Man O Rose, Edwin Maldonado.

Looming in the $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles on turf are Vodka Vodka and Hey Jessie. Vodka Vodka, trained by Aggie Ordonez, exits a solid fourth-place finish in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. at 1 1/16 miles on dirt on Opening Day. Two of his three wins have come on turf.