Santa Anita: Monument manages Cal Cup Juvenile win

Monument, with Martin Garcia aboard, beats the field to the wire in the California Cup Juvenile.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Monument, despite trying to lug in badly down the lane, held on under energetic handling from jockey Martin Garcia to take the $250,000 California Cup Juvenile, a result that completed a pick five sequence that was not hit, leading to a carryover of $207,240 to Sunday at Santa Anita.

Monument ($12) stalked the pace of Strong Wind for the first six furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile race, then took the lead entering the lane, but tried to pull himself up and began to lean left, yet still had plenty left to go on and win by 2 3/4 lengths.

"He was looking at the crowd," Garcia said. "I had plenty of horse left."

Ballard Ruler ran on for second, giving trainer John Sadler a sweep of the first two spots. Star Rocket was another three-quarters of a length back in third. Strong Wind faded to ninth in the field of 10, beating only Sadler's third entrant, Life a Riley.

Monument was timed in 1:44.84 on the fast track and earned his third win in four starts. He defeated maiden claimers in his debut at Del Mar, won a starter allowance there, then was second in the Afflerbaugh at Fairplex on Sept. 12. The Cal Cup was his first race beyond seven furlongs.

The win was bittersweet for Lee and Susan Searing, who race as C R K Stable. Monument is a homebred for the Searings. He was sired by their horse Cindago, but Cindago, just 9, died unexpectedly earlier this month at Legacy Ranch in Northern California, where he had been at stud.