Big City Lights stands out in compact California Cup Sprint field
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In seven career starts against California-breds, Big City Lights has won three times and finished second on four occasions to The Chosen Vron, the leading statebred in the last two years.
Not a bad record at all.
Without The Chosen Vron for competition, the 6-year-old Big City Lights won the Cary Grant Stakes for statebreds by 8 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite at Del Mar in November.
Big City Lights will be a heavy favorite to win the fifth stakes of his career in Saturday’s $125,000 California Cup Sprint at six furlongs at Santa Anita. The California Cup Sprint is one of five stakes for statebreds on Saturday’s 11-race program, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Pacific.
Trained by Richard Mandella for Bill Peeples, Big City Lights beat four rivals in the Cary Grant Stakes at seven furlongs. None of them are part of Saturday’s field. In addition, The Chosen Vron is currently out of training.
Instead, Big City Lights has four different rivals, notably Clovisconnection, an eight-time stakes winner in Northern California and Washington.
Big City Lights has not raced since the Cary Grant, but has left Mandella encouraged with his recent activity, notably a five-furlong workout in 59 seconds on Jan. 1.
“Everything is in good shape right now,” Mandella said. “He always gives it his best.”
Big City Lights, who will be ridden by Kazushi Kimura, tends to run as a stalker and may have Clovisconnection as an early target. Trained by Blaine Wright, Clovisconnection has won his last four sprints, including consecutive starts in six-furlong stakes at Fresno and Pleasanton in September and November.
Clovisconnection was second by a head in the Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs last August, his only loss in more than seven months.
The California Cup Sprint will be the stakes debut for the lightly raced 5-year-old gelding Smiling Beast, who is unbeaten in two starts for trainer Brian Koriner – a maiden race at Santa Anita in May and an allowance race at Del Mar in November.
Smiling Beast, who has the inside post in the California Cup Sprint, won from off the pace in May and was near the front throughout in the November win.
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Stay and Scam tops Turf Sprint
Stay and Scam is not only the lone turf sprint stakes winner in Saturday’s $125,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint, she is the only runner in a field of six that has won at the race distance of about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside course.
Stay and Scam, who was third by a head in the 2024 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint, won an allowance race and the Irish O’Brien Stakes for statebred fillies and mares on the hillside course last February and March.
In Saturday’s race, Stay and Scam will be strongly favored on that form, and for a third in the Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes for fillies and mares at five furlongs on turf Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Stay and Scam, trained by Doug O’Neill for owners Paul and Zillah Reddam, was deliberately given a 10-week gap between starts.
“We purposefully circled this race to give her time,” O’Neill said. “She continues to train well.”
Stay and Scam is quick enough to lead and also a capable stalker. Last May, she won the Fran’s Valentine Stakes for statebred fillies and mares at one mile by racing near the front throughout.
In that race, Stay and Scam finished a length in front of Moment’s Pleasure, who later won the Solana Beach Stakes for fillies and mares at one mile on turf at Del Mar in August.
Moment’s Pleasure is part of Saturday’s field, her first career start on the hillside course. Trained by Craig Lewis, Moment’s Pleasure won a six-furlong maiden race on turf on the flat course at Santa Anita last April.
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