Century Park takes advantage

ARCADIA, Calif. Century Park won her first stakes since January in the $75,000 California Cup Distance, a race that she would not have been eligible for in past years.

Century Park is a Florida-bred, but the Matron and the other California Cup races on Saturday were opened this year to horses sired by California-based sires. Century Park is by California sire General Meeting.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Century Park ($10.20) ran 1 1/4 miles on turf in 1:59.72. Catsalot finished second, edging pacesetter and 2-5 favorite You Lift Me Up in the final sixteenth.

You Lift Me Up set an honest pace of 23.26 and 47.03 seconds for the first half-mile, leading by as many as 3 1/2 lengths on the backstretch. Her lead was gone entering the stretch when challenged by Century Park, who rallied wide and won by a half-length.

"I kind of waited and waited and made my run when the time was right," Baze said. "She's just growing up and getting better and better."

Century Park is owned by breeder Don Dizney and trained by Bob Baffert. A 3-year-old filly, Century Park has won 3 of 16 starts and $206,656. She won the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes here last January, but was winless in eight subsequent starts, including a third in the Sunland Park Oaks last March.