Heck Yeah rallies to win Cal Cup Turf Sprint

ARCADIA, Calif. – Heck Yeah can seemingly handle anything so far in his brief career.

After beating maidens by more than five lengths in a dirt race at Los Alamitos on Dec. 7 in his debut, Heck Yeah won his turf and stakes debut in Saturday’s $102,415 California Cup Turf Sprint on the hillside course at Santa Anita.

The colt was not fully extended to win by 2 1/2 lengths over 12-1 Psycho Dar. Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Heck Yeah closed from the middle of a field of 12 to reach contention when the field crossed onto the main turf course.

With a four-wide rally, Heck Yeah took the lead in the final furlong. He ran about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.61.

“I thought he would be a little closer but he wasn’t, so I just let him fall into place,” Van Dyke said. “Coming into that turn, I had a lot of horse left. He was doing it easy and I tried to work my way out once I crossed the dirt.”

Psycho Dar, in his stakes debut, finished a head in front of 15-1 Campaigner, who was third in the King Glorious Stakes at a mile for statebreds at Los Alamitos last month.

Vutzak, the 90-1 longest shot in the field, finished fourth, followed by Cono, Night At the Opera, Bookies Luck, Sunrise Journey, Raven Creek, Continental Divide, Minstersdontparty, and Sir Valentine.

Heck Yeah, a 3-year-old son of Acclamation, has earned $84,000 from his two starts. The colt is owned by breeder Michael Pageler in partnership with Bob Baedeker and Michael Sigband and is trained by Bob Baffert.

Heck Yeah is the first stakes winner for Acclamation, the champion older male of 2011.