Many runners trying new things on ‘Breeders' Cup for Cal-breds'

ARCADIA, Calif. – California-breds of all types are in the limelight Saturday at Santa Anita, from well-regarded 2-year-old fillies making career debuts to a 7-year-old gelding who looks like a slam dunk on a program with five stakes for statebreds worth $100,000 or more.

The star on Saturday is Kings River Knight, favored to wire the $100,000 Crystal Water Stakes, which goes as race 8. The veteran is the only free square Saturday. The maiden race for 2-year-old fillies and four other stakes on the 10-race card are more competitive.

“It’s the Breeders’ Cup for Cal-breds,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “You wish it was a few times a year.”

O’Neill starts Bro Bro in race 10, the $125,000 Snow Chief Stakes. His rivals in the mile and one-eighth turf race for 3-year-olds include Cali Cat and Got Soul. Every entrant is racing the farthest distance of their career. It’s a recurring theme Saturday – horses trying something new.

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The 2-year-old filly Liberation makes her debut against rocket-ship firster Shady Stripes in race 2. Book Smart is a likely favorite in his stakes debut in race 4, the $100,000 Thor’s Echo at six furlongs.

Fillies and mares, including sprint-to-route Prancingthruparis, race a mile on turf in race 6, the $100,000 Fran’s Valentine. Perhaps the most wide-open stakes is race 7, the $125,000 Melair for 3-year-old fillies at a mile and a sixteenth on dirt. The longshot Lady Mendelssohn has never raced on dirt, but her works suggest she will like it.

The 10-race card ends with the Snow Chief, which is led by Bro Bro, Cali Cat, and Got Soul. Bro Bro won a turf mile allowance 13 days ago in his first route. He got rank early, settled, and took care of business under Umberto Rispoli.

“I loved it,” O’Neill said. “[Rispoli] said he dropped the bit, relaxed, and when he called on him, he kicked right on.”

Sired by Nyquist and produced by a turf route mare, Bro Bro ran his final quarter-mile in a respectable 23.81.

Cali Cat, supplemented for $25,000 to the Golden State Series program for statebreds, will stretch out for the first time this year.

“We feel he’s better around two turns,” trainer John Sadler said.

Cali Cat, by American Pharoah, has sprinted in three starts this year and won at a mile last year.

“The question would be a mile and an eighth,” Sadler acknowledged. “It’s a little farther than most of these Cal-bred 3-year-olds run at this time of the year.”

Andy Mathis trains Got Soul and longshot Prince of Del Mar. Got Soul has won back-to-back turf miles this meet, with sub-24-second final quarter-miles in both. Can he stay another furlong?

“Mile races and mile and an eighth races are two different animals,” Mathis said. “I don’t know if anybody really wants to [go a mile and an eighth].”

Got Soul’s rider is Armando Ayuso.

Mathis also starts Prince of Del Mar, who finished less than three lengths behind Got Soul last out in his comeback.

“I think [Prince of Del Mar] will like the mile and an eighth,” said Mathis. “Whether he’s good enough, I don’t know.”

Others in the Snow Chief include Western Freedom, program favorite Style Cat, Drop Um, and Santa Barbarian. Below is a glance at other key Cal-bred races Saturday.

Maiden fillies, race 2: Liberation, by Omaha Beach, makes her debut for Sadler at 4 1/2 furlongs.

“She’s not super-super quick, but she’s got quality,” Sadler said. “She’ll be running the best of anybody at the end.”

The horse to catch is Jeff Bonde-trained Shady Stripes. Bonde said the Smiling Tiger filly “has trained really forward. We’re optimistic she’s going to be a decent filly.”

Thor’s Echo, race 4: Book Smart earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure finishing second last out to Thorne House, who would have been favored in the Thor’s Echo but needed more time. Bob Hess Jr. trains Book Smart and Mike Smith has the mount.

“If we break, we should be super tough,” Hess said.

This year’s Thor’s Echo came up easier than the last two, won by since-retired The Chosen Vron. Others in the field include Geezer, Private Gem, and Final Storm, the latter of whom was supplemented for $2,000 and is wheeling back one week after finishing seventh on turf.

“Maybe he is better on the dirt,” trainer Phil D’Amato said, referring to his win two back. “He won pretty impressively, and I didn’t think the [Thor’s Echo] was coming up too tough.”

Fran’s Valentine, race 6: This turf mile for fillies and mares includes Grade 3-placed Sneaker and turf sprint stakes winners Prancingthruparis and Shocking Grey. Sneaker finished third last out in the Grade 3 Royal Heroine after dropping farther off the pace than usual. New rider Kazushi Kimura is likely to have her positioned closer to the lead Saturday.

George Papaprodromou trains Sneaker and stretch-out Shocking Grey. Prancingthruparis, trained by Peter Eurton, goes long after winning a Cal-bred sprint stakes. Her last two starts, including a turf-mile win, have been the best of her career.

Melair, race 7: A dirt route for 3-year-old fillies, the Melair includes stakes winner Om N Joy, who stretches out in top form for trainer Aggie Ordonez. Lady Mendelssohn tries dirt, while Fibonaccis Ride is the speed. Sunset Grazen is the program favorite.

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