Shea Brennan looks to continue improvement in California Cup Derby
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Except for shuffling post positions, the California Cup on Saturday at Santa Anita is virtually the same as Jan. 11, when the entire program was postponed due to what Santa Anita called “overnight developments with the wildfires on the west side of Los Angeles.”
The fires continue to burn, but racing marches on, and the final two statebred stakes Saturday look like the final two races scheduled one week ago. Every original runner re-entered, including a pair of 3-year-olds fresh off stakes wins at Los Alamitos.
The colt Shea Brennan holds a narrow advantage over R Heisman in the $175,000 California Chrome California Cup Derby, a 1 1/16-mile dirt stakes that is race 10. Shea Brennan won the one-mile King Glorious Stakes by a nose last out; R Heisman finished third.
The filly Hey Jessie tops the $175,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks, a turf mile that is race 11. Hey Jessie scored a decisive victory last out in the one-mile Soviet Problem Stakes. The surface switch is fine for Hey Jessie, a maiden turf mile winner two back.
Phil D’Amato trains Shea Brennan for owner-breeder Nick Alexander. Sired by Tough Sunday, he won his debut, ran third in his next three starts, and then stretched out to win the King Glorious.
“He’s getting better with distance and age,” D’Amato said. “He did everything wrong and won first time out Del Mar, and just polished off the greenness along the way.”
Shea Brennan had trouble at the start in his first three races. His most recent start was his fifth, and it was his best yet.
“We thought he’d be midpack, but he broke so good, Antonio [Fresu] didn’t want to fight him. He put him in a good spot, and [Shea Brennan] did the rest,” D’Amato said.
Shea Brennan dueled, put away two longshot pace rivals, and won by a nose.
Shea Brennan breaks from the rail Saturday and will have to use his speed. R Heisman, whose two-turn ability is uncertain, will rally late. He finished third as the favorite in the King Glorious. The field also includes stretch-out Style Cat, a potential pace rival for Shea Brennan.
Compared to Shea Brennan, the filly Hey Jessie was more decisive winning by two lengths at Los Alamitos. Sean McCarthy trains Hey Jessie for owner-breeder Steve Young. The Grazen filly was moving from a maiden turf win to a dirt stakes when she won the Soviet Problem.
“She trains well on the dirt [at Santa Anita], and as everyone knows, [Los Alamitos] tends to favor grass horses,” McCarthy said, acknowledging Hey Jessie is still green and still learning how to run.
Hey Jessie, named for a granddaughter of her owner, returns Saturday to grass. A 2-for-3 filly by Grazen, Hey Jessie’s rider is Kyle Frey.
Others in the field include stakes winner Sunset Grazen and stakes-placed Grateful My Love. Maiden winner Miso Phansy is the only new addition. She jumped into the Oaks field after the postponement and will run back on two weeks’ rest.
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