ARCADIA, Calif. - Green Team scored a mild surprise when he captured last year's California Cup Sprint, but he should rule the favorite Saturday in this year's version of the $150,000, six-furlong race at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.
The Sprint is one of the day's highlights. It attracted a full field of 12, and if Green Team does not run his absolute best, there are several eager contenders who could claim this race.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The post position draw for Saturday's $175,000 California Cup Mile at Santa Anita did not help A to the Z. The 4-year-old A to the Z is stuck on the outside in an outstanding field of 11.
The post may seem bad, but the tactics of the race could work in favor of A to the Z.
A closer, may be in a strong position if top contenders Black Bart, Lennyfromalibu, and Stage Player take their customary positions at the front and set a quick pace. By the time the field reaches the stretch, A to the Z could be ideally placed.
ARCADIA, Calif. - With his eyes on prospects for Del Mar, Sid Craig called trainer Bill Spawr in July and asked him to inspect and possibly claim a 4-year-old filly running at Hollywood Park.
Spawr claimed that day for $80,000. Two weeks later, she finished second in the Daisycutter Handicap at Del Mar.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The progression of Top Money this summer at Del Mar was fun to watch. He broke slowly in his debut and then lugged in down the stretch, but still had enough raw talent to beat maiden claimers. He again broke a step slowly, and again tried to lug in, while beating a starter-allowance field in his second start.
By the end of the meet, though, he had become far more professional. In the I'm Smokin Stakes on Sept. 6, Top Money broke sharper and ran straighter than he ever had. The result was a three-length victory and a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 91.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Lady Truffles finished second in her debut at 5 1/2 furlongs, after which jockey Tyler Baze said, "Wait until she goes two turns." In her next start, also at 5 1/2, Lady Truffles finished second. "Wait until she goes two turns," Baze repeated.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The unbeaten Ata Olympio will face his most difficult test in Saturday's $50,000 California Cup Starter Sprint Handicap at Santa Anita, one of two races for claimers on the 10-race program.
The Starter Sprint Handicap, a six-furlong main-track race, is the second race; the $50,000 Starter Handicap at 1 1/2 miles on turf is the fifth race. The Starter Handicap drew a field of 10 and is wide open.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Might the third time be the charm for Shalini in the $100,000 California Cup Distance Handicap? She was an unlucky, narrow loser of the race in 2002, then did not fire her best shot last year. That loss began a six-race losing streak that Shalini brings into Saturday's first race at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.
ARCADIA, Calif. - This year will be remembered as the season of fillies and mares among California-breds.
Whether it was Moscow Burning winning the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay Handicap at Belmont Park in June, Bear Fan scoring three wins in graded stakes for sprinters from February to June, Summer Wind Dancer's major stakes wins in California and Delaware, or the successful national raids by 3-year-old fillies such as House of Fortune and Yearly Report, it was the girls who carried the banner for statebreds.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The highly talented but somewhat fragile Badge of Silver, away from the races for eight months, is slated to make his return Saturday in a $58,000 classified allowance race at Belmont Park.
It will be the first race for Badge of Silver since being turned over to Bobby Frankel in late August. Ronny Werner had trained Badge of Silver, who won his first three career starts by a combined 26 lengths, including a 10-length score in the 2003 Risen Star Stakes.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday granted Santa Anita two additional days for its upcoming winter-spring meeting.
The Santa Anita meeting, which opens Dec. 26 and runs through April 18, will include two Wednesdays not previously allotted - Jan. 19 and Feb. 23. The Wednesdays fall two days after holiday racing on Mondays. In recent years, those Wednes-days have been dark, but the track requested them after the board denied a request to extend the winter-spring meeting through April 24.
