Cal-bred News

Bear Fan Gets Bailey in F&M Sprint

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 19, 2004) -- Seven California-breds (six of them stakes winners) take on Florida-bred speedsters Madame Pietra and Barbara O'Brien in Saturday's $300,000 Nextel Filly and Mare Sprint at Sunshine Millions II at Santa Anita.

Bear Fan might be the most imposing of the California contingent, bringing with her a 102 Beyer Speed Rating and jockey Jerry Bailey. Bear Fan is by Pine Bluff, out of the Shimatoree mare Shezalong, and was bred by trainer and co-owner Wesley Ward. The lightly-raced 5-year-old has four wins in seven starts, including a win in the 2002 Fleet Treat Stakes, and $191,970 in earnings.

Princess V. is by Memo, out of the Fort Calgary mare Fort Silver, and was bred by Ken Porter. She is the only Cal-bred without a stakes win, but she was third in last year's Grade I Prioress Stakes and is coming off a fourth to Super High in the Jan. 3 Work the Crowd Handicap. She has three wins and $168,209 in earnings.

Multiple stakes winner Super High, a California champion, is back in form after a year setback with a leg fracture. She is by High Brite, out of the broodmare of the year Image of Super, and was bred by owner Harris Farms. She has seven wins in 19 starts and $552,808 in earnings. She is coming off a win in the Work the Crowd, but has never won a race at the six-furlong distance.

Icantgoforthat is by In Excess, out of the Copelan mare Texinadress, and was bred by Michael Pegram. She is coming off a game nose win in the Dec. 29 Grade III Monrovia Handicap on the turf. She has six wins in 25 starts and $392,968 in earnings.

Nicole's Pursuit is by Flying Continental, out of the Pirate's Bounty mare Forest Haven, and was bred by Allan Fainbarg & Arnold Feuerstein. She won the California Cup Distaff Handicap in 2002, was fifth in the Sunshine Millions Distaff last year, but in her most recent race was pulled up in the Dec. 21. Kalookan Queen. She has four wins and $263,448 in earnings.

Channing Way is by Smokester, out of the Wig Out mare Only Silk, and was bred by owner Lawrence Becker. The 6-year-old mare had been off a year before winning the Jan. 12 Crystal Gail Stakes at Turf Paradise. She's a multiple stakes winner of 12 races in 19 starts and $343,330 in earnings.

Bold Roberta is by Bold Badgett, out of the Prospector's Gamble mare Robert Ullmann, and was bred by S L U Inc. She won consecutive stakes at Fairplex Park over the summer and is coming off a fifth in the Monrovia Handicap. She has six wins in 43 starts and $358,668 in earnings.