Harris Farms On Top of Its Game

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 24, 2001) -- Harris Farms of Coalinga will be well represented in California Cup XII, the state's thoroughbred racing showcase, to be held Nov. 3 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita.

Horses expected to be prominent at Cal Cup include the Harris Farms-bred Top of Our Game, Super Tuesday and Green Team.

Top of Our Game is a 4-year-old daughter of Steinlen, out of the Imasmartee mare In True Form. She is a multiple stakes winner, having captured the $100,000 California Sires Stakes last June and the $125,000 Solana Beach Handicap in September. The Solana Beach was her sixth win. In 14 starts she has earned $323,671 in purses. She was an early nominee for the Cal Cup Mile, Matron and Distaff

Super Tuesday, a 3-year-old daughter of Political Ambition, out of the Skywalker mare Vaderette, scored her biggest win July 8 in the $100,000 California Sires Stakes by a nose. She was bred by Harris Farms and Sheila Williams and is most likely to go in the Cal Cup Matron. 

Green Team is a multiple stakes-placed 2-year-old son of Huddle Up, out of the Moscow Ballet mare Scare Tactics, who is eligible for the Cal Cup Juvenile. He broke his maiden at first asking, has a second in the Everett Nevin Alameda County Futurity and a close third in the Jessman Cloud Memorial Stakes, with earnings of $59,170.

In addition, horses expected to compete in Cal Cup that were foaled at Harris Farms include Ceeband in the Sprint and Lady George in the Juvenile Fillies.

Harris Farms' horse operation was established more than 35 years ago. The ranch already had one of the largest beef feed yards in California and thousands of acres for cotton, vegetables and almonds, but John Harris and his father Jack wanted to devote a portion of their extensive property to the breeding, raising and training of Thoroughbred racehorses.

In addition to the 300-acre main farm in Coalinga, Calif., Harris' horse operation has expanded to property on the Kings River in Sanger, where the farm's weanlings and yearlings grow and develop into stakes-winning champions. Among them are Horse of the Year and Breeders Cup Classic champion Tiznow, Soviet Problem, Work the Crowd and Dominant Dancer.

Dave McGlothlin is general manager and Per Antonsen is the farm trainer, both in their 20th year at Harris Farms. The 150-acre River Ranch is under the supervision of manager Eric Smith.