Cal Cup

Benoit Photo
$150,000 John Deere Cal Cup Distaff
OUR MANGO

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 16, 2004) – Longshot Our Mango nosed out favorite Western Hemisphere and posted a California Cup record win payoff in Saturday’s $150,000 John Deere Cal Cup Distaff at Oak Tree at Santa Anita.

Our Mango is by Bold Badgett, out of the Caucasus mare Woodlynn, is owned by Para Dice Acres and was bred by S L U Inc., which also bred the third-place finisher, Market Garden. She returned $100.20 for a $2 win bet and ran the about 6 ½ furlongs on turf in 1:12.63, third fastest time in race history.

Our Mango won for the fifth time in 27 starts and raised her earnings to $245,718. It was her first race at Santa Anita, her first turf win and second stakes win after taking the Aug. 9 Elle Destruel Handicap at Santa Rosa.

Steve Specht trains the 5-year-old mare and she was ridden by Russell Baze, who last won a Cal Cup race in 1995.

“She broke real sharp and I just took a little hold of her and she settled in right behind those horses good, saved ground around the turn, then a big old hole opened up and she fired right through it and laid her body down to the wire,” said Baze.

Said Specht: “The only thing that makes me mad is I let her go off at 45-1 and I was too lazy to go up there and bet.”