Cal Cup

Cal Cup XV Recap

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 16, 2004) – Cozy Guy provided trainer Dan Hendricks with a popular victory in the $250,000 Classic and Dream of Summer outdueled Yearly Report in a classic edition of the $150,000 TOC/CTT Matron to highlight Saturday’s California Cup XV at Oak Tree at Santa Anita.

Leading California stallions In Excess, General Meeting, Smokester, Siberian Summer and Benchmark were among those represented by winners on a card that offered $1.325 million in purses exclusively to California-breds.

The on-track attendance was 24,450, a 35 percent increase from last year’s total of 18,029. Cozy Guy, a California-bred by Kentucky stallion Alphabet Soup, became only the third 3-year-old to win the Classic.

The Matron lived up to its billing with a finish worthy of a graded race, as Siberian Summer’s Dream of Summer, bred by James Weigel, came back on along the rail to nose out Yearly Report.

A to the Z, a son of Benchmark bred by Sentinel Thoroughbred Farm, took the John C. Mabee Mile in stakes-record time.

Areyoutalkintome, a son of Smokester bred by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery, captured the $150,000 Dodge/Donald Valpredo Sprint.

In the 2-year-old races, Texcess captured the Juvenile and Lady Truffles won the Juvenile Fillies. They were sired by In Excess and Candi’s Gold, respectively, and bred by Ron Gomez and Aroney, Stolich and Stolich.

Our Mango, sired by Bold Badgett and bred by S L U Inc., set a Cal Cup record for a $2 win payoff at $100.20 while winning the $150,000 John Deere Distaff. Test the Waters, bred by Jim Vreeland, scored an impressive win in the $100,000 TVG Distance.

In the starter handicaps, Ata Olympio remained unbeaten by winning the William T. Pascoe III Starter Sprint Handicap and Ring of Friendship took the 1 ½ mile XTRA Sports Radio 690/1150 Starter Handicap.

Victor Espinoza, who had four winners on last year’s Cal Cup card, rode three winners Saturday (A to the Z, Lady Truffles, Test the Waters) and Corey Nakatani had two (Cozy Guy, Areyoutalkintome).

Total handle of $15,626,665 was down 2.7 percent from last year’s $16,074,622. On-track handle of $3,594,925 was down 13 percent from last year’s total of $4,138,935. Inter-track wagering of $5,151,745 was up 10 percent from last year’s $4,680,504. Interstate handle of $6,879,995 was off five percent from last year’s $7,255,222.

There were no winning tickets on the $1 million guaranteed Pick Six, creating a carryover of $478,072.