Cal Cup

Cal Cup Set for Oct. 16

ARCADIA, Calif. (Sept. 28, 2004) -- The Oak Tree Racing Association meet at Santa Anita Park, where the legendary Seabiscuit achieved greatness, is once again the site of this year’s California Cup, which each fall puts the nation’s Thoroughbred spotlight on the state’s many racing stars, both equine and human.

Cal Cup XV is Saturday, Oct. 16. The day features 10 races for all divisions of Thoroughbreds bred in California with purses totaling $1.325 million. More than 100,000 people statewide will watch and wager on this year’s series, both at historic Santa Anita in Arcadia and at more than 30 simulcast locations.

Can’t make it to Santa Anita on Oct. 16? There’s a satellite wagering facility in your area.

Thousands more fans will be able to follow the races at home through the Television Games Network (TVG), which is carried on both Dish and DirecTV satellite systems, as well as major cable providers.

Cal Cup has become one of the most popular days on the state’s racing calendar, both for fans and horsemen.

And why not? Consider:
10 stakes races worth more than $1.3 million, which will draw more than 100 entries and each year delivers full fields resulting in competitive betting races;
Top caliber racing, featuring a number of graded stakes winners, headed by the $250,000 California Cup Classic;
$1 million guaranteed Pick 6;
$500,000 guaranteed Pick 4;

Blanket give-away for all general admission fans attending at Santa Anita.

Of course, Seabiscuit, who retired from racing after winning the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap, never competed in the Cal Cup, which originated 50 years later. Yet Seabiscuit, who was revered for his fabled resiliency during a six-year racing career encompassing 89 starts, has come to epitomize the hearty California breed. Although he was born in Kentucky, the famous racehorse spent most of his life in the Golden State and became a stallion at owner Charles Howard’s Ridgewood Ranch in Willits.

Many of today’s California stars display that same grit and determination that made Seabiscuit the hero of millions. Because they compete year after year, these modern stars have the chance to earn true fan loyalty.

Other popular repeat winners in Cal Cup lore include: His Legacy, who was 9 when he won the Cal Cup Starter Handicap for the third time in four years in 1994; Native Desert, who was 10 when he ran in last year’s Mile; Megan’s Interco, who won the 1996 Classic after taking the Mile in ‘93 and ‘95; Blaze O’Brien, Mile hero in 1992 and ’94; Belle’s Flag, who captured the Matron in 1996 and ’98; and Distaff repeat winners Bel’s Starlet (1991-92) and Chichim (1999-2000).

Led by 1993 Cal Cup Classic winner Best Pal, the series has produced its share of celebrated runners as well. Some others include the recently retired 2000 Classic winner Sky Jack, Juvenile victor Cavonnier (1995) and current graded stakes winners Summer Wind Dancer and House of Fortune, who won the Juvenile Fillies in 2002 and ‘03, respectively.

The Cal Cup celebrates an important California industry as well as great horses. The California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, which co-hosts the Cal Cup with Santa Anita and the Oak Tree Racing Association, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing. It oversees an incentive award program that offers more than $30 million in purses and bonuses to registered Cal-breds.

The CTBA notes that the state’s Thoroughbred industry has a $5.1 billion impact on the California economy, accounting for 60,000 jobs and 148,000 Thoroughbreds.