Cal-bred News

$250,000 Cal Cup Classic, Presented by Smith Barney
MCCANN’S MOJAVE

ARCADIA, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2005) – Graded-winning sprinter McCann’s Mojave stretched out to a front-running length victory in Sunday’s $250,000 California Cup Classic, presented by Smith Barney, at Oak Tree at Santa Anita.

McCann’s Mojave is a 5-year-old son of Memo, out of the Nordic Prince mare Joni U. Bar, was bred by owners Alix Nikki Hunt and Mike Willman, trained by Patrick Gallagher and ridden by Jose Valdivia, the regular rider who lost the mount when he was injured, only to pick up the mount again from the injured Alex Solis. Willman is publicity director at Santa Anita and a longtime host of weekend racing radio shows.

“We just told Jose to put him on the lead and if he goes that far, he goes that far,” said Gallagher. “We always wanted to stretch him out and we thought this race looked easier of the three spots (he was also nominated for the Mile and Sprint) and we got lucky. They went pretty fast, but he kept it up. I was happy through the lane until about the sixteenth pole and then I got a bit loud there.”

The win was the seventh in 15 starts for McCann’s Mojave, who raised his career earnings to $555,380. He had earlier won the Grade II Potrero Grande Breeders’ Cup Handicap, the Sensational Star Handicap and this year’s Ack Ack Handicap, as well as a mile allowance race in 2003.

The winner bobbled slightly at the start, set the early pace and gamely turned aside favored Desert Boom down the stretch to inched away late.

“He’s got a heart as big as he is and I’m just glad I got him back,” said Valdivia. “Turning for home he felt like a monster. He just kept digging and fighting, that’s what’s so great about him. When he looks another horse in the eye, it’s a dog fight, and I just love to be on that horse because he doesn’t give up very easily.”

Sent off at odds of 3-1, McCann’s Mojave ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.31. Desert Boom was second and Cheroot was third.