Cal Cup

Saturday, Oct. 28th Oak Tree at Santa Anita.

Texcess Win Drought Could End

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 23, 2006) -- December 4, 2004, a date that will live in infamy in the career of Texcess.

It's the last time the gelded son of In Excess won a race, but Mike Mitchell hopes that drought ends next Saturday, when the 4-year-old runs in the $250,000 California Cup Classic presented by Smith Barney on California Cup XVII Day.

The last victory by Texcess came on the aforementioned date in the $1 million Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs. He was ridden by Victor Espinoza, who has the mount in the 1 1/8-mile Classic. Texcess has not won in 16 subsequent starts, but he has paid his expenses, picking up pieces of the purse along the way.

Mitchell has trained Texcess since he ran third in the Sunshine Millions Classic on Jan. 28 of this year, after his connections purchased him for $300,000 at the Barretts dispersal sale. Prior to that, the 4-year-old bay was trained by Paul Aguirre.

Texcess, bred by Ron Gomez, had a nightmare trip in his last start, the Grade III Berkeley Handicap at Golden Gate on Sept. 4, but has been training well for the Classic.

"He was doing good up in San Francisco before that race," said Mitchell, who won his first stakes race this year when Symphony Sid wired the field in yesterday's Carleton F. Burke Handicap. "But he stumbled real bad at the start and then got hit sideways and was totally eliminated from a race where he should have been laying close. I had the Cal Cup Classic picked out, so I backed off and built him up to Saturday's race. I know he hasn't won in a while and I'd like to get him in the winner's circle. We're real close to being out on him (from the purchase price) just with seconds and thirds, but it would be nice to win. We're close to the break-even point and we've had a lot of fun."

Texcess has a 3-5-3 record from 20 starts, with earnings of $1,085,335. He is owned by Californians Scott Anastasi of Hermosa Beach, his father, Wayne Anastasi of Rolling Hills Estates, and Carl Van Burger of Apple Valley.

Probable (with jockeys) for the Classic at 1 1/8 miles: Cheroot, Martin Pedroza; Robador, David Cohen; Texcess, Victor Espinoza; and Top This and That, Alex Solis. Late nominees at a cost of $1,000 each were American All Star for Mike Machowsky, King Mobay for Doug O'Neill and Tizmanian Devil for Mark Glatt.

Paddy Gallagher said he was "still on the fence" with defending Classic champion McCann's Mojave, who is also a candidate for the Mile.

In other California Cup developments:
The Oak Tree Racing Association and the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association will host the post position draw breakfast for California Cup XVII, 10 a.m. Wednesday at Clockers' Corner. Raffle tickets will be sold for $5 each or five for $20 to win grand prizes of free Daily Racing Forms every day for a year and free programs every day for a year.