Cal Cup

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

$150,000 John Deere Cal Cup Distaff
RIVER’S PRAYER

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2006) – Longshot River’s Prayer shot to the front and kept going to shock course queen Cambiocorsa and win Saturday’s $150,000 John Deere California Cup Distaff at Oak Tree at Santa Anita.

River’s Prayer is by Devon Lane, out of the Cozzene mare Cozzy Flyer, was bred by Vessels Stallion Farm and is owned by Bantry Farms, Capestro & Martin Racing.

The $15,000 Barretts purchase has four wins in nine starts, earnings of $311,783 and was coming off the Sept. 1 Torrey Pines, when she stumbled at the start, lost her rider and grabbed a quarter.

Prior to that, she won the Fleet Treat Stakes and Cinderella Stakes, but went off at 18-1 with Cambiocorsa hammered down to 1-5 despite spotting the winner 10 pounds. Cambiocorsa finished third, behind Tiz a Gem.

River’s Prayer was trained by Paula Capestro and ridden by Clinton Potts. She ran the about 6 ½ furlongs down the turfside course in 1:12.39, second fastest in stakes history, and won by three-quarters of a length.

“I asked Clinton to keep her comfortable and however it set up was how it set up and just hope we had enough horse,” said Capestro.