Santa Anita: California Chrome Cal Cup Derby; Unusual Heat Turf Classic

By Mike Willman —-

Last Call London; Benoit
LAST CALL LONDON TOPS $200,000 CALIFORNIA CHROME CAL CUP DERBY SATURDAY AT A MILE AND ONE SIXTEENTH

ARCADIA, CA (Jan. 10, 2024)—Fresh off the biggest win of his young career, Peter Miller’s Last Call London heads a wide-open field of five sophomores going a mile and one sixteenth in Saturday’s $200,000 California Chrome Cal Cup Derby at Santa Anita.

The Cal Cup Derby is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for registered California-bred or sired horses.

Extra game in taking the statebred King Glorious Stakes at one mile on Dec. 17 at Los Alamitos, Last Call London, who will be making his second two-turn start, has proven effective at Santa Anita, posting a win, a second and a third place finish from four tries here.

Bred in California by Terry Lovingier and owned by Lovingier, Tom London and Eugene Zondlo, Last Call London is a bay gelding by top California juvenile sire Stay Thirsty and is out of the Empire Way mare Zo Lo’s Lov.

With an overall mark of 8-2-2-2 and earnings of $156,870, it’ll be up to regular rider Juan Hernandez to work out a winning trip.

Second, beaten a neck by the top choice in the King Glorious, Reddam Racing’s homebred Stolen Treasure, who was ridden in his last two starts by the recently injured Edwin Maldonado, will be handled by Mario Gutierrez on Saturday.

Trained by Edward Freeman, Stolen Treasure, who cruised to a comfortable gate to wire statebred maiden win two starts back going a mile on turf Dec. 1, will likely again try to control proceedings on the front end.

Bred in California by Reddam Racing and Jaimie McCalmont, Stolen Treasure is by Nyquist out of the Invincible Spirit mare Little Treasure.

An impressive winner of his last three starts, all in open company with the last two in main track stakes at Golden Gate Fields, Steve Specht’s Wild Jewels is a sharp horse who could prove very dangerous. Owned and bred in California by Larry and Marianne Williams, Wild Jewels is a gelding by Tamarando who pressed the pace and prevailed by a half length in the one mile Gold Rush Stakes on Dec. 2.

A first-out five length maiden winner going five furlongs on natural dirt at Pleasanton June 25, Wild Jewels has posted four wins and a second from six starts. Out of the Distorted Humor mare Ribbon of Jewels, Wild Jewels has banked $148,810 and will be ridden for the first time by Golden Gate-based Frank Alvarado.

THE $200,000 CALIFORNIA CHROME CAL CUP DERBY WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 9 – Approximate post time 2:00 p.m. PT

Last Call London – Juan Hernandez – 124
Mici’s Express – Umberto Rispoli – 124
Stolen Treasure – Mario Gutierrez – 124
Gentlemen’s Club – Diego Herrera – 124
Wild Jewels – Frank Alvarado – 124

First post time for a nine-race card on Cal Cup Day this Saturday, is at 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

Kings River Knight; Benoit

KINGS RIVER KNIGHT COULD POSE ELUSIVE TARGET AMONG A FIELD OF 10 IN SATURDAY’S $200,000 UNUSUAL HEAT TURF CLASSIC AT 1 1/8 MILES

ARCADIA, CA (Jan. 10, 2024)—Never better as a recently turned 6-year-old gelding, John Sadler’s Kings River Knight, a winner of four out of his last five starts, all stakes, should be plenty tough to beat as he stretches his considerable speed to a mile and one eighth on grass in Saturday’s $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic at Santa Anita.

The Unusual Heat Turf Classic is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for registered California-bred or sired horses.

With 10 older horses engaged, Kings River Knight, who comes off a smashing 1 ½ length score in the California Flag Handicap at about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course Oct. 15, was a solid fourth in last year’s Turf Classic when trained by Andy Mathis, as he pressed the pace and was beaten one length on the money.

With four wins and two seconds, all in statebred stakes since joining the Sadler barn, Kings River Knight, a bay son of Acclamation out of the Poteen mare Seasontoperfection, was bred in California by Old English Rancho and is owned by the Elwood Johnston Trust, Integrity Thoroughbred Racing, LLC and Kenneth Tevelde.

Freshened since his last start and with a 96 Beyer Speed Figure in hand from his Cal Flag score, Kings River Knight, who will be ridden for the third time in a row by Juan Hernandez, who has also been aboard for his last four wins. With an overall mark of 13-7-5-0, he has earnings of $426,010.

Trainer Dean Pederson’s hard knocking 7-year-old gelding Carmelita’s Man brings a hefty bankroll of $569,880 and would certainly appreciate a fast pace to run at with regular rider Tiago Pereira up. By Mucho Macho Man out of the North Light mare Carmelita, he’s been idle since fourth, beaten 3 ½ lengths in a second condition allowance at a mile and one eighth on turf here Nov. 2.

Owned by Larry and Ann Jett, Carmelita’s Man has a win and two seconds from eight tries at the Turf Classic distance and is 29-8-6-3 overall.

Based at Golden Gate Fields with veteran conditioner Steve Specht, a pair of Larry and Marianne Williams homebred geldings by Tamarando, 5-year-old Royal ’n Rando and 4-year-old Passarando, would appear to fit nicely in the Turf Classic.

A respectable sixth, beaten 2 ½ lengths in last year’s Turf Classic, Royal ’n Rando was second in his only other career try at a mile and one eighth on turf as a 3-year-old in the statebred Snow Chief Stakes here in March of 2022.

Most recently third in a one mile classified allowance on synthetic Tapeta Nov. 26 at Golden Gate Fields, Royal ’n Rando will be handled by regular rider Frank Alvarado. Out of the Grand Slam mare Royal Grand Slam, Royal ’n Rando is 23-6-3-3 overall with earnings of $220,592.

Winless from five starts last year, Passarando, who is out of the Lucky Pulpit mare I’m Passing Ya Now, will be ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori and could certainly outrun his odds. Most recently fifth, beaten five lengths in the same one mile classified allowance Royal ’n Rando exits, Passarando worked a mile in company with his stablemate on Dec. 23 at Golden Gate, getting the distance in 1:42.40 while besting Royal ’n Rando’s 1:42.60.

THE $200,000 UNUSUAL HEAT TURF CLASSIC WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

None Above the Law—Joel Rosario–124
Carmelita’s Man—Tiago Periera—124
Bally’s Charm—Hector Berrios—124
Mogollon Rim—Armando Ayuso–120
Kings River Knight—Juan Hernandez—124
Silent Heat—Antonio Fresu—120
Aligato—Flavien Prat—124
Passarando—Lanfranco Dettori—124
Catalina Eddy—Kazushi Kimura—120
Royal ’n Rando—Frank Alvarado–124

First post time for a nine-race card on Cal Cup Day this Saturday, is at 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.
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