Cal Cup 2015

Another Cal Cup is upon us, and we at Harris Farms are excited about the prospects of the Harris horses and those of our clients and connections. Santa Anita will have a ten race card on Saturday, January 24th celebrating thoroughbred racing and breeding in California.  Here is a quick guide to all the horses with a connection to Harris Farms.

The first race on the card is a 6 furlong maiden special weight for 3 year old Cal Breds. Harris resident sires Unusual Heat and Lucky Pulpit are represented by Generous Don and Lucky Vintage, respectively. Lucky Pulpit was the leading sire of 2014 in California, breaking Unusual Heat’s string of 6 straight titles. Lucky Pulpit is the sire of 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome, a Harris Farms graduate whose spectacular 2014 is the focus of this year’s Cal Cup celebration. Unusual Heat is well represented with 9 runners in the 10 races, while Lucky Pulpit has 8 offspring racing.

The third race is a Cal Bred allowance down the hillside turf course. Hot Market was bred by Harris Farms and claimed out of his first start, a 3 length win at Del Mar. He is coming off an allowance win at Golden Gate Fields on November 14th.  Lucky Views is by Lucky Pulpit, Law Dog is by Unusual Heat, and Tiz Futurity is sired by Harris resident stallion Tizbud. Longtime friend and client Don Valpredo sends out Do Some Magic, who has been off since a win in his last start in March.

The fourth race is also a six furlong maiden special weight for Cal Bred 3 year olds. Harris Farms sends out first time starter Lucky Reality, a gelded son of Harris stallion Lucky J.H. out of Oceans Reality. Lucky Reality is trained by Dan Blacker and will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux. McHeat is a son of Unusual Heat who will also be making his first start. Bred by his owner Madeline Auerbach, McHeat is trained by Barry Abrams and ridden by Flavien Prat. Also making their debuts in this race are Vodka Texted You by Lucky Pulpit and Unusualy by Unusual Heat. Five of the nine contestants in this race are making their first start.

The fifth is the first Stakes race of the day, the $200,000 Cal Cup Oaks for 3 year old fillies going a mile on the grass. Four of the eight contestants were born in the Harris foaling barn. Heat the Rocks is the likely favorite coming off a maiden win and a game second in the Soviet Problem Stakes in her last start. Foaled, raised, and started in the Harris program, she was entered in the Harris consignment for the 2013 Barretts January sale, where she was the highest selling yearling filly at $53,000. Heat the Rocks is sired by Unusual Heat and is owned by George Todaro, Brett Tahajian, and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.  Patsy G and Me is by Unusual Heat and was foaled and raised at Harris Farms. She broke her maiden in her second start on December 19th at Los Alamitos and is owned by her breeder Ed Tannenbaum.  Tribal Express is a daughter of Lucky Pulpit and was foaled, raised, and started in the Harris program. She has one win and a second in nine starts for owners and breeders Albert and Kathleen Mattivi. Swiss Skimmer was born at Harris for owners and breeders Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams, who also own Lucky Pulpit and several runners on the Cal Cup program.

Race six is the $250,000 Cal Cup Derby, 1 1/16 miles on dirt for Cal Bred 3 year olds. This race was won last year in spectacular fashion by California Chrome on his way to Santa Anita and Kentucky Derby titles. Pulmarack drew gate 7 of 8 for this year’s running. A son of Lucky Pulpit out of the good mare Tamarack Bay, Pulmarack was foaled at Harris Farms and has a win and a second in 4 starts for Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams.

Race seven is the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint, contested at 6 ½ furlongs down the hill. Harris bred and owned Velvet Mesquite leads the way as a probable favorite, due to her 5 wins on this course. By In Excess out of Mesquite, her record of 5 wins, 2 seconds and a third from 11 starts has earned $284,606. Velvet Mesquite is trained by Blake Heap and will be ridden for the fourth consecutive time by Hall of Famer Mike Smith. Heat Trap was also foaled, raised, and started at Harris Farms and will also be a favorite. By Unusual Heat out of Trapunto, Heat Trap was bred by her owners Scott Gross and Mark Devereaux, trained by Carla Gaines, and will be ridden by Victor Espinosa. Heat Trap has 4 wins and 5 seconds in 12 starts for earnings of $291,956. Another filly foaled and raised in the Harris program is Go West Marie. Bred by Summer Mayberry and owned by Peter Redekop, this daughter of Western Fame won her last start at Santa Anita under Gary Stevens, who returns to ride her in Saturday’s race. Eight time winner Marks Mine, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams, also drew her first breath in the Harris foaling barn. Trained by Steve Specht, this 5 year old mare has earned over $400,000 in 20 starts.

The eighth race is the 6 furlong Donald Valpredo Cal Cup Sprint, run on dirt with a purse of $150,000. Lucky Pulpit is represented by Rousing Sermon, a 30 race veteran who has competed in both the Kentucky Derby and the Santa Anita Handicap. Owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams, Rousing Sermon is a stakes winner of over $750,000 with multiple graded stakes placings to his credit. He is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and will be piloted by Elvis Trujillo.

The feature race on the card is the $250,000 Cal Cup Turf Classic, 1 1/8 miles on the grass. Harris Farms has entered the 7 year old gelding Super Ability, who is a stakes winner of $231,505 in only 12 lifetime starts. Trained by Carla Gaines, Super Ability welcomes back jockey Martin Garcia, who rode him 9 of his first 10 starts and all 4 of his wins. Big Bane Theory is also a product of the Harris program from birth through early training. By Artie Schiller out of Shebane, the 6 year old bay stallion has earned $365,890 for owners and breeders Scott Gross and Mark Devereaux.  Carla Gaines trains and Joe Talamo is the regular jockey as he makes his seventh consecutive stakes appearance. Boozer was also raised on Harris soil, and although this son of Unusual Heat is a stakes winner on the Santa Anita turf, he has never before been asked to race 1 1/8 miles. Mark Glatt trains Boozer for owners Al and Sandee Kirkwood. Alpine Luck is a son of Harris stallion Lucky J.H. and was a stakes winner at 2. Bred by Heinz Steinman, Alpine Luck is owned by Big Chief Racing and trained by Keith Desormeaux and was foaled, raised, and started at Harris Farms.  Tamarando was the 2013 California Champion 2 year old for owners/breeders Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams. Also out of Tamarack Bay, Tamarando is by Bertrando and was born in the Harris foaling barn. Christopher Street is another son of Unusual Heat who will be looking for his fourth win and his first stakes win.

The last race of the day is a $30,000 maiden claiming event for 3 year old fillies. Lucky Pulpit is represented by two runners: Lucky Illusion and Vegas Luck. Vegas Luck was bred and raised by Harris foaling team supervisor Patty Lagden and sold at the 2013 Barretts yearling sale. Coming off an improving 4th place finish at this level in her last start, Vegas Luck is owned by a partnership and trained by Richard Rosales.

Best of luck to all Harris horses, clients, and connections at this year’s event. Let’s have a great day of safe, exciting races!