BOOKIES LUCK, RAVEN CREEK & HECK YEAH ALL PROMINENT IN SATURDAY’S $100,000 CALIFORNIA CUP TURF SPRINT STAKES AT 6 ½ FURLONGS DOWN HILLSIDE TURF; COMPETITIVE FIELD OF 13 SOPHOMORES SET TO COMPETE
RACE IS ONE OF FOUR GOLDEN STATE SERIES RACES FOR HORSES BRED OR SIRED IN CALIFORNIA
A two-time California-bred or sired stakes winner, trainer Jeff Bonde’s Bookies Luck will try turf for the first time as he heads a field of 13 sophomores in Saturday’s $100,000 California Cup Turf Sprint at 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.
His primary opposition could come from a pair of recent maiden winners, Jeff Mullins’ Raven Creek and Bob Baffert’s Heck Yeah.
BOOKIES LUCK
Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams Jeff Bonde
By far the most accomplished horse in the field, this Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams’ homebred colt by Lucky Pulpit has three wins from seven dirt starts and earnings of $216,649. A winner of the seven furlong Golden State Juvenile two starts back at Del Mar on Nov. 4, he’s been idle since well beaten as the 6-5 favorite in the one mile King Glorious Stakes versus Cal-breds at Los Alamitos Dec. 16. With regular rider Kent Desormeaux set to do the signal calling, Bookies Luck is strictly the horse to beat in his initial voyage down the hill.
RAVEN CREEK
Owner: William Simms and Joey Platts Trainer: Jeff Mullins
Favored in four of his six starts, this 3-year-old colt by Old Fashioned comes off a rousing 1 ¼ length maiden win down the hillside turf Jan. 1 and was second, beaten 1 ½ lengths down the hill three starts back on Oct. 26. A gate to wire maiden winner, Raven Creek can be expected to show plenty of early zip under Tyler Baze but it wouldn’t appear that he has to have the lead throughout for his best. Bred in California by his co-owner William Sims, Raven Creek is out of the More Than Ready mare Trashi Diva.
HECK YEAH
Owner: Michael Pageler Trainer: Bob Baffert
An emphatic 5 ¼ length first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs on Dec. 7 at Los Alamitos, Heck Yeah should appreciate the switch to turf as he’s by multiple Grade I turf stakes winner Acclamation. With Drayden Van Dyke set to ride him back, Baffert, who will be away to saddle both Collected and West Coast in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, will be seeking his second turf stakes win of the young meeting.
THE CALIFORNIA CUP TURF SPRINT STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 6 of 10 Approximate post time 2:15 p.m. PT
Raven Creek—Tyler Baze—120
Heck Yeah—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Hardboot—Corey Nakatani—120
Vutzak—Stewart Elliott—120
Night At the Opera—Joe Talamo—120
Psycho Dar—Evin Roman—120
Cono—Flavien Prat—120
Campaigner—Tiago Pereira—120
Continental Divide—Victor Espinoza—124
Sunrise Journey—Rafael Bejarano—120
Ministersdontparty—Mario Gutierrez—120
Bookies Luck—Kent Desoremeaux—124
Sir Valentine—Tyler Conner—120
Special first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 11:45 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com.
Thank you for your continued support of Santa Anita and IdaBet.com!
Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams’ Bookies Luck and jockey Kent Desormeaux win the $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes, Friday, September 1, 2017 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar CA.©
BOOKIES LUCK
Benoit Photo
