There’s No Room for Sentiment as Longshots Rule Cal Cup VIII

Sentimentalists went home unhappy after California Cup VIII was completed Saturday at Santa Anita.

Looking to duplicate his victory in the 1991 Cal Cup Sprint, when he was a mere 3-year-old, Letthebighossroll had to settle for second behind 10-1 shot Red.

In the process, though, the gray 9-year-old gelding did surpass $1-million in career earnings, a figure that had been a goal for owner Mike Pegram and trainer Bob Baffert.

Letthebighossroll fared a lot better than another old-timer. Eight-year-old Megan’s Interco, who was trying to become the first horse to win four Cal Cup races, finished eighth as the 8-5 favorite in the $175,000 Mile, beating only the eased Hundred Dollarkiss. Gastown, the 8-5 second choice, won, beating 9-1 shot Canyon Crest by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:38.

This was the first start for Megan’s Interco, who won the Mile in 1993 and ‘95, since he won a thrilling Cal Cup Classic, beating longshot Mateo by a half-length after a stretch long duel, 51 weeks ago.

Plagued by foot problems throughout his career that limited him to only 30 starts, the gelding never threatened Saturday.

“What can I say?” said trainer Jenine Sahadi, who saw her other Mile entrant, Skywalker’s Choice, finish a troubled third. “[Jockey] Corey [Nakatani] said he was never really comfortable. He said the turf was very firm.

“I had that in the back of my mind. That’s why I didn’t run him in the Mile last year. If he comes out all right, we’ll find something else to do with him--most likely, run him at Hollywood Park. Obviously, I’m disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world.”

If the day was short on sentiment, it was rich with longshots. Besides Red, Seattle Carla scored a 24-1 upset in the $125,000 Distaff, Awesome Daze was a 5-1 winner of the day’s richest race, the $250,000 Classic, and Fun In Excess wound things up with a $31.40 surprise in the $125,000 Matron.

Claimed by trainer Darrell Vienna for owner David Milch for $50,000 in June, Awesome Daze rallied from last after six furlongs under Gary Stevens to beat 9-1 shot To Be Khaled by two lengths in 1:49 3/5 for the 1 1/8 miles.

By a fraction of a second, it was the slowest Classic in Cal Cup history and the quality of the field was the main reason why Vienna elected to run there instead of in the day’s first race, the $50,000 Starter Handicap.

“The race came up pretty easy and for $250,000, this was the place to go and he was doing extraordinarily well ,” said Vienna, who also won the Sprint Starter Handicap with Native Russian earlier. “He’s pretty much a $50,000 or $60,000 horse and he did his job and ran really hard.”

The Classic wasn’t kind to End Run and Busy Little Beaver, the first two betting choices in the field of nine.

Returning to the main track after a pair of victories on the grass at Del Mar, End Run, the 2-1 favorite, was pulled up on the first turn by jockey Chris McCarron and was vanned off the track. He apparently sustained a tendon injury in his left front leg.

Busy Little Beaver, the 3-1 second choice who figured to make the early lead, broke awkwardly, then was squeezed between two other horses and lost all chance. He wound up sixth.

Even though he missed in the Sprint and Classic, Baffert added to his Cal Cup total with victories by favored Ex Marks The Cop in the $100,000 Juvenile and Fun In Excess, who is owned by Pegram, in the Matron.

The runaway leader in the standings at the meeting with 17 wins, Baffert now has seven in the Cal Cup.

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Stevens finished with three victories. He swept the early double with 6-5 favorite Ready Eddie in the $50,000 Starter Handicap and the $50,000 Starter Sprint with 5-2 second choice Native Russian.

Owned by Ed and Natalie Friendly and trained by Dan Hendricks, Ready Eddie completed the 1 1/2 miles in 2:30, and Native Russian, who is owned by the Gold Stable, scored in 1:03 2/5 for the 5 1/2 furlongs. The latter had to survive a claim of foul by Bob Hess Jr., the trainer of Mc Fig, who finished fourth, for alleged interference in the stretch, but it was disallowed by the stewards.

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McCarron, who regained the mount on Souvenir Copy in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile when Stevens, who rode him to victory in the Norfolk Stakes a week ago elected to stay with Champagne winner Grand Slam, has committed to Exotic Wood for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Fourteen horses will be allowed to start in the six-furlong Sprint and the race is expected to oversubscribe, so it remains to be seen whether the mare will get into the race when pre-entries are announced Wednesday.

Horse Racing Notes

There is a Pick Six carryover of more than $152,572 for today. . . . The on-track attendance of 28,490 was the smallest in Cal Cup history. . . . Favored Career Collection scored the day’s most decisive victory, winning the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies by nine lengths. She was one of two winners for Corey Nakatani, who rode Red in the Sprint. . . . Apprentice jockey J.C. Gonzalez, 22, injured in a spill Friday, is expected to be sidelined three or four months. He underwent surgery Saturday at Arcadia Methodist Hospital to repair his broken left leg and fractured pelvis. . . . . A trial date of Dec. 15 has been set for jockey Pat Valenzuela, who was arrested Oct. 17 in Arcadia on suspicion of spousal abuse.