Cal Cup Winners Highlight Gold Rush

Four horses who won California Cup races last fall will race today in the $1.3-million California Gold Rush, Hollywood Park’s version of the Cal Cup.

Moscow Burning, Green Team, Lennyfromalibu and He’s The Rage are all among the favorites in their races during a 10-race program restricted to horses bred in California.

Moscow Burning, who began her career beating $12,500 maidens at Bay Meadows about a year ago, capped a three-race win streak in the Cal Cup Distaff Handicap.

Trained by Jim Cassidy for a partnership, she has failed to win in four subsequent starts, but is cutting back to a better distance -- 1 1/16 miles on turf -- in the $150,000 Fran’s Valentine.

Green Team, who captured the Cal Cup Sprint Nov. 8 at Santa Anita, is among nine scheduled to go 7 1/2 furlongs in the $150,000 Tiznow.

Claimed for $32,000 last July 13 at Solano, the 5-year-old Huddle Up gelding has won three times in eight starts for trainer Jeff Bonde and has five second-place finishes.

Lennyfromalibu is sure to be sent off at a shorter price in the $150,000 Khaled this afternoon than he was in his victory in the Cal Cup Mile. He was a 25-1 shot when he upset Continental Red and 10 others almost six months ago. Today, Lennyfromalibu might even go off as the favorite in the 1 1/8-mile turf race.

Trained by Barry Abrams, Lennyfromalibu has lost only once in four starts since the Cal Cup Mile -- a second to McCann’s Mojave in the Sensational Star Handicap on Feb. 14 at Santa Anita. This will be his first try at nine furlongs and he’ll again have to beat Continental Red, who has earned more than $1 million and is a three-time winner over the Hollywood Park turf course.

He’s The Rage, a 3-year-old Soft Gold colt who broke his maiden in the Cal Cup Juvenile, is among eight scheduled to run in today’s richest race, the $250,000 Snow Chief at 1 1/8 miles.

Since his four-length win in the Juvenile, He’s The Rage has run only twice. He was eighth of 10 in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, then second to Cee Mister B, who is also in the Snow Chief field, on March 5.

The Tiznow, Khaled and Snow Chief are part of a pick six with a guaranteed pool of $1 million. The other pick six races are a sprint for maidens, the $70,000 Golden Eagle Farms at seven furlongs and the $70,000 Warren’s Thoroughbreds for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.