Cal Cup Upset Is Big for Trainer

Trainer Dan Hendricks’ fifth California Cup win was definitely the most unexpected and almost certainly the most gratifying.

Cozy Guy, a 20-1 shot, outbattled Lava Man, an even larger outsider at 25-1, to win the $250,000 Classic, the richest of Saturday’s 10 races, and give the Hendricks barn its initial victory of the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita.

The win was the first stakes success for Hendricks, 45, since he was paralyzed from the waist down in a motocross accident more than three months ago.

Claimed for $40,000 by Hendricks for owners Jerry and Dan Higman and Jeff and Lance Hayes on Aug. 29, 2003, Cozy Guy had earned more than $125,000 this year heading into the Classic and he more than doubled that figure Saturday.

Giving jockey Corey Nakatani his second win on the card, the 3-year-old Alphabet Soup gelding edged clear late to score by three-quarters of a length in 1:47.70 for the 1 1/8 miles.

“This is just great,” Hendricks said. “It really picks us up. We had a slow summer and a little bit of a setback [a reference to his accident], but the horses started running well at the end of Del Mar and here we are, winning the Classic.

“My owners have been great to me. They’ve stood behind me from the beginning of this problem and it’s great to have them here and to win this big race for them.”

Tizbud and Calkins Road, the previous two winners of the Classic, finished fifth and fourth, respectively, and Excess Summer, the 17-10 favorite, was last, beaten about 41 lengths.

“Dan did a great job with this horse and I’m so happy it all worked out like this,” said Nakatani, who also won the $150,000 Sprint with Areyoutalkintome. “It’s a great story.”

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Dream Of Summer was successful in her first trip around two turns, gamely defeating 4-5 favorite Yearly Report to win the $150,000 Matron.

Owned and bred by Jim Weigel and trained by Juan Garcia, the 5-year-old Siberian Summer mare has now won seven of nine. She ran the 1 1/16 miles under jockey Mike Smith in 1:42.36.

Able to control the pace, Dream Of Summer, the 4-1 third choice in the field of six, was headed by Yearly Report in the stretch but came back on late to win her fifth in a row.

“She sure can go a distance,” Smith said after his first Cal Cup victory. “The whole key was getting her to relax. At about the eighth pole, she took a big, deep breath and just filled herself up with a little more energy and had enough to hold. She loves to fight.”

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Our Mango, who had been winless in five starts on the turf, scored the biggest upset in Cal Cup history when she paid $100.20 while beating 19-10 favorite Western Hemisphere by a nose in the $150,000 Distaff. The biggest price before Saturday had been when 33-1 shot College Town won the 1994 Classic.

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Victor Espinoza had the best day of any jockey, winning three races -- the $100,000 Distance Handicap with favored Test The Waters, the $175,000 Mile with second choice A To The Z and concluding the day with a narrow win atop 7-2 shot Lady Truffles in the $125,000 Juvenile Fillies.

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The other Cal Cup winners were Ata Olympio, who remained unbeaten in four starts with a decisive victory in the $50,000 Starter Sprint; Texcess, who stretched out in his second career start and easily beat five opponents in the $125,000 Juvenile, and Ring Of Friendship, who led throughout to win the $50,000 Starter Handicap.

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Ticker Tape, the 17-10 favorite, won for the third time in her last four starts, beating 2-1 shot Barancella by half a length to take the $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

Handling a soft turf course dampened by recent rain, the 3-year-old Royal Applause filly prevailed in 1:51.35 for the 1 1/8 miles. Owned by Jim Ford, Daron Pearson and Jack Sweesy and trained by Jim Cassidy, Ticker Tape was ridden by Kent Desormeaux as she won for the seventh time in 17 lifetime starts. It was her second Grade I victory of the year.