Cal Cup Day features six stakes races

Saturday is California Cup Day at Santa Anita, where there will be six stakes on a 10-race card featuring California-bred horses.

The improving John Scott, a 5-year-old gelded son of Bertrando, heads the field in the $175,000 California Cup Classic at 1 1/16 miles. Rousing Sermon, the eighth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, and the always energetic Holladay Road figure to offer competition to John Scott.

There were so many fillies and mares entered in the California Distaff that it will be split into two divisions of 11 horses each, racing at 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf.

The richest races of the day will be for 2-year-olds: the $250,000 Juvenile and $250,000 Juvenile Fillies.

Jockey Joel Rosario, who moved his business to the East Coast after winning 10 Southern California riding titles, will return to ride four horses in the six stakes races. Also, paying fans will receive a bobblehead of trainer Doug O’Neill.

—Eric Sondheimer