$100,000 Donald Valpredo Cal Cup Sprint COURTSIDE

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2011) – Courtside shook off the challenge of M One Rifle and Bob Black Jack on the far turn and just kept going to a speedy win in Saturday’s $100,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint, for Cal-breds or Cal-sireds at Santa Anita.

Courtside is by Cindago, out of the Boston Harbor mare Wet, was bred by Lee and Susan Searing, is owned by CRK Stable, trained by John Sadler and was ridden by Joel Rosario. The half-brother to the multiple stakes-placed Young Joe was making his stakes debut.

“The instructions from John were just go to the front and that’s what I told Joel, who cares about the other speed,” said Larry Benevides, assistant trainer to Sadler, who was en route to Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup.

“He won in the slop (Mar. 20) here and he got his confidence up. He’s run two brilliant races since. His second quarter-mile is always his best.”

Courtside, who was running for a $20,000 tag earlier this year, has five wins in 10 starts, earnings of $178,300 and was coming off a second in a Sept. 7 optional claimer. He went off at 9-2.

“I just let him get away and hoped that he would hold on,” said Rosario. “To me it looks like he can hold on perfect at six furlongs.”

Courtside ran the six furlongs in 1:07.97 and won by 2 ¼ lengths over Bob Black Jack with M One Rifle third in the field that was cut to seven by the late vet scratch of 8-year-old defending champion Cost of Freedom, which cost jockey Rafael Bejarano a chance for his fifth consecutive win on the card.

For Courtside’s pedigree, click http://www.pedigreequery.com/courtside3.