ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 13, 2012) – Lucky Primo, runner-up in this race last year, scored his second career California Cup victory by winning Saturday’s $175,000 Lava Man Cal Cup Classic, presented by City National Bank, at Santa Anita.
Lucky Primo is a 6-year-old gelding by Atticus, out of the Personal Flag mare Live Free or Die, was bred by Joshua Litt, Jason Litt and Dennis O’Neill, is owned by JBK Stable and Jason Litt, trained by Joshua Litt and was ridden by Tyler Baze.
“We go race by race with him,” said Joshua Litt. “If he’s good enough we’ll go on with him. Sometimes you have to give him time off. He’s just a solid, solid Cal-bred. Look at the size of him. He’s a big, huge horse, tries really hard, he’s extremely talented.
“He’s always had soundness issues. For us, we hope to make it to these races, so we kind of strategize it so we can make it here in pretty good shape.”
Lucky Primo has six wins in 16 starts, earnings of $407,616 and was coming off a fourth in an Aug. 30 optional claimer. This was his third race since finishing second in this race last year. He won the 2008 Cal Cup Juvenile.
Lucky Primo ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.05 and won by one-half length at odds of 9-2. Longshot pacesetter Got Even was second and favored John Scott was third in the field of seven.
For Lucky Primo’s pedigree, click http://www.pedigreequery.com/lucky+primo.