By DRF.com
ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2025) – In seven career starts against California-breds, Big City Lights has won three times and finished second on four occasions to The Chosen Vron, the leading statebred in the last two years.
Not a bad record at all.
Without The Chosen Vron for competition, the 6-year-old Big City Lights won the Cary Grant Stakes for statebreds by 8 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite at Del Mar in November.
Big City Lights, second in the race last year, will be a heavy favorite to win the fifth stakes of his career in the rescheduled $125,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint at six furlongs on Saturday, Jan. 18, at Santa Anita. The California Cup Sprint is one of five stakes for statebreds on Saturday’s 11-race program, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Pacific.
Bred by Bar C Racing Stable and trained by Richard Mandella for Bill Peeples, Big City Lights beat four rivals in the Cary Grant Stakes at seven furlongs. None of them are part of Saturday’s field. In addition, The Chosen Vron is currently out of training.
Instead, Big City Lights has four different rivals, notably Clovisconnection, an eight-time stakes winner in Northern California and Washington.
Big City Lights has not raced since the Cary Grant, but has left Mandella encouraged with his recent activity, notably a five-furlong workout in 59 seconds on Jan. 1.
“Everything is in good shape right now,” Mandella said. “He always gives it his best.”
Big City Lights, who will be ridden by Kazushi Kimura, tends to run as a stalker and may have Clovisconnection as an early target. Trained by Blaine Wright, Clovisconnection has won his last four sprints, including consecutive starts in six-furlong stakes at Fresno and Pleasanton in September and November.
Clovisconnection was second by a head in the Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs last August, his only loss in more than seven months. He is by Vronsky, out of the Perfect Mandate mare La Darling, and was bred by owners Willian & Judy Hedrick. He has 11 wins in 17 starts, earnings of $438,300 and is coming off a win in the Nov. 9 Oakland Stakes.
The California Cup Sprint will be the stakes debut for the lightly raced 5-year-old gelding Smiling Beast, who is unbeaten in two starts for trainer Brian Koriner – a maiden race at Santa Anita in May and an allowance race at Del Mar in November.
California Thoroughbred Breeders Association January Sale graduate Smiling Beast, who has the inside post in the California Cup Sprint, won from off the pace in May and was near the front throughout in the November win.
Smiling Beast is by Smiling Tiger, out of the Candy Ride mare Betterthanadequate, was bred by Scott Ross & Mary Ross and is owned by Brown, Edward Rusty J., Klein, Alan P. and Lebherz, Philip and trained by Brian Koriner. The $14,000 CTBA January Sale purchase out of the Easterbrook Livestock Management consignment has earnings of 65,400 and is coming off a Nov. 16 optional claiming win.
Northern California Yearling Sale graduate Haywood is a supplemented entry by Curlin to Mischief, out of the More Than Ready mare Letmetakeaselfie, was bred by DP Racing, is owned by R3 Racing and trained by Doug O’Neill. The $5,700 purchase at the Northern California Yearling Sale has two wins in 11 starts, earnings of $82,620 and is coming off an Oct. 19 claiming win.
Geezer is by Merit Man, out of the More Than Ready mare Pat Olcott, was bred by Melody Conlan and Hector Palma, is owned by Royalty Stable and trained by Palma. He has five wins in 16 starts, earnings of $218,336 and is coming off a third in a Dec. 13 optional claimer. He was third in this race last year.