From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (Mar. 1, 2026) — On California Cup Day last month, trainer Dan Blacker swept the two stakes for 3-year-olds when Start the Ride won the California Cup Derby and Cee Drew took down the California Cup Oaks on turf. Next weekend at Santa Anita, both California-breds will get shots at graded stakes glory.
Blacker confirmed Start the Ride will go in Saturday’s GII San Felipe and Cee Drew will run in the GIII Santa Ysabel on Sunday. The decision was finalized after the two sophomores worked in company Sunday morning. Cee Drew, with jockey Armando Ayuso aboard, was credited with a five-furlong work in 1:00.4. Start the Ride was clocked going four furlongs in 47.80 seconds.
“She went out five-eighths with a bit more of a gallop-out,” Blacker said. “Both went super. We’re going to take a shot.”
Start the Ride, owned and bred by Harris Farms, won the 1 1/16-mile Cal Cup Derby on Jan. 17 by 1 ¾ lengths when rallying from the back-half of the field. It was the first official start for the colt by Upstart. In his only previous outing, in November at Del Mar, Start the Ride was declared a non-starter when it was ruled the assistant starter held on to his reins too long after the gates opened. Despite the setback, Start the Ride that day rallied from far back to finish a solid fourth.
“He’s ready. He’s doing awesome,” Blacker said of running in the San Felipe. “It’s obviously a big step up, but his works have been great. You wouldn’t know he was a Cal-bred watching him train. One thing I know is distance isn’t going to be a problem. The longer the races are the better he’s going to be. It’s just a question if he’s good enough.”
The San Felipe awards qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby and is the final major prep for the GI Santa Anita Derby on April 4. Also to be run on Saturday are the GI Santa Anita Handicap, GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile and GII Frank E. Kilroe Mile.
The 1 1/16-mile Santa Ysabel on Sunday awards qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks and is the final major local prep for the GII Santa Anita Oaks on April 4. It would mark the dirt debut for Cee Drew.
In the Cal Cup Oaks going one mile on turf, Cee Drew came from off the pace to win by a neck for owner My Way Racing. The daughter of Cistron previously broke her maiden in October sprinting on the Santa Anita lawn then was no factor in the GIII Jimmy Durante going a mile on turf at Del Mar
“I’ve been working her on the main track with this race in mind,” Blacker said. “Cistron ran well on dirt and turf. Obviously she’s from a European mare, but I worked her on the main track wanting her to give me a reason not to run on dirt. But she didn’t. I’m excited to see how she runs on the dirt.”
This Saturday’s card will be drawn on Monday, and entries for Sunday’s program will be taken the following day.