ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 18, 2025) – Prohibitive favorite Big City Lights made easy work of a small field on Saturday with a victory in the $125,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita that could send him next to Dubai.
Bred by Bar C Racing Stable and trained by Richard Mandella for owner Bill Peeples, Big City Lights won by 7 3/4 lengths over Clovisconnection with Smiling Beast third in the field of four.
“He’s a beautiful horse. He has a classy head, great balance. Just a classy looking horse,” said Mandella.
“I got a good work in him. He’s just a good horse with a lot of class. “(William R. Peeples) wasn’t here. He had shoulder surgery Monday, and I got a message that he wasn’t quite up to it. But he and this horse have been a pleasure all along.
“Not sure what’s next. We kind of want to nominate him to Dubai ($2 million Golden Shaheen Sprint April 5) and daydream a little bit. I don’t know, but his last couple races are better than they’ve ever been, and he’s winning with authority. So that’s what we’re in this business for, to dream right?”
Big City Lights ran the six furlongs in 1:09.46 under a hand ride from Flavian Prat, who picked up the mount from the injured Kazushi Kimura.
““He’s not the quickest out of the gate but after you get him into his rhythm, he has some speed and he carried it very well,” said Prat. “I thought today was a very good performance on his part.”
Big City Lights, who went off at odds of 1-10, has seven wins in 13 starts with earnings of $578,420 and was coming off a sharp win in the Nov. 9 Cary Grant Stakes at Del Mar. He was second in this race in 2023.