Alert Bay Heads Cal Cup Turf Classic

Fresh off his most prestigious career win and in search of his fifth consecutive victory, Alert Bay heads a field of 12 older horses bred or sired in California in the $250,000 California Cup Turf Classic Jan. 24 at Santa Anita Park.

A neck winner of the Dec. 26 Mathis Brothers Mile (gr. IIT), the 4-year-old gelding by City Zip   the 1 1/8-mile British Columbia Derby (Can-III) and the 1 3/8-mile BC Premier's Handicap (Can-III) on dirt at Hastings Park on Sept. 14 and Oct. 13, respectively.

Prior to the Mathis Brothers Mile, he shipped to Zia Park to take the Nov. 26 Zia Park Derby for trainer Blaine Wright going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt.  

A close third to rival Awesome Return in his only try at 1 1/8 miles on turf (Santa Anita's Snow Chief Stakes on April 26, 2014), Alert Bay bested Awesome Return by 1 1/4 lengths in the Mathis Brothers, their most recent dust-up.

Owned by Peter Redekop B.C., Ltd., Alert Bay has good tactical speed and will be ridden back by Tyler Baze from post 3. He has earnings of $617,207 from an overall mark of 7-4-1 in 13 starts.

Richard Kritzski's homebred Awesome Return has been a gem of consistency for trainer Mike Puype since well-beaten by eventual Horse of the Year California Chrome eight starts back in the Cal Cup Derby Jan. 25. Never worse than third since, the 4-year-old colt by Decarchy   had three wins from eight starts last year, good for earnings of $326,820.

A winner of the Snow Chief Stakes last April in his only try at the Turf Classic distance, Awesome Return rallied well from off the pace in the Mathis Brothers Mile and will have Kent Desormeaux in the irons again. With four wins, a second and three thirds from 10 overall starts, Awesome Return has career earnings of $354,780 and rates a big chance on Saturday.

Turf specialist Boozer, who disappointed at 5-2 in a one-mile turf allowance Jan. 2, is blessed with ample speed and could well be sent to the front by new rider Gary Stevens. Trained by Mark Glatt and owned by Al and Sandee Kirkwood, the 5-year-old Unusual Heat gelding comes off a phenomenal 2014, which was capped by victory in the 6 1/2-furlong turf California Flag Stakes on Oct. 18.

With all 13 of his lifetime starts coming on grass, Boozer has five wins, two seconds and two thirds, with earnings of $297,742.

Jerry Hollendorfer's G. G. Ryder is another with sharp, consistent recent form. Based at Golden Gate Fields, the 4-year-old colt by Chhaya Dance was second two starts back in the 1 1/16-mile Berkeley Handicap (gr. III) on Tapeta Nov. 30 and comes off a big gate to wire win in a one mile classified allowance on the Golden Gate turf. Owned by Hollendorfer and George Todaro, G. G. Ryder has run competitively with both Alert Bay and Awesome Return and gets the services of leading rider Rafael Bejarano. Out of the Storm Boot mare Stormy Gigi, he has three wins from five starts on turf and has a 7-2-1 overall record from 14 starts with earnings of $215,794.

Hollendorfer also sends out grade I winner Tamarando, the 4-year-old Bertrando colt who took the 2014 El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) and in 2013 won the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I). Tamarando looks to get back to winning ways after a five-race skid dating back to the El Camino Real in February of 2014. Corey Nakatani gets the mount from the rail. 

Earlier on the card, stakes winner Velvet Mesquite returns once again to the surface she has clearly excelled over when she takes on 13 rivals in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint going 6 1/2 furlongs down Santa Anita's unique hillside turf course.

Owned and bred by Harris Farms and trained by Blake Heap, the 5 year-old mare was a strong third in the Jan. 4 Monrovia (gr. IIT) down the hillside in her last out. Five for seven when running over the course, Velvet Mesquite will seek her second stakes win Saturday. By In Excess out of the Huddle Up mare Mesquite, Velvet Mesquite is 5-2-1 overall from 11 starts with earnings of $284,606. 

A hillside professional in her own right, Carla Gaines' Heat Trap comes off a second-place finish in the Monrovia. Owned and bred by Mark Devereaux and Scott Gross, the 6-year-old will break from the far outside with regular rider Victor Espinoza in her stakes debut. 

By Unusual Heat, Heat Trap has two wins, two seconds and a third from five tries down the hill. She has a 4-5-1 record from 12 starts overall with earnings of $291,956.

Current leading trainer Jerry Hollendorfer will send out Doinghardtimeagain in only her second attempt down the hill. Owned and bred by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, LLC, the 5-year-old Ministers Wild Cat mare has run in 15 straight stakes races. 

In her latest turf try, Doinhardtimeagain was pulled up and vanned off in the one mile Solana Beach Handicap Aug. 17 at Del Mar. Jockey Mike Smith said it was purely precautionary and that "I knew she had a foot issue before and I felt her feet were stinging her so I didn't want to take any chances." 

Third in the 6 1/2 furlong Kalookan Queen Dec. 28, Doinghardtimeagain will again be reunited with Elvis Trujillo, who when paired with Hollendorfer has been in the money 55% of the time at the current meet.