California Cup Day At Santa Anita This Saturday Brings Together The Golden State’s Best Competing In 5 Stakes Races On 9-Race Card

CALIFORNIA CUP DAY AT SANTA ANITA THIS SATURDAY BRINGS TOGETHER THE GOLDEN STATE’S BEST COMPETING IN 5 STAKES RACES ON 9-RACE CARD

The California Cup program is exclusively for horses that were bred or sired in California

ARCADIA, CA (Jan. 12, 2026)—The best Thoroughbreds bred or sired in California will be on display this Saturday as they compete in five stakes races on California Cup Day at Santa Anita Park. First post is 12:30 p.m. PT for a nine-race card.

Among the program’s headliners are graded stakes winner Big City Lights, who seeks a repeat in the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint; the versatile and ultra-consistent multiple stakes winner Grand Slam Smile in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint presented by John Deere; and promising 3-year-old filly Cashed, who goes in the Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks after finishing second in the Grade II Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos in December. The other stakes on the card are the California Chrome Cal Cup Derby and Unusual Heat Turf Classic presented by City National Bank.

Kicking off the stakes action is the $125,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at six furlongs. Big City Lights, trained by Richard Mandella, dominated last year’s edition with a 7 ¾-length victory. Two starts back, Big City Lights—a 7-year-old full horse by Mr. Big—tried the deep waters of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar and finished off the board.

Looming as serious threats to Big City Lights are the streaking Man O Rose, a winner of three straight stakes versus statebreds for trainer Jeff Mullins; Speedy Wilson, who was third in the GI Malibu on Opening Day for trainer Phil D’Amato; and Book Smart for trainer Bob Hess Jr.

The Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint goes as the second race at approximately 1 p.m. The field in post position order: Book Smart, Mike Smith; Drop Um, Kyle Frey; Big City Lights, Mirco Demuro; Speedy Wilson, Armando Ayuso; Man O Rose, Edwin Maldonado.

Looming in the $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles on turf are Vodka Vodka and Hey Jessie. Vodka Vodka, trained by Aggie Ordonez, exits a solid fourth-place finish in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. at 1 1/16 miles on dirt on Opening Day. Two of his three wins have come on turf.

Hey Jessie, one of two females in the lineup, is trained by Sean McCarthy. She is back in with statebreds after multiple efforts against open company, which includes a first-level turf allowance in October at Santa Anita. Most recently, the 4-year-old daughter of Grazen tried the GIII Red Carpet at Del Mar and finished off the board on Nov. 23.

The Unusual Heat Turf Classic goes as the fifth race at approximately 2:30 p.m. The field in post position order: Hey Jessie, Mike Smith; Mr. Disrespectful, Hector Berrios; None Above the Law, Umberto Rispoli; Freeport Joe, Cristobal Herrera; Stop Digging, Armando Ayuso; Call Me Sir, Juan Hernandez; Stamp My Passport, Diego Herrera; Vodka Vodka, Kent Desormeaux.

The $175,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks is a one-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies. Cashed tries grass for the first time for trainer Doug O’Neill. In the GII Starlet, the I’ll Have Another filly set a contested pace and came up a length short behind winner Consequent.

Another key contender is Cecilia Street, who returns to action just eight days after winning a statebred allowance going six furlongs on turf at Santa Anita, Trained by Leonard Powell, the Stanford filly previously broke her maiden going a mile on the sod against statebreds at Del Mar and then was second in the Soviet Problem Stakes on dirt at Los Alamitos.

The Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks goes as the seventh race at approximately 3:30 p.m. The field in post position order: Crunchy, Emisael Jaramillo; Tiger Lady, Welfin Orantes; Cee Drew, Ricky Gonzalez; Eighties, Armando Ayuso; Too Sassy, Diego Herrera; Cecilia Street, Mirco Demuro; Cashed, Umberto Rispoli; Final Table Lady, William Antongeorgi III.

The $175,000 California Chrome Cal Cup Derby at 1 1/16 miles on dirt features the top three finishers of December’s King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos won by Smoovin Saturday.

Smoovin Saturday rallied to win the one-mile King Glorious by 1 ¼ lengths when making just his second start. Previously, the I’ll Have Another colt—owned and bred by Reddam Racing—was a debut winner at Del Mar in November.

John Metcalfe finished runner-up to Smoovin Saturday in the King Glorious after leading in the stretch. By Clubhouse Ride, John Metcalfe is trained by Craig Lewis for owner Rainmaker Racing.

The California Chrome Cal Cup Derby goes as the eighth race at approximately 4 p.m. The field in post position order: My Boy Stan, Kazushi Kimura; Sammy Davis, Hector Berrios; Start the Ride, Armando Ayuso; Smoovin Saturday, Tiago Pereira; Almost There, Abel Lezcano; Ocean Bear, Umberto Rispoli; John Metcalf, Juan Hernandez; Can’t Help Myself, Kyle Frey; Pavlovian, Mirco Demuro; Fionello, Emisael Jaramillo; Cruise Home, Welfin Orantes.

The $125,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint is about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course. Grand Slam Smile will be seeking an eighth stakes win for owners-breeders Larry D. Williams and Marianne Williams. Trained by Sean McCarthy, Grand Slam Smile most recently won the Betty Grable going seven furlongs on dirt at Del Mar on Nov. 8. A 5-year-old mare by Smiling Tiger, Grand Slam Smile is 2-for-3 with a runner-up on the hillside turf course which includes a win in the 2024 California Distaff Handicap.

The other key principals are Sneaker and Issa Court. In October, Sneaker beat Grand Slam Smile when winning the California Distaff Handicap on the hillside turf course. Trained by George Papaprodromou for owner R L Stables, the 5-year-old mare by Oscar Performance will be adding blinkers for her latest matchup with Grand Slam Smile.

Issa Court finished just a half-length back in third in the California Distaff Handicap behind Sneaker and Grand Slam Smile. An 8-year-old mare by Acclamation, Issa Court is trained by Hess Jr. and owned by Howard & Janet Siegel Racing.

The Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint presented by John Deere goes as the ninth race at approximately 4:30 p.m. The field in post position order: Prancingthruparis, Juan Hernandez; Tequilaandtherapy, Emisael Jaramillo; Grand Slam Smile, William Antongeorgi III; Going Deep, Edwin Maldonado; Sneaker, Mike Smith; Tina Turner, Armando Ayuso; Moment’s Pleasure, Mirco Demuro; Take Another Card, Umberto Rispoli; Issa Court, Hector Berrios.

On Cal Cup Day, Santa Anita will also be hosting its popular Burgers & Brews featuring an array of the best burgers from around Los Angeles. Ticket packages can be purchased at Santaanita.com.