CA Cup Derby
$175.000 For Three Year Olds Foaled in CA
1 1/16 Miles – Dirt
Santa Anita Park – January 17, 2026

For the second weekend in a row Mb Stables dominated the three-year-old race run at Santa Anita Park with Derby implications. A week ago, his G1 Pharoah winner from last Fall, Control The Center, dominated the G2 San Vicente. Apirana finished a half-length behind his stablemate in the Pharoah in October and now follows him a week later to take down his own Santa Anita stakes win by prevailing with an impressive stretch run in a CA Cup Derby win just a tick off of the stakes record. 

Winner: Apirana (Mb Stables/J.J. Hernandez) Bold Ruler/Otuataua Stonefields (Falling Angel) Bided his time towards the back of the pack in seventh place down the backstretch. Started to inch forward going into the final turn and then powered through an opening at the top of the stretch. He blew past his pacesetting stablemate and was opening up as they hit the wire. 

Second: Blooming Attack (Mb Stables/L. Dettori) Sioux Attack/Desert Bloom (Three Ten To Yuma) Was determined to set the pace and went to the front after the break and opened up a clear lead on the rest of the field. He ran strongly to the end. His stablemate blew past him late, but it was more of a strong effort by the latter rather than a fade from Blooming Attack. 

Third: Attacks (Night Rider Stables/E. Jaramillo) Sioux Attack/Quiet Kitty (Graveyard) Was even further back than the winner throughout most of the race. Followed the winner through the field and was gaining in tandem with that one through the stretch. 

Fourth: Creepy Echo Party (Martyparty/D. Van Dyke) Kingdom Echo/Creepy Lady Party (Creepy Palace) Settled into a midpack run down the backstretch. When the main running started, he found himself behind a wall of horses and had to swing wide while the winner found his way along the inside. Would have been closer with a better trip. 

Preview Pick: Hulk. Finished sixth two lengths back at the wire. Was running in tandem with the winner but was not fortunate to also find a seam. INSANE stretch run where he might have run more ground side to side vs going forward including a seemingly unnecessary final inside dive after finding a clear run. Fire that jockey but still worth watching in the future. 

The CA Cup Derby marks the first stakes win for the homebred Apirana. The CA Cup Derby did not offer any qualifying points, but he currently stands at number twenty-two in the qualifying standings by virtue of his second-place finish in last year’s Pharoah which gave him five points. That puts him in fifth place in the internal Mb Stable barn race to the Derby. Expect to see him on the formal Derby trail as we progress through the season. 

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded