CA Cup Derby
$175.000 For Three Year Olds Foaled in CA
1 1/16 Miles – Dirt
Santa Anita Park – January 17,2026
Eleven CA bred three year olds are restless in their stalls tonight ready to be let loose on Saturday at Santa Anita and get their 2026 sophomore season underway. The forecast is for a clear sunny Southern CA day so we will have a fast track and a fair assessment of how these eleven horses have transitioned from year two to three. Although this is a state-bred race and there are no Kentucky Derby qualifying points being offered, any race at this time of year with any significant purse for three year olds has the specter of the Derby looming over it. Seven of the eleven entries are Triple Crown nominated.
1. Apirana (Mb Stables/J.J. Hernandez) First entry from the perennial leading owner. He finished second in the G1 Pharoah at this same track last fall in his first start after he was gelded. He finished a half a length off of his stablemate Control The Center that day and that one kicked off his own 2026 season with a dominating win in the G2 San Vicente a week ago. Apirana went from the Pharoah to the BC Juvenile and finished a dull thirteenth. He was put on the shelf after a furious stretch run in a CA bred allowance at the end of November and then was put on the shelf. There are no works that give you bulging cartoon eyes but being that close to his impressive stablemate last fall and his connections make him one you can’t ignore. TC nominated.
2. Attacks (Night Rider Stables/E. Jamarillo) Broke his maiden in a $10.000 claiming race where he was picked up by Night Rider Stables. He was given some time to develop and his first start for his new trainer was a graded stakes with the addition of Bute. He did not live up to the high hopes that placement indicated finishing eighth of eight. He gave a better account of himself in an allowance effort in mid December where he finished a closing second to Blooming Attack who is starting from gate seven in today’s event. He gets a little bit more ground to close in on that one but not a lot. TC nominated.
3. Private Money (Winning Link Stables/J. Valdivia Jr.) Winning Link Stables homebred colt comes into the race with the least amount of earnings but he also has the least amount of starts with only two previously. He started his two year old season in November with a nice debut second and he followed that up by breaking his maiden five weeks later as the favorite. He has one public work since that win which was a nice mile bullet. Not much to go on as far as form yet but on the positive side you can say he has never been worse than second. Today is a test. TC nominated.
4. Grey Cipher (Lemax Farms/A. Ayuso) Since he has been gelded he has won three out of six races and has been second in two others. He has a two race winning streak but is trying stakes company of any kind for the first time. It flatters him that in his last race he finished ahead of Apirana who is a proven stakes competitor and drew the rail today. He took a positive step forward in his last work so he looks to be coming into this race very sharp. TC nominated.
5. Record Machine (Acber Farms/A.Fresu) Four races and a good bad good bad pattern that, if that means anything, says he has a good one in store for this race. His last race can possible thrown out as the G2 Remsen came up muddy and maybe he does not like the wet stuff. He closed like a freight train prior to that for a close second in the G3 Grey Stakes. He also was closing well in the G1 Champagne but that was for a non-threatening ninth place finish. His MSW debut win at Del Mar and his Grey Stakes effort show that he is capable of being a threat.
6. Faith No More (Alydar Stables/K. Frey) Broke his maiden in his second start in late June and was purchased by Alydar Stables for $200.000 a few days later. He rewarded his new trainer with an allowance win in his first attempt for that barn but has found it to be rough going since. He tried two So Cal G1 races after his allowance win and did not hit the board. He disappointed the last time we saw him in a Del Mar allowance in November but we have not seen him since. Works are on par with his competition. Needs to return to his earlier form to take this one.
7. Blooming Attack (Mb Stables/L. Dettori) Gray gelding is the second entrant for the big barn. He has won three of his five lifetime starts. He was claimed by Mb for $40.000 in September and was put right into the G1 Breeders Futurity which demonstrates the new trainer’s high regard. His effort in that race did not justify that high regard in the finishing position of ninth but he did lead most of the way before fading. He regrouped and came back with a front running win in December where he won by daylight. The runner up that day was Attacks who starts in gate 2. Sharp works. TC nominated.
8. Creepy Echo Party (Martyparty/D. Van Dyke) Another lightly raced entry with only four races thus far under his belt. He finished ahead of Record Machine in the muddly Remsen where he picked up a minor check for a distant fourth. The good news out of that race is that he did finish fourth which was ahead of six other hopefuls and although he never threatened the winner the horse crossing the wire that day was the formidable Hurts so you have to factor that in. No one challenged the winner that day. His first stakes effort was a fast closing near miss third in the Display Stakes before the Remsen. He has packed on some healthy weight since his last race and has the right to improve.
9. Hulk (D J C Racing Stables/V. Espinoza) It’s good to see that Hulk is an aptly named big guy at 16.1 hands. He is one of two entries in the field that has only two starts on his resume. Both of those races have resulted in him crossing the wire first. He was able to stalk and swarm in his two races even when starting in post eight of ten in his last race. He will have to do that again against higher caliber competition here but all indications from his races and his works are that he can. TC nominated.
10. Flames (Maxmillion Farm/E. Maldonado) He didn’t show much in a June debut but in his first start after being gelded he showed that he has the ability to be a serious racehorse winning a MSW at Del Mar shortly thereafter. That’s the totality of his race record. In that win he lived up to his name with a tail on fire stretch run. Even with a half furlong to go you really would not have been blamed if you didn’t think he could get there but he did. He found yet another gear late in that race to blow by the leader for a clear win. That run was so impressive you have to look at the race and think he has a shot here even with his limited resume.
11. Gogh Wild (Twin Towers Racing/U. Rispoli) Cleverly named homebred colt comes in with some good efforts to recommend him but he did fall short when asked to take a step up in the G2 LA Futurity in mid December. He stalked and kind of hung in that race when the running started. Before that race he had always jumped right to the front in his races and it may be that he did not like the change in tactics. His trainer is giving him a second chance to prove himself in stakes company. He unfortunately draws post eleven so he is starting with not only the task to rebound in form but overcome his post. If he reverts to his front running ways he may be able to clear the field and move over before the turn and get a chance to take them the distance. TC nominated.
It’s a large field with a lot of horses where you could make a case for them to come out a winner. I am going to put my money on two horses with limited starts who need to prove themselves but who seem like they may have the ability to jump up and impress here. I like the undefeated and fast working Hulk to hit the wire first followed by Flames who really impressed me with his stretch run in his win. I will add Apirana on the rail to round out my trifecta.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded