CA Cup Sprint ($150.000 Purse)
SA- For Four Year Olds and Upward Foaled In CA
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
January 15, 2022
When we looked at the SSM F/M Turf Sprint, Sweetness had all the look of the horse to beat, and she went out there and did so. That can’t be said for the winner of the CA Cup Sprint, Daddys Operation. This TwinTowersRacing colt would go off as the longest shot on the board, at odds of 38/1. In horse racing, one can never know when a horse will step and run the best race of their career, and today Daddys Operation would do that. He had been running long and short, dirt and turf as TwinTowersRacing looked to find the perfect situation for him. The trainer deserves a lot of credit for this one as he wins the CA Cup Sprint for the first time. Jockey V Espinoza is a two time winner, having also won in 2017. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:09.00 and among the better winning times of the race in its history. Let’s take a look!
(¼ Mile- :21.80)- Grand Assault has come out ready to race, and sets a blistering opening quarter mile as he looks to get High Voltage back to the winners circle. He has a few horses running with him in the stalking position, with Machine Gun Tommy running in the middle of three wide for Nakamura Stables. To his inside, it is Iron Return, for Alydar Stables, and running three wide, we have Maxmillion Farm’s Tugela Force. Right behind these three, Mr Frost runs by himself for Fractious. Then we have a big gap to the next group of horses that want nothing to do with this fast pace early. Six lengths from the leader, our eventual winner, Daddys Operation, from TwinTowersRacing is in a good position as he leads this next group. Although, he has company as Carnoustie (Smokey Stover) matches his stride and Call Me Mac (Simmer Down Stable) is nearby on the rail. Behind them, the three trailers are Rise Above (Mwn Racing), Stand In Line (Angelos Stable), and Heavy Refund (Chili King Stables).
(½ Mile- :44.49, Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Grand Assault continues to have visions of going wire to wire much like his stablemate, Sweetness, did in the previous race. He still looks competitive for now, but others are looking to close in. None of the original three stalkers have made a push to take over the lead, but both Machine Gun Tommy and Iron Return continue to be close behind, likely waiting for the pacesetter to run out of steam. Tugela Force has been unable to keep up and begins to group out, and is passed by Mr Frost before reaching the stretch. It’s that second group of horses that are the ones to watch now as they cut into their deficit. Daddys Operation can pick his lane to make a move on the first group and he chooses the outside trip. Carnoustie and Call Me Mac are still running with them. Behind them, Rise Above, Stand In Line, and Heavy Refund had a little more work to do if they wanted to prevail.
(Finish- 1:09.00)- Early in the stretch, things close up pretty quickly as Grand Assault becomes unable to maintain his pace. Machine Gun Tommy, Iron Return, and Mr Frost, were all closer to Grand Assault and would be the first to make their move, but it was pretty apparent that there were challengers behind them with more power in their stride with enough time to make something happen. For Daddys Operation, it may have been to his benefit that he took that outside lane because he would be in the clear while things got more congested to his inside. He would not have to break his stride at all. Call Me Mac also ended up with clear lane, as he stuck to the rail. In the dying moments, Mr Frost took the lead for a little while, but he would not have anything for Daddys Operation, who gets it done at odds of 38/1! His victory almost ends up being a full length on second place Call Me Mac, and Mr Frost takes the third spot. Carnoustie gets the final piece of the purse, ahead of Iron Return and Machine Gun Tommy. Stand In Line is next over Grand Assault, then Rise Above, Tugela Force and Heavy Refund.
About The Winner- Daddys Operation, trained TwinTowersRacing and ridden to victory by V Espinoza, is a four year old colt by Operationlconvenence and is out of Daddys Favorite. He was bred by TwinTowersRacing as a first quarter two year old, the only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourth in 18 starts, and it’s his first stake win. His career earnings are now $188.830.
Track: Fast
Time: :214 :442 :562 1:09
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 8 – 2 Paid 301.80
$1 Trifecta: 8 – 2 – 10 Paid 912.90
Scratched: Roundhead(L)
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
