Big City Lights, a stakes winner primarily on dirt, will take on Santa Anita’s distinctive hillside turf course for the first time this Saturday. Carrying the top weight of 126 pounds, he competes in the $100,000 California Flag Handicap, a race for California-bred or sired horses, over roughly 6 ½ furlongs.
Conditioned by Richard Mandella, Big City Lights has notched six stakes victories on dirt, including the 2024 G3 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita. This Saturday’s race marks just his second turf outing out of 19 career starts. Last November, the 7-year-old son of Mr. Big ran in the five-furlong Stormy Liberal at Del Mar on grass but finished ninth without making an impact.
Most recently, on August 29, Big City Lights placed third for the second consecutive year in the G2 Pat O’Brien Stakes over seven furlongs at Del Mar. Earlier this year, he triumphed over statebred rivals in the Thor’s Echo at Santa Anita, a six-furlong dirt race. Owned by William R. Peeples, Big City Lights holds a career record of 18 starts with nine wins, four seconds, and three thirds, amassing $741,960 in earnings. Kazushi Kimura will be his jockey.
Boss Sully, a stakes winner trained by Brian Koriner, returns following a three-month break. His last start was a turf sprint at Saratoga on July 5, where he competed against open company in the five-furlong Harvey Pack Stakes, stalking the pace early but fading to finish last in an eight-horse field. Earlier this year, he won the Sire Lure Stakes on turf over six furlongs at Santa Anita. Owned by Edward Rusty J. Brown, Alan P. Klein, and Phillip Lebherz, the 6-year-old Street Boss gelding carries 123 pounds with Hall of Famer Mike Smith riding. Boss Sully’s overall record stands at 18 starts: six wins, two seconds, and two thirds, with total earnings of $471,392. Notably, he has won one of his two attempts on Santa Anita’s hillside turf.
Another contender, Flyover, boasts two stakes victories against California-breds during Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet, including the Sensational Star on the hillside turf in March. He carries 124 pounds with Emisael Jaramillo as jockey. Trained by John Sadler, Flyover recently finished fourth after carving out a contested pace in a strong allowance race over five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on July 19. The 5-year-old son of Om is owned by Integrity Thoroughbred Racing, The Ellwood Johnston Trust, and Kenneth A. Tevelde. His record is 12 starts with six wins, earning $305,690.
The full California Flag Handicap field with jockeys and assigned weights by post position is:
- Lonesome Stew — Umberto Rispoli — 121 lbs
- On The Whim — Tiago Pereira — 121 lbs
- Chromeflash — Ricky Gonzalez — 112 lbs
- Flyover — Emisael Jaramillo — 124 lbs
- Steak Fries — Juan Hernandez — 117 lbs
- Big City Lights — Kazushi Kimura — 126 lbs
- Boss Sully — Mike Smith — 123 lbs
The first race post time on Saturday is 1 p.m. PT.
Fan Take: This race highlights the exciting challenge of California-breds and the unique Santa Anita hillside turf, shedding light on horses transitioning from dirt to turf and testing their versatility. For horse racing enthusiasts, it’s a prime example of the sport’s continuous evolution and the thrilling stories emerging from state-bred competitions.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
