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Unbeaten Professors’ Pride Transitions To Turf For Saturday’s California Cup Oaks

In one of the most competitive races on a 10-race California Cup Day program, veteran trainer Eddie Truman's Professors' Pride will try to transfer her scintillating dirt form to turf as she heads a field of 12 sophomore fillies bred or sired in California in Saturday's $200,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks at a flat mile.

Proven at one mile on turf, Vivacious Vanessa rates a huge chance as well for trainer Gary Mandella as she transitions back to the grass following a disappointing effort sprinting on the main track.

With John Velazquez taking over, John Sadler's Big Novel, a consistent performer on dirt, will try turf for the first time in what will be her sixth career start.

A first-out Cal Bred maiden special winner going six furlongs on Nov. 14 at Del Mar, Professors' Pride, who is owned by longtime Truman client Academic Farms, then stretched out to run her competition off their feet going a flat mile in the statebred Soviet Problem Stakes at Los Alamitos on Dec. 10. Off as the 9-5 favorite, the daughter of 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern toyed with her competition and defeated Big Novel, who she'll face again on Saturday, by three lengths.

Bred in California by Glen Hill Farm, Professors' Pride, unbeaten in two starts, is out of the Twirling Candy mare Last Resort and has banked $102,000.

A first-out winner from far off the pace versus statebreds in a one mile turf maiden special here on Oct. 16, Vivacious Vanessa came back to run a better than looked third, beaten 9 ¼ lengths, in the seven furlong (dirt) Golden State Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5 at Del Mar. Hemmed in around the far turn, she finished well under Juan Hernandez, who will ride her back on Saturday.

A California-bred daughter of Not This Time, out of the Mizzen Mast mare Masterful Lass, Vivacious Vanessa, who sold for $95,000 as a yearling, is owned by Thomas Nichols. She need only run back to her maiden win to be a serious contender in the Oaks.

By hot sire Mr. Big, Big Novel is owned by her breeder, George Krikorian. A six furlong winner versus statebreds in her third start on Oct. 2, she was second, beaten three lengths by Professors' Pride in the one mile Soviet Problem Stakes Dec. 10 at Los Alamitos and will be ridden for the fifth consecutive time by Joe Bravo.

Never off the board in five starts, with a win, three seconds and a third, Big Novel will likely stalk the early pace in her first turf assignment. Out of the Heatseeker mare Steamy Novel, Big Novel has earnings of $115,850.

THE $200,000 CAL CUP OAKS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 10 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Big Novel—John Velazquez—124
Ellamira—Tyler Baze–124
Vivacious Vanessa—Juan Hernandez—124
Munny Penny—Abel Cedillo—124
Madiha—Kyle Frey—124
Eleuthera—Mario Gutierrez–124
Professors' Pride—Umberto Rispoli—124
Dendera—Ryan Curatolo—124
Precious Insight—Victor Espinoza—124
La Deuxieme Etoile—Joe Bravo—124
Rose Dawson—Flavien Prat—124
Vaping Angel—Mike Smith–124

First post time for a 10-race Cal Cup Day card on Saturday is at 12 noon. Admission gates open at 10 a.m.

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Big Novel, At The Spa Headline Field For Friday’s Soviet Problem

Runner-up behind stablemate Big Switch in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5, Big Novel will stretch to a mile for the first time in the $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes Friday at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif.

Restricted to 2-year-old fillies bred or sired in California, the Soviet Problem attracted nine entrants.

Part of the Golden State Series, the Soviet Problem is the last of eight races. Post time Friday is 12:30 p.m. Pacific. Scheduled post time for the main event is 4:28 p.m.

Owned by breeder George Krikorian and trained by John Sadler, Big Novel was more than six lengths clear of the rest of the field in the Golden State contest at seven furlongs.

A daughter of Mr. Big and the Heatseeker mare Steamy Novel, Big Novel hasn't been worse than third in her four races and has earned $95,850. She broke her maiden Oct. 2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

At the Spa will try for her fourth win in five starts for a partnership that includes Tom Beckerle, Saul Carrillo, and breeder Terry Lovingier and trainer Jorge Periban. The Outwork filly out of the Smoke Glacken mare Spa Creek, who suffered her lone loss when last in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5, has banked $165,000 and has stakes victories in the Fasig Tipton Debutante and CTBA.

Four members of the Soviet Problem cast – Dendera, Girl Ranger, Professors' Pride, and Smilin Evie – are coming off wins.

Trained by Sadler for Cicero Farms LLC and breeder Batchelor Family Trust, Dendera was a neck winner as the prohibitive 1-5 favorite in an optional claimer going the Soviet Problem distance on turf Oct. 22.

The win for the Shaman Ghost filly out of the Scat Daddy mare Daddy's Due was her second in three races on grass. She was fifth of 10 in her debut in her lone try on dirt July 16. She's banked $83,200.

Dismissed at 35-1 in her Nov. 7 bow in a $50,000 maiden claimer for California breds, Girl Ranger rolled to a 5 ¼ length win for Marsha Naify and trainer Juan Carlos Lopez, but the daughter of U.S. Ranger is now in the stable of Michael McCarthy.

Out of the Bertrando mare Soul Flyer, Girl Ranger picked up $21,600 for the authoritative score.

Professors' Pride debuted with a one-length victory as the 8-5 second choice Nov. 14 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. The Bayern filly out of the Twirling Candy mare Last Resort earned $42,000 for the win for Academic Farms and trainer Eddie Truman.

Trained by Richard Baltas for Panic Stables LLC, Smilin Evie has been away since prevailing by 1 ¼ lengths in her initial try Oct. 24. The Tom's Tribute filly out of the Exchange Rate mare Lady Katfish collected $36,600 for the triumph.

Trainer Walther Solis entered both Madiha and Munny Penny.

Owned by Zahra Madiha, Amanda Navarro, and breeder Lovingier, Madiha is winless in five starts with earnings of $25,880. The daughter of Shaman Ghost and the Great Notion mare Very Few Details finished fifth in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies in her most recent outing.

Owned and bred by Lovingier, Munny Penny will be making her first start since finishing second behind At the Spa in the Fasig Tipton Debutante June 20. The Munnings filly out of the Animal Kingdom mare Northern Song has earned $72,460 while winning once in three races.

The field is completed by Rose Maddox, who was a neck behind Dendera when last seen Oct. 22. The Grazen filly out of the Unusual Heat mare has earned $36,000 for owner-breeder Nick Alexander and trainer Steve Miyadi. Rose Maddox was a first-out winner over the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, Calif., Sept. 11.

From inside out, the field for the Soviet Problem Stakes: Madiha, Kyle Frey, 117 pounds; Dendera, Flavien Prat, 120; Girl Ranger, Drayden Van Dyke, 120; Professors' Pride, Juan Hernandez, 120; At the Spa, Tyler Baze, 120; Smilin Evie, Ricardo Gonzalez, 120; Rose Maddox, Umberto Rispoli, 124; Munny Penny, Abel Cedillo, 120 and Big Novel, Joe Bravo, 120.

One race earlier, trainer Art Sherman will saddle the final starter of his career when Chasing Alchemy will try to break his maiden against seven other 2-year-old maidens in a $50,000 claimer at six furlongs.

Sherman, 84, who has spent more than 65 years in racing as an exercise rider, jockey, and trainer – which included conditioning two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome – will be honored on his retirement with a video presentation and winner's circle ceremony between races.

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Golden Mile, Sen. Ken Maddy Top Friday’s Undercard Races At Del Mar

Four stakes with combined purses of $700,000 will lead up to the five Breeders' Cup races – three worth $1 million and two worth $2 million – on Friday's 10-race program at Del Mar.

Check out the four not-to-be-underestimated events on the undercard:

Race No. 2: $150,000 Qatar Golden Mile; one mile (turf) for 2-year-olds. Ready to Purrform didn't make the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf field, so the son of Kitten's Joy, owned by Donegal Racing and trained by Brad Cox, will seek a third straight win to start his career in this one as the 5/2 morning line favorite.

Eoin Harty-trained Degree of Risk, Grade 1-placed at Woodbine, is the 4-1 second choice and has Del Mar's leading rider Flavien Prat in the saddle. Michael McCarthy-trained Optimising, with John Velazquez, is third at 5-1.

Optimising, owned by Red Barons Barn and Rancho Temescal, was fourth, beaten two lengths by McKinnon in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on closing day of the summer meeting in his last start.

“He's only run once for us and we're still trying to figure him out, but he has been training well and we're glad to get him back down here,” McCarthy said.

Race No. 3: $175,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies; 7 furlongs for 2-year-old California-bred fillies. George Krikorian's Big Novel, trained by John Sadler, is the 3-1 morning line favorite off a third-place finish in the Generous Portion on Sept. 3 and a maiden win at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.

“Joe (jockey Joe Bravo) knows her well having ridden her twice already and working her in the mornings,” said Sadler assistant Juan Leyva. “Joe has been really happy with the way she has worked so I think she's just going to move forward off that.”

CTBA Stakes winner At the Spa and supplemental entry Vivacious Vanessa are the co-second choices at 4-1. Jorge Periban trains At the Spa, Gary Mandella has Vivacious Vanessa, a first-out winner on the turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 16.

“She won impressively, but there's no grass race for her until January, so we're going to try her on the dirt,” Mandella said. “She's fit enough because she just ran a mile.”

Race No. 4: $200,000 Senator Ken Maddy; 5 furlongs (turf) for fillies and mares.

Superstition, a winner of the Daisycutter Stakes here on July 25 over the same course, is the 3-1 morning line favorite. The 4-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper, owned by Ramona or Perry Bass, trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Prat, was third in a Grade 3 event a Kentucky Downs on Sept. 11 in her last start.

Hear My Prayer, one-for-one at Del Mar in a 10-race career, is 4-1 from the inside post for owners Holly and David Wilson and trainer Vladimir Cerin. Third choice at 5-1 is Doug O'Neill-trained A G Indy at 5-1. The 4-year-old daughter of Take Charge Indy owned by R3 Racing won twice over the course at the summer meeting.

“She's training well, has good speed and I've got Umberto Rispoli on her (for the fourth straight time) so I give her a good chance in there even though it is a very tough race,” O'Neill said.

Race No. 5: $175,000 Golden State Juvenile; 7 furlongs for California-bred 2-year-olds.

Joker Boy, trained by Brian Koriner, is the 7-2 morning line favorite based on a wire-to-wire win in the six-furlong I'm Smokin Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 4. Finneus, Walther Solis' Del Mar Futurity runner-up, is next at 4-1 and Reddam Racing's Slow Down Andy third on the morning line at 5-1. A son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Slow Down Andy, trained by O'Neill, was a debuting winner by 4 ¾ lengths at Santa Anita on Oct. 9.

“His first start was really impressive and he landed a really good outside post (No. 11) for this, so we're optimistic he can repeat his debut,” O'Neill said.

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