2 early wins by California-bred geldings turn Breeders’ Cup into local affair

2 California-bred geldings win Breeders’ Cup races

ARCADIA, Calif. — A couple of California-bred geldings have turned the international Breeders’ Cup into a local affair, with California Flag and Dancing in Silks winning on their home track.

California Flag lived up to his favorite’s status Saturday at Santa Anita, winning the $1 million Turf Sprint by 1¾ lengths. Dancing in Silks was a big shocker, surviving a four-horse photo finish to win the $2 million Sprint at 25-1 odds.

Europe-based Pounced opened the second day of the 26th annual world championships with a win in the $1 million Juvenile Turf on the synthetic surface.

Eight Breeders’ Cup races, highlighted by the $5 million Classic, were to be run for the second consecutive year at Santa Anita. The unbeaten mare Zenyatta will be going up against the boys in the marquee race.

In the Turf Sprint, California Flag ran 6½ furlongs in 1:11.28. Jockey Joe Talamo and trainer Brian Koriner, who like the 5-year-old gelding are locally based, earned their first Breeders’ Cup win.

California Flag paid $8.80 to win as the 3-1 favorite, a year after finishing 10th in the same race.

Dancing in Silks edged Crown of Thorns by a nose in the Sprint and paid $52.60 to win.

The 4-year-old gelding made Carla Gaines the third woman to train a Breeders’ Cup winner, and the first since Laura de Seroux saddled Azeri to a victory in the 2002 Ladies’ Classic. It was the first Breeders’ Cup win for jockey Joel Rosario, who guided Dancing in Silks over 6 furlongs in 1:08.14.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had his two-year winning streak in the race snapped when 9-5 favorite Zensational finished fifth. He failed to repeat for the second straight year in the $2 million Juvenile, when 2-1 favorite Lookin at Lucky was beaten a head at the wire by 30-1 shot Vale of York.

Pounced found room between horses in deep stretch to win the Juvenile Turf by three-quarters of a length under Frankie Dettori.

Trained by John Gosden, Britain-based Pounced ran one mile on the turf in 1:35.47.