California Flag- San Simeon

[Matchemforever]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... san-simeon

Question

Not that it seemed to matter in this race, but coming off the far turn, it looked like CF was taking the turn on the wrong lead, switched just before finishing the turn, then back to his right lead for the stretch, then before the finish line, back on his left lead. I did not see Talamo change anything he was doing to cause this, in the stretch at least.

Is that just normal for this horse? Given how he ran that race, I was wondering if you just let this horse run how he wants, and would he switch in the stretch himself if he needed too? (I know they aren't supposed to do that)

[ElPrado]

Running sore on one leg could cause it. Poor training. Poor riding. All of the above.

[Shammy Davis]

I've read a number of resources on racing and training that galloping on the oft or wrong lead is comfortable for some horses and it is counter productive to attempt to change it. California Flag won the race handily coming from off the pace. It did not appear to me that he was having difficulty on either lead. JMO but CF, being an older horse, is probably one of those horses that moves comfortably on the oft or wrong lead. He certainly didn't look sore.

[jellac]

California Flag is an 8YO Gelding Millionaire MGSW turf sprinter with a proven affinity for the firm and undulating going of Santa Anita's downhilll course. In his long career he has only 25 lifetime outs and 13 of those are "in the money" with 11 wins, including the Breeders Cup Sprint on this same course.

His success actually follows in the footsteps of his full sister, Cambiocorsa (sp?), who accumulated less in LTE (> $350K I believe?) but did win 8 straight on the same course and earned the unofficial title: "the Queen of the Downhill Turf Course" at S.A. in popular parlance.

Take a look at the produce record of their dam, Ultralite, and be sure to click on the link provided in this database labeled "Full Story" for an interesting history about this rather amazing mare's journey from being an overlooked NJ bred at the Keeneland Sept yearling sale, to an unsuccessful race mare on the West Coast for her neophyte owners. Yet she was sent to Kentucky by her owners to begin her career as a broodmare, despite lacking the obvioius credentials for being bred on. As unlikely as it seemed it was as a broodmare that the lovely gray mare, a bit on the smallish side and no racehorse herself, showed her real value. Fascinating story and what a joy it was to see California Flag come back yesterday, after a long lay off to triumph so decidely on"his" course/going of choice in what is a judiciously planned campaign to prepare him for a return in the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint this fall. His jockey said it all in the interview afterwards that CF just 'knows what to do and when to do it'....His trainer expressed how special the horse is within his barn and it is clear that attention to his wellbeing triumphs his being put into a race.

[Matchemforever]

Thanks for the replies. It didn't look to me like there was anything wrong with the horse, so I was wondering if California Flag was just one of those where you let them do their own thing, because he sure wasn't hurt by what he did. Since he did use both leads in the race, I don't think preference for one was an issue. I'm thinking more that at this stage of the game, he knows more about what he needs to do than anyone else- and that he's probably athletic enough to pull it off. That's the question I was pondering.

[zinn21]

Schiaparelli, Cambiocorsa's son won the 3rd race down the hill today at SA. Talk about a family of horses excelling on a specialty course.. Between brothers, sisters and offspring I bet they have over 20 wins down the hillside turf course. Amazing..

[bdw0617]

Schiaparelli, Cambiocorsa's son won the 3rd race down the hill today at SA. Talk about a family of horses excelling on a specialty course.. Between brothers, sisters and offspring I bet they have over 20 wins down the hillside turf course. Amazing..

how that horse went off at 7-5


California @ breeders cup turf sprint. i would be shocked if he lost that race. he still has game, and will be pointed to that race all year long and that will most likely be his coup de grace. If California Flag can get to that first quarter pole first going downhill you can pretty much walk tot he window and cash your ticket he's not losing. you aren't passing CA when they hit the turn and he extends