Clubhouse Ride back to defend Californian Stakes

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Arcadia, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Clubhouse Ride, winless the last 12 months, goes for a second straight victory in Saturday's $200,000 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Eight older thoroughbreds have been entered in the stakes.

Trained by Craig Lewis, Clubhouse Ride has not been to the winner's circle since claiming the 1 1/8-mile Californian last June 1. For Saturday's renewal the 6-year-old chestnut horse will start from the inside post with Joe Talamo getting the mount.

Owned by Six-S Racing Stable, Clubhouse Ride went past the $1 million earnings mark this year and is coming off a fourth in last month's Charles Town Classic. Although winless in four starts this year, Clubhouse Ride has earned $102,138 and has banked $1,100,132 overall.

Fury Kapcori goes for a fifth straight win in the Californian Stakes. The 4- year-old colt, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, will be ridden by Corey Nakatani for the injured Rafael Bejarano. The pair will break from post 2.

Co-owned by Hollendorfer, Fury Kapcori has won the Santana Mile and Precisionist Stakes at Santa Anita this year when either setting or pressing the pace.

"He's a horse that can be on the lead, but he doesn't have to be," Hollendorfer said.

Fury Kapcori has won six of 14 lifetime starts for $479,880.

From the rail out here is the field for the Californian: Clubhouse Ride, Joe Talamo; Fury Kapcori, Corey Nakatani; Sky Kingdom, Martin Garcia; Majestic City, Mike Smith; Handsome Mike, Mario Gutierrez; Storm Fighter, Edwin Maldonado; Majestic Harbor, Tyler Baze and Fly Lexis Fly, Tiago Pereira.

The Californian has an approximate post time of 7 p.m. ET.