Subsanador wins $1 million California Crown over Baffert-trained duo at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Subsanador won the inaugural $1 million California Crown by a head over two Bob Baffert-trained colts in a photo finish at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Argentine-bred Subsanador ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.68. National Treasure was second and Newgate was another nose back in third on a day that featured top-level racing against a backdrop of big-name musicians and elevated food in an effort to boost the sagging sport in California.

“Racing needs these things to succeed,” winning trainer Richard Mandella said. “Racing has gotten too everyday and so to make a big day and get excitement going, that's what we need to do. Get people back in here.”

The victory landed Mandella and fellow Hall of Famer, jockey Mike Smith, in the winner's circle, where Cher was part of the trophy presentation.

“It was pretty exciting,” Mandella said of meeting the singer and Oscar-winning actor. “Been a big fan all these years.”

Earlier, Smith won the $750,000 California Crown Eddie D Stakes.

Subsanador paid $14.20 to win as the third choice in the field of six that included three Baffert horses. His other entry, 3-2 favorite Muth, finished last.

“We just got beat,” Baffert said. “Muth didn’t bring his ‘A’ game. He just didn’t fire. The other two horses ran their hearts out.”

Subsanador stalked National Treasure along the inside through both turns and went two-wide into the stretch. Smith went to a left-handed whip at the eighth pole and Subsanador dug in to overtake National Treasure approaching the wire.

“He doesn't have a big turn of foot, so I tried to use his early speed to my advantage and get him on the lead,” National Treasure jockey Flavien Prat said. “He just didn't have enough to hold off the winner.”

Subsanador earned an automatic entry to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in November. Mandella said the colt would likely be pointed toward that race at the two-day world championships near San Diego.

In other races:

— Cabo Spirit, a 24-1 shot, led all the way in winning the $750,000 California Crown John Henry Turf Championship by a length. Ridden by Abel Cedillo, he ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.26 and paid $51.20 to win. “The plan was always to get to the front and then try to slow down,” Cedillo said. “That's exactly what we did.” There Goes Harvard was second and Master Piece was another head back in third.

— First Peace won by 1 1/2 lengths. He ran 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:11.56. Sent off as the 9-5 favorite in the field of 11, First Peace paid $5.80 to win under Smith. Air Force Red was second and Britain-bred King of Gosford was third.

It wasn't just about the racing.

A popup version of West Hollywood hotspot Delilah was the site of trackside performances by Shaboozey and Lil Yachty, with Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty in the crowd. Chef Evan Funke set up an outpost of his eponymous celebrity haven. Wally's, another Beverly Hills eatery, dished out its specialties.

General admission was $25 and box seats were as high as $1,300. The California Crown and two other stakes races were shown nationally on CNBC.

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

In this handout provided by Benoit Photo, Kretz Racing's Cabo Spirit and Abel Cedillo, right, win the Grade II $750,000 California Crown John Henry Turf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

In this handout provided by Benoit Photo, Kretz Racing's Cabo Spirit and Abel Cedillo win the Grade II $750,000 California Crown John Henry Turf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Kip Lewis returned an interception 61 yards for the game-winning touchdown, and No. 21 Oklahoma rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Auburn, 27-21 on Saturday for its first-ever Southeastern Conference win.

“That was my first experience with Sooner magic as a head coach,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “That was an amazing last four drives on offense and defense. ... We played our best ball when it mattered most.”

It was Oklahoma’s first SEC road game after leaving the Big 12. The Sooners bounced back from a loss at home to Tennessee the previous week in their SEC opener.

True freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. gained 230 yards of total offense in his first career start for Oklahoma after replacing Jackson Arnold during the Tennessee game.

The Sooners (4-1, 1-1 SEC) struggled on offense for much of this game, but they took advantage of several missed opportunities by the Tigers (2-3, 0-2). Oklahoma stopped Auburn on fourth down at the 1-yard line in the first quarter, and the Tigers missed two chances at a short field goal late in the second quarter.

Auburn’s Payton Thorne passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, but his sixth interception of the season turned out to be the decisive play.

“I’ve got to make sure that (Thorne) understands the situation better, and we should’ve had runs there,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “I have to be clearer with him on what we have to do there.”

Oklahoma’s Jovantae Barnes cut into Auburn’s 21-10 lead with 8:32 remaining with a 2-yard touchdown run that was set up by a 60-yard pass from Hawkins to J.J. Hester. The 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Tigers ahead by five points.

Lewis then intercepted Thorne, who was making his return to the starting lineup after a two-game absence, and ran it all the way back with 4:06 left to play.

After a late Oklahoma field goal extended the visitors’ lead to six points, Thorne’s last-second pass came up short of the end zone.

Auburn finished the game with nearly 200 more yards of offense than Oklahoma.

“We didn’t play very well,” Venables said. “But we played amazingly when we needed to.”

Oklahoma: The Sooners’ slow offensive start, marked by a large number of injuries at wide receiver and inconsistent line play, continued Saturday. But Hawkins could provide a real spark going forward with his dual-threat ability alongside what has been a strong defense under Venables so far this season.

Auburn: Penalties, questionable clock management and empty scoring drives continue to haunt the Tigers, who have lost all three of their home games against power-conference opponents this season. Now Auburn will start the toughest stretch of its schedule with a losing record.

After a 22-yard run from Jarquez Hunter with a little more than 11 minutes remaining and a two-score lead, Thorne threw back-to-back incompletions before a run for no gain. That led to a missed 51-yard field goal.

The possession only took 1:31 off the clock, and it opened the door for Oklahoma’s rally.

Oklahoma will have a good chance to climb back into the Top 20 with this road comeback win.

Oklahoma: Has an off week before facing No. 1 Texas in Dallas on Oct. 12.

Auburn: Visits No. 2 Georgia next Saturday.

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Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Simmons catches a pass for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)