Big City Lights Looks for Repeat Win in Palos Verdes

Big City Lights is set to face five opponents when he attempts to defend his title in the $100,000 Palos Verdes Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park Feb. 15, going six furlongs over the dirt. The 6-year-old son of Mr. Big earned his first career graded stakes victory when he won last year's edition of the race over the Baffert-trained Hopkins. Hall of Famer Richard Mandella sends Big City Lights into Saturday's race in good form, coming off back-to-back wins in the Cary Grant Stakes in November, and most recently the California Cup Sprint Jan. 18 by a combined 16 1/4 lengths. Juan J. Hernandez has the mount for the California-bred owned by William R. Peeples. Among the top challengers Big City Lights faces is the Chilean-bred Mbagnick (CHI), who is coming off a second-place finish in the Clocker's Corner Stakes Jan. 26 for trainer Marcelo Polanco and owner Paolo Stable cr Stud Vendaval. Other contenders include the Doug O'Neill-trained Anarchist, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Distorted Humor who returns to the races after a five-month break following a third-place finish in the Korea Sprint (G3) at Seoul in September for Ilium Stables. Robert B. Hess Jr. sends out recent allowance optional claimer victor Roll on Big Joe, who is stepping into graded stakes company for the second time in his career. Bartholdy, a 5-year-old son of Mendelssohn, enters the race off two wins with the most recent coming in an allowance optional claiming race at Santa Anita Dec. 28 for trainer Steve R. Knapp.