When it comes to Thoroughbred breeding, the undisputed center is Kentucky. But you will find farms in states like Florida, Louisiana and New York. And by extension, you will find horses competing at a track in their home state.

This is also true for California. There have been many breeding farms going back to the 1930s, and the Golden State has produced legends like Swaps, Native Diver, Ancient Title, Snow Chief, Best Pal, Tiznow, Lava Man and California Chrome.

Simply put, California-breds have long been part of the racing scene out here. And on an autumn day long ago, a day was invented to showcase them in the Southland.

As the 1990 Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet wound down, fans that attended the November 3 program were part of something new. The nine-race card was restricted only to horses hailing from the state, and Thoroughbreds battled in sprints and routes over the dirt and turf. As it turned out, the guarantee that Cal-breds would win every race was probably the one certainty before first post time.

Aside from the first two races, each event fell into the stakes category. But the day turned out to be unpredictable from the start. Scorpio Marjorie shocked bettors in the opener, breaking her maiden at over 28-1. That first result set the tone on the first Cal Cup Day, for horses winning at big odds continued.

Of the nine races held that day, only two favorites found the winners' circle. The first was Desert Royalty in the second, and he was followed by Theresa's Pleasure, a Bob Baffert trainee who took the one and one-sixteenth mile California Cup Juvenile in the last race of the day. She appeared to be restoring order to a day filled with surprises.

The other Cal-breds who were stakes winners that day were Great Event (California Cup Starter Handicap), Valiant Pete (California Cup Sprint), Linda Card (California Cup Distaff), Crystal's Game (California Cup Juvenile), Gum (California Cup Mile), and My Sonny Boy (California Cup Classic). All of them were at odds of over 4-1, much to the delight of many a horseplayer.

Although surprise winners were the story on Cal Cup Day, a degree of familiarity occupied the card, too. Members of the Southern California jockey colony picked up wins throughout the day. Gary Stevens was the only rider to win more than once on the program, and Alex Solis had his picture taken, too. On the trainers' side, local stalwarts John Sadler, Bill Spawr, Mel Stute and Ted West guided horses to the winners' circle. And it was only fitting that this quartet of California legends would do so on a day saluting California breeding. The same goes for Solis and Stevens, both of whom are among the all-time best jockeys.

And Cal-breds of the past were remembered, too. Crystal Water and Desert Wine, both of whom were graded stakes champions in the Southland years earlier, each sired a winner on the day. And Gummo, who was well known to local fans in the 1960s, was a winning damsire. Not a single one of them would be confined to their respective eras.

Once California Cup Day 1990 was completed, the fans that visited Santa Anita experienced a little bit of everything. There was dirt and turf action along with horses springing upsets. Of course, that meant there were plenty of happy horseplayers, and the connections of the winning Thoroughbreds were thrilled to be in the winners' circle.

But everybody in attendance became part of something special, for the California breeding program deservedly received its day in the sun.