Golden Gate Fields 36 Day Fall Meet Begins Thursday; Track To Offer Nine Stakes’ Through Closing Day, December 15
Golden Gate Fields will kick off its 36-day Fall Meet on Thursday, with first post time for a seven-race card at 12:45 p.m. PT. The nine-week meeting, which concludes on Sunday, Dec. 15, will include nine stakes races and a plethora of turf action. First post time each day will be at 12:45 p.m., with three exceptions, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28 (first post 11:15 a.m.), Breeders Cup Friday, Nov. 1 (12:05 p.m.) and Breeders’ Cup Saturday, Nov. 2 (11:40 a.m.).
“We are really looking forward to our Fall Meeting,” said David Duggan, Vice President and General Manager of Golden Gate Fields. “Our stakes schedule ensures that we will have a high level of competitive racing at the meet. We also have a significant number of 2-year-olds on the backstretch right now, so we are equally excited about seeing our younger horses develop over the next few months.
“Our team is committed to making our racing product the most attractive it can possibly be for our loyal customers, viewers and broadcasters and we will continue to work on that every day.”
The meet figures to be highlighted by the Grade III, $100,000 Berkeley Handicap on Saturday, Nov. 30. The Berkeley is for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta main track. One additional stake, the Joseph T. Grace Stakes for 3-year-olds and up on turf, has been added to an already-strong stakes schedule and will be run for the first time on Nov. 2.
Four out of the Fall Meet’s nine stakes races are for two-year olds: the Pike Place Dancer for fillies on turf Oct. 26, the Golden Nugget on Nov. 9, the Golden Gate Debutante on Nov. 29, and the Gold Rush Stakes on Dec. 7.
The best sprinters in Northern California will clash in the Oakland Stakes on Nov. 16, and fillies and mares will be center stage on closing weekend with the Bear Fan Stakes on Dec. 14 and the Miss America Stakes on Dec. 15.
Golden Gate’s popular “Dollar Day Sunday” promotion returns to the Bayside track, with each Sunday afternoon featuring one dollar parking, one dollar admission, one dollar programs, one dollar beers, one dollar hot dogs and one dollar Mimosas for all race fans in attendance. Special holiday racing will grace the Bay Area on Veteran’s Day, Monday, Nov. 11, where all active military personnel and veterans will receive free admission.
On Saturday, Dec. 7, Golden Gate Fields is set to host “Whiskey, Place, Show,” a whiskey-tasting event to be held in the popular and scenic GGF Turf Club. All patrons who purchase tickets for “Whiskey, Place, Show” will receive a souvenir tasting cup, a betting voucher and a pass to sample and taste 12 different whiskeys and bourbons from around the world. Tickets will be available for purchase at Goldengatefields.com beginning this Thursday.
Fans will also be greeted by a new addition on the West Paddock wall, as a brand-new Bay Area-themed mural, depicting Bay Area culture and landmarks will be on display. The mural will depict Golden Gate Fields’ iconic role in Bay Area society dating back to 1941.
Fans are encouraged to follow Golden Gate Fields on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@GGFracing and @ GGPublicity). For more information, please visit Goldengatefields.com
LONGTIME BAY AREA JOCKEY ABEL CEDILLO NOW A STAR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Abel Cedillo, who won the 2019 Winter/Spring meet riding title by 30 victories, moved his tack to Southern California four months ago and has had a sensational run since relocating.
Cedillo finished third in the Del Mar jockey standings with 25 wins and currently leads in the Santa Anita standings with 12 trips to the winners circle, just one ahead of apprentice Jorge Velez. The aforementioned jockey, coincidentally, also spent time competing at Golden Gate Fields last winter.
A native of Guatemala, Cedillo is a proven success at all levels of racing. But his meteoric rise to the top of the jockey standings in Southern California has come with many stakes victories for different trainers. Each win shined the spotlight on Cedillo which, in turn, put him on the map as an “up and coming” rider that should to be taken very seriously.
Cedillo’s most noteworthy accomplishments came in three Breeders Cup “Win and You’re In” races last month: he won the Grade I Awesome Again with 25-1 upsetter Mongolian Groom (for trainer Enebish Ganbat), traveled to Churchill Downs for a first place finish in the Grade 2 Pocahontas atop Lazy Daisy (Doug O’Neill), and took home the gold prize with Paradise Woods (John Shirreffs) in the Grade I Zenyatta. Cedillo retains the call on Mongolian Groom in the Breeders Cup Classic and Paradise Woods in the Breeders Cup Distaff but will need to choose between Lazy Daisy and Grade I Chandelier Stakes runner up Comical for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Cedillo piloted Cleopatra’s Strike (Phil D’Amato) to victory in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship earlier this fall as well. Even though the John Henry is a prep for the Breeders Cup Turf, it is not a “Win and You’re In” event, and future plans for Cleopatra’s Strike are still up in the air. Nonetheless, it’s another significant Cedillo stakes win to mark down.
Abel’s first Southern California stakes win came on August 21 at Del Mar when guiding Two Thirty Five (Richard Baltas) to a nose victory in the Harry F. Brubaker Stakes. After the win, Baltas exclaimed, “[Cedillo] rode the horse brilliantly.” Cedillo also rode a brilliant race 10 days earlier in Washington State’s most prestigious horse race, the Grade 3 Longacres Mile, aboard Law Abidin Citizen (Mark Glatt). Law Abiden Citizen won the 200k contest by a hard-fought nose.
The last two paragraphs list seven stakes wins for seven different trainers. Clearly, Southern California horsemen think highly enough of Cedillo to trust him with their top-quality stock. An impressive and admirable feat in a short period of time, no doubt.
And for Cedillo, it appears this is only the beginning of continued success.
FINISH LINES: Congratulations to trainer Isidro Tamayo and jockey Francisco Monroy. Tamayo won the Fresno training title while Monroy scooped up his first ever riding title…The Blaine Wright trained Anneau d’Or, who wowed racing fans with an eight length maiden victory going two turns on grass last month, is likely to pre-enter in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. The son of Medaglia D’Oro posted a 4 furlong workout in 48.80 seconds on Saturday morning…Other noteworthy workers last Saturday include stakes winner Ima Happy Cat (5 furlongs in 59.80), Pike Place Dancer Stakes possible The Adrie Factor (5 furlongs in 1:01.20) and stakes performers Keeper Ofthe Stars (5 furlongs in 59.40) and Wicked Old Fashion (4 furlongs in 49.40 seconds)…On Sunday morning, the most notable workers were 2019 Lost in the Fog Stakes winner Anyportinastorm (3 furlongs in 36.40), 2018 Golden Gate Debutante victor Tomlin (4 furlongs in 49.20) and 2018 Alcatraz Stakes winner Tortosa (5 furlongs in 1:01.60 seconds)…The first 2-year-old winner of 2019 at Golden Gate Fields, Bulletproof One, is bound for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. The California-bred daughter of Idiot Proof was last seen running second in the Speakeasy Stakes for trainer Peter Miller on October 6. Bulletproof One broke her maiden at Golden Gate in May under the conditioning of Ellen Jackson and was privately purchased by owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber and Cecil Barber after her second lifetime start, a 9 length romp in the Everett Nevin Stakes at Pleasanton…Leg D of the Stronach 5 wager goes as Race 3 at Golden Gate Fields this Friday. The Stronach 5 pool is guaranteed at 100k every week and features an industry low, 12% takeout…Golden Gate Fields wishes trainer Bob Hess Sr. a happy belated birthday. Hess celebrated his b-day on October 10…We end the “News and Notes” with another birthday shoutout, this one to trainer Sherrie Monroe, who turns one-year-older on Sunday.