GOLDEN GATE DEBUTANTE THE HEADLINER ON FRIDAY
One of two stakes races at Golden Gate Fields this week, the $50,000 Golden Gate Debutante for 2-year-old fillies, features a cast of nine entrants. The Golden Gate Debutante goes as Race 7 on an 8-race program this Friday and will be run at six furlongs on the Tapeta main track.
The 5-2 morning line favorite is local contender Misirlou, a full sibling to 2017 El Camino Real Derby winner Zakaroff. She has won three straight races, including a pair of allowance events, and boasts a perfect 3 for 3 record on Tapeta. Frank Alvarado has the call for trainer Steve Specht; they teamed up to win last year’s Golden Gate Debutante with Tomlin.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert ships the only Southern California based runner in the field, Eclair, who breaks from post position number 4 and is listed at 9-2 on the morning line. The well-bred daughter of Bernardini adds blinkers after an off-the-board finish routing against allowance company on the grass. Her only lifetime victory came sprinting on dirt against maiden special weight foes in September.
Stradari gets back to Northern California after a double-digit length loss in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on November 1. The O.J. Jauregui trainee broke her maiden at Golden Gate Fields in her only other career race, a maiden special weight event last September. Julien Couton is slated to ride for the first time.
No Cover Charge and Shanghai Keely cut back from a route to a sprint after off-the-board finishes in the one-mile Pike Place Dancer Stakes on October 26. No Cover Charge set the pace before weakening to fourth while Shanghai Keely stalked the pace early on, suffered traffic issues in upper stretch and failed to recover after that. Both fillies have sprinted effectively in past starts.
Conditioner Reina Gonzalez saddles a pair of players in Smokin Hot Bobbie and Habobanero. Both equines are sired by regional stallion Coach Bob, who is co-owned by Gonzalez and Jeff Kitchen. Smokin Hot Bobbie finished second to Misirlou in her past two races while Habobanero ran fourth behind the aforementioned duo in a November 8 allowance.
Two recent maiden winners round out the field: supplemental entrant Say Yes Sally and California bred filly Mischievous Curlin.
$50,000 Golden Gate Debutante (Race 8 on Friday: post time 3:49 PM PT.)
#1 Stradari (6-1 morning line, Jockey Julien Couton, Trainer O. J. Jauregui)
#2 Shanghai Keely (8-1, Francisco Duran, Ari Herbertson)
#3 Say Yes Sally (10-1, Cristobal Herrera, Efrain Miranda)
#4 Éclair (9-2, Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert)
#5 Smokin Hot Bobbie (15-1, Catalino Martinez, Reina Gonzalez)
#6 Habobanero (20-1, Silvio Amador, Reina Gonzalez)
#7 Mischievous Curlin (4-1, Ricky Gonzalez, Faith Taylor)
#8 No Cover Charge (6-1, Luis R. Reyes, Jonathan Wong)
#9 Misirlou (5-2, Frank Alvarado, Steve Specht)
FEATURE RACE OF THE FALL MEET, GRADE 3 BERKELEY HANDICAP, DRAWS 11
A strong field of 11 colts and geldings are entered to compete in the Grade 3 $100,000 Berkeley Handicap for three-year-olds and upward. The mile and a sixteenth main track event is the marquee race of the Golden Gate Fields fall meet every year and goes as Race 8 on a 9-race card this Saturday.
A number of Southern California stars are in the Berkeley lineup this year. Grade I winner Ohio makes his first start on the Golden Gate Tapeta for trainer Michael McCarthy after a 3 and a half-length loss in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita on October 5. Ohio’s last winners circle appearance came in March when he won the Grade I Frank E. Kilroe Mile. Jockey Julien Couton picks up the mount.
4-time Grade 2 winner Ashleyluvssugar is set to make his Tapeta debut in the Berkeley. The Peter Eurton trained gelding was last seen finishing behind Grecian Fire in the California Dreamin Stakes at Del Mar in August. Grecian Fire, also entered in the Berkeley, has proven Tapeta form, having won the Grade 3 All American at Golden Gate in May. He is currently under the care of Keith Desormeaux. Souter ships north for Mark Glatt after a runner up finish in a Keeneland allowance race while Grade 3 winner Majestic Eagle was a supplemental entrant for Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale. Majestic Eagle is also entered in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar on Saturday, however, and is very possible to scratch from the Berkeley.
One of the key class contenders is Grade I winner What A View, who makes his first start for Northern California conditioner Sherrie Monroe in this spot. He was previously trained by Phil D’Amato, who conditioned the California bred when he won the Grade 3 All American Stakes last year at Santa Anita. The 8-year-old son of Vronsky worked 3 furlongs over the Tapeta on Tuesday morning for the Monroe barn and is deemed “ready” by his connections.
Of course, local contenders are always game to take on potential heavy hitters from Southern California. The top Northern California based horse in this year’s Berkeley may be Mugaritz, who scored a front running victory in the Joseph T. Grace Stakes last month and tries to win his sixth race in a row. The Jonathan Wong trainee possesses tactical speed and a strong 4 for 6 record on Tapeta. Joseph T. Grace second-place finisher Camino Del Paraiso is also entered and adds blinkers for trainer O.J. Jauregui. Fall meet leading jockey Juan Hernandez has the call.
Synthetic specialist Lymebyrd has shown an affinity for the Golden Gate main track and makes his stakes debut on Tapeta. The same can be said for Grade 3 winner Brave Nation, cutting back in distance after a fourth-place finish in the mile and three-quarters Marathon Stakes on Breeders Cup Friday. Stakes winner My Friend Emma is a candidate to set the pace and completes the field.
$100,000 Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap (Race 8 on Saturday: approximate post time: 3:45 PM PT.)
#1 My Friend Emma (Jockey Silvio Amador, Trainer Jesus Ramos)
#2 Grecian Fire (William Antongeorgi III, Keith Desormeaux)
#3 Mugaritz (Ricky Gonzalez, Jonathan Wong)
#4 Souter (Frank Alvarado, Mark Glatt)
#5 Ashleyluvssugar (Brice Blanc, Peter Eurton)
#6 Lymbyrd (Francisco Monroy, Angelo Tekos Jr.)
#7 Majestic Eagle (Alejandro Gomez, Neil Drysdale)
#8 Camino Del Paraiso (Juan Hernandez, O.J. Jauregui)
#9 Ohio (Julien Couton, Michael McCarthy)
#10 Brave Nation (Catalino Martinez, Blaine Wright)
#11 What A View (Brayan Pena, Sherrie Monroe)
HERNANDEZ NAMED JOCKEY’S GUILD JOCKEY OF THE WEEK AFTER STELLAR WEEKEND
On Tuesday afternoon, leading fall meet jockey Juan Hernandez was awarded the Jockeys’ Guild Jockey of the Week award for November 18-24. The Jockeys’ Guild Jockey of the Week Award, sponsored by Foundationdetox.com, is a weekly honor given to one jockey in North America each week for outstanding achievements. The award is selected by a vote of representatives from well-respected media outlets including America’s Best Racing, The Daily Racing Form, Equibase, Horse Racing Nation, The National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, the NTRA, the Jockeys’ Guild, Turf Publicists of America and TVG.
Through the recorded 7-day span, Hernandez made 12 winners circle appearances, which was the most wins by any North American jockey last week. The highlight of his week: a 5-win day on Saturday, including a pair of victories in two co-featured allowance races. Hernandez came back on Sunday and won three more races.
The native of Veracruz, Mexico has tabbed over 1,700 victories in a 10-year race-riding career. His career win percentage of 21% is considered well above average. Hernandez rode in his first Breeders Cup race earlier in the month when guiding 2-year-old colt Anneau D’Or to a second-place finish in the $2,000,000 Grade I Breeders Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park. In February, Hernandez finished first aboard Anothertwistafate in one of Northern California’s most prestigious races, The El Camino Real Derby.
At the current fall meet, Hernandez leads all Golden Gate Fields riders in wins with 38. Frank Alvarado holds the second spot in the jockey standings with 25.
FINISH LINES: In last Sunday’s allowance feature, 4-year-old gelding Passionate Reward broke the five and one-half furlong track record. The Isidro Tamayo trained sprinter stopped the clock in 1:02.41 seconds, beating the previous record by .14 seconds. Passionate Reward was claimed by his current connections for $20,000 and has won all three lifetime starts over the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta…Rolling Green Stakes winner Restrainedvengence was victorious in the Zia Park Championship at Zia Park on Wednesday. Congrats to trainer Val Brinkerhoff and owners Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bob Grayson Jr…Good luck to trainer Quinn Howey, who starts Pike Place Dancer winner Wise Rachel in the Grade 3 $100,000 Jimmy Durante Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar. The Allen Aldrich owned 2-year-old filly drew post position 7 of 14 in the one-mile turf contest. Joe Talamo is slated to ride…Another filly in the aforementioned race, Laura’s Light, broke her maiden in impressive fashion at GGF on November 2 and was privately purchased out of that run by trainer Peter Miller and owner Gary Barber…Also on Saturday at Del Mar, California Derby winner Kingly drew post 2 of 13 in the Grade 1 $300,000 Hollywood Derby. Mario Gutierrez hops back aboard for trainer Bob Baffert…One more tidbit for Saturday at Del Mar: Keeperof The Stars goes in the Grade 3 $100,000 Red Carpet Stakes for fillies and mares. Jonathan Wong conditions and Abel Cedillo rides…Speaking of trainer Jonathan Wong, he holds a 19-15 lead over Isidro Tamayo in the trainer standings. The top eight horsemen in the ‘standings have all won at high percentages this meet: Wong (21% win clip), Tamayo (31%), Bill Delia (24%), Blaine Wright (20%), Manny Badilla (28%), Steve Sherman (17%), Reid France (23%) and Felix Rondan (25%)…Happy birthday to trainer Ari Herbertson, who turns one year older on Monday…Golden Gate Fields offers a 20 Cent Golden Pick Six jackpot carryover of $27,266 this Thursday…PLEASE NOTE: we have a special early first post time of 11:15 AM PT on Thanksgiving Thursday…Leg B (the second leg) of the Stronach 5 wager this week goes as Race 2 on Friday afternoon. The Stronach 5 is an industry-low 12% takeout wager and a $1 minimum bet.