“TEAM GOLDEN GATE” COMPETES IN STAKES’ THIS WEEKEND AT SANTA ANITA
This Saturday at Santa Anita Park, California-bred or California-sired runners shine on a 9-race program, featuring a quintet of stakes races. With juicy California incentivized purses in mind, a number of Golden Gate based horses will compete in the stakes events and undercard races throughout the card.
In Race 5, the $150,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint for 6-furlong sprinters, trainer Blaine Wright saddles Oakland Stakes winner Baja Sur. By lightning-fast sprinter Smiling Tiger, Baja Sur has accrued a sharp resume himself, with 5 victories and a second-place finish from 6-lifetime starts. In the Oakland Stakes, Baja Sur earned a career-high Beyer speed figure (100). His only career loss came at the hands of Fashionably Fast when the aforesaid rival finished narrowly ahead of Baja Sur in the Harris Farm Stakes at Fresno last October. Juan Hernandez retains the mount for Wright, who regularly employs Hernandez as his “go-to” rider.
Race 7 is the $200,000 California Derby for 3-year-olds routing one mile and a sixteenth on Tapeta. A third of the field is comprised of Northern California contenders. The most notable entrant is Bettor Trip Nick, winner of the Gold Rush Stakes and Golden Nugget Stakes at the recently concluded Fall meet. The Bill Delia trained runner will be ridden by regular rider Catalino Martinez and draws the rail post position in the field of 9.
“The big horse is doing well,” said Delia on Bettor Trip Nick. “He never trains or races on dirt, obviously, so we find out on Saturday whether he takes to the new surface. He’s hit every curveball we’ve thrown at him, though, so we’re excited to see how he does on Saturday.”
Gold Rush Stakes second-place finisher Sacred Rider is also signed on to compete in the California Derby and breaks from post position 3. Trainer Steve Specht will leg up Abel Cedillo, who has become one of the top riders in Southern California since moving there over the summertime. The last California Derby entrant from the north, Indian Peak, is a son of Comic Strip who was extremely impressive in victory three weeks ago against allowance company. Like his two counterparts from the north, he makes his first career start on dirt. Quinn Howey trains the Gray family homebred and picks up the services of Juan Hernandez.
Howey and Hernandez also team up with Wise Rachel in Race 8: the $200,000 California Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on the turf. The daughter of English Channel won the Pike Place Dancer Stakes two starts ago at Golden Gate, but most recently ran off-the-board against open company in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar.
“We’ve always thought she would like routing and the grass given her breeding,” said Howey. “The fact that this race attracts a strong purse while being for California breds makes it a good spot for her. We’re taking advantage of this condition.”
Also entered in the California Oaks is Smokin Hot Bobbie, a recent sprint allowance winner on the Tapeta for trainer Reina Gonzalez, and Midnight Sunrise, a November 30 maiden special weight victor for conditioner Andy Mathis. Rafael Bejarano takes the reins on Smokin Hot Bobbie while Geovanni Franco is slated to guide Midnight Sunrise in the one mile ‘Oaks.
Other notable horses who are not stabled at Golden Gate but have raced here include:
Race 1 (allowance optional claimer): Uncontainable, making his first start off the claim for trainer Peter Miller. Uncontainable was previously in the barn of Eddie Rich.
Race 3 (Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint): Ex-Golden Gate sprinter Stealthediamonds, Bear Fan Stakes runner up finisher Apache Princess, 2017 Pike Place Dancer stakes winner Lakerball and Bear Fan Stakes participant Lippy.
Race 5 (Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint): Golden Gate 2018 allowance winner Lieutenant Dan
Race 6 (Unusual Heat Turf Classic): December 14 allowance winner Como and Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap fifth place finisher Ashleyluvssugar
Race 8 (California Cup Oaks): GGF maiden winner and multiple stakes winner Bulletproof One
Race 9 (allowance optional claimer): Multiple GGF winner Clem Labine
VETERAN RACERS STILL HAVE THE WILL TO RACE
For centuries, the thoroughbred athlete has been bred to run. Throughout Week 3 of the Winter/Spring meet at Golden Gate Fields, a handful of older runners put up desirable efforts to back up the statement that horses, indeed, love to do what they were bred for.
Kicking off the racing week last Friday, 9-year-old Unusually Green surged from last to first in Race 7, a lower level claimer for routers. The second-place finisher, 11-year-old Pocket Prince, completed the exacta at astronomical odds of 99-1. Combined, both equines have competed in a total of 160 races.
“He’s a neat horse,” said trainer Cliff DeLima, who conditions Pocket Prince. “We are going to make sure to find him a good home after he is done racing, which isn’t too far away.”
One day later, 9-year-old mare Gratzie beat a strong field of allowance caliber rivals in Race 4, a one-mile Tapeta route. The Great British bred daughter of Three Valleys was making her fiftieth lifetime start last week.
“She’s sentimental to the barn…definitely a favorite,” said Gratzie’s trainer, Manny Badilla. “[Co-owner] Ron [Charles] asks me, ‘If you could take home one horse in the barn, who would it be?’ And I always tell him that I would Gratzie home in a second. I just love her. She’s so cool.”
In Sunday’s fifth race, 9-year-old gelding Terry’s Tom Cat won his second race in a row under a well-timed ride by jockey Kevin Krigger. The Tim McCanna trained runner has won 11 races from 58 lifetime starts, with career earnings of $336,132.
Kudos to all of our veterans for continuing their careers in fine fashion.
CLAIMS
Our weekly “claims list” is as follows:
Friday:
Race 1: My Idol (new trainer Quinn Howey, new owner Robert Creighton)
Race 2: Going to Shabooms (trainer Jonathan Wong, owners Hon Cheung Kum & Hsiu Mei Tsai)
Race 5: Bam Bam Bryan (trainer Pablo De Jesus, owner Tim Bankers)
Data Hawk (trainer Isidro Tamayo, owner Michael Demoulin)
Race 7: Askin’ for Trouble (trainer Isidro Tamayo, owner Leon Scott)
Saturday:
Race 6: American Camp (trainer Victor Trujillo, owner Carrol Stubbs)
Sunday:
Race 4: Many Moods (trainer Jack Steiner, owner Remmah Racing, Inc.)
Mo Dinero (trainer Quinn Howey, owner Decker Racing and Quinn Howey)
Race 5: Red Clem (trainer Sheldon Paldanius, owner Stan Spano)
Race 7: Papaya (trainer Reid France, owner Hat Trick Racing)
FINISH LINES: First-time starter Spun Away earned a 77 Beyer speed figure for her victory last Sunday in the nightcap. The Isidro Tamayo trainee was making her career debut and, in the process, received the highest Beyer out of any 2-year-old or 3-year-old filly since the inception of the Fall meet last October. And guess what? Nobody claimed Spun Away for the maiden $12,500 price tag…Juan Hernandez continues to thrive at the current meeting and leads the jockey colony with 23 wins. Catalino Martinez has also fired on horseback this meet, boasting a 24% win clip, but sits in second with 17 victories…Jonathan Wong leads the way in the trainer standings with 8 wins from 51 starters while Bill Delia has moved up to second place, with 6 trips to the winner’s circle from just 21 starters…Leg C of the Stronach Five wager goes as GGF’s third race on Friday…Happy birthday to trainer Aggie Ordonez, who celebrates her birthday today!