BADILLA HOLDS THE ACE IN LUTHER BURBANK STAKES
Six live racing days comprise the 2020 Wine Country Racing meet at Golden Gate Fields, which commences Friday, July 31 and runs through Sunday, August 9. First post each day is 1:15 PM PT. The feature event of Week 1 goes as the eighth on Saturday: the $50,000 Luther Burbank Stakes for filly and mare turf routers. The one mile and a sixteenth affair drew seven entrants, including the top three finishers in the Golden Poppy Stakes on June 7.
Sloane Garden, who won the Golden Poppy for trainer Manny Badilla and owners Ron Charles and Sam Gordon, is listed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Luther Burbank. Purchased by her current North American connections for $33,642 at the 2019 Tattersalls Horses of Racing Age sale in Europe, the daughter of Iffraaj kicked off her U.S. career with maiden and allowance wins before scoring her first career stakes victory in the Golden Poppy. Kyle Frey navigated last time out and will be back aboard on Saturday.
“Sloane Garden is doing great,” said Badilla. “I gave her a little time after she ran so well in her last start. She put up a really big effort. She’s working well and ready to go.”
Badilla also saddles Ziarah, who finished off-the-board in the July 12 Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar. A European bred like her stablemate, this 5-year-old mare had won five consecutive allowance races before the Osunitas loss. Regular rider Frank Alvarado is back aboard in the ‘Burbank.
“Ziarah had a beautiful work over the Tapeta on July 25,” said Badilla. “I’m really satisfied with how she is coming into this race. We wheeled her back in two weeks for the Osunitas after a big win at Pleasanton and the Osunitas came up tough. There were some good ones in there.”
Meal Ticket, second to Sloane Garden in the Golden Poppy, looks to turn the tables on the aforementioned rival. A Southern California shipper trained by Matt Chew, Meal Ticket finished ahead of Ziarah in the Osunitas but has failed to find the winners circle in her last six starts. 2019 was a notable year for Meal Ticket: she beat a salty second-level allowance field at Santa Anita and was the runner up behind multiple Grade I winner Vasilika in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes.
Wicked Old Fashion finished a length and three-quarters behind Sloane Garden in the Golden Poppy and looks to snap a three-race losing streak. Her most recent afternoon appearance, a one mile try on dirt against allowance company, resulted in a third-place finish behind Ziarah. Wicked Old Fashion possesses backclass; she won the Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar in November and was third against males in the Rolling Green Stakes on turf last summer.
Allowance winners Heathers Gray and Mybluebell are also entered in the Luther Burbank. Longshot Augure rounds out the field.
Race 8 on Saturday: $50,000 Luther Burbank Stakes (one mile and a sixteenth on turf)
Post time: Approximately 4:45 PM
#1 Heathers Grey (Jockey William Antongeorgi III, Trainer Sean McCarthy, 6-1 morning line)
#2 Meal Ticket (David C. Lopez, Matt Chew, 5-2)
#3 Augure (Julien Couton, Eddie Rich, 30-1)
#4 Ziarah (Frank Alvarado, Manny Badilla, 7-2)
#5 Mybluebell (Kevin Orozco, Bob Hess Sr., 10-1)
#6 Wicked Old Fashioned (Catalino Martinez, Victor Trujillo, 6-1)
#7 Sloane Garden (Kyle Frey, Manny Badilla, 9-5)
APPRENTICE RIVERA ALREADY A HOT COMMODITY
20-year-old apprentice jockey Santos Rivera has quickly made a favorable impression amongst Northern California horsemen. And believe it or not, that may be a bit of an understatement.
From a racing family, Rivera galloped and worked horses for many years under trainer Bill Delia before applying for a jockey’s license. After receiving the license, Rivera sought to jumpstart his riding career with the help of agent Brent Harmon, who took the fledgling apprentice under his wing immediately. Rivera rode at the recently concluded Pleasanton summer meet and racked off 7 wins from his first 26 mounts (26%). Rarely do you see an apprentice have that much success right off the bat, says Harmon.
“This kid is a real student of the game,” Harmon alliterated on Thursday morning. “How he goes about doing his work is impressive. He watches film every day. He seeks advice from fellow riders, all who really enjoy his presence in the jockey’s room. He has a great attitude. He tells me, ‘I have a lot to learn and I want to learn.’ That tells you his mindset. He is doing all the right things to improve his skill set.”
“But Santos is good on horseback too,” continued Harmon. “I see him doing certain things that experienced journeymen do. The first race I saw him ride he was switching sticks like it was nothing. I said, ‘Holy smokes. Apprentices this early in the game don’t ride like this.’ I’ve represented about a half dozen apprentice jockeys and he is the best of the group.”
Rivera rides 6 of the 8 races on the Opening Day Friday card, 7 on Saturday, and 8 more on Sunday.
“He has a lot of business right now,” said Harmon. “In a few races, I have multiple calls and need to start picking and choosing who he rides. He has ridden 26 races in his entire life and he’s already in demand. It’s sort of unbelievable, to be honest. But people can see that Santos has a bright future. He’s the whole package.”
GOLDEN GATE SHIPPERS AT DEL MAR
Below is the “Northern California Watchlist” for horses and trainers racing at Del Mar this week:
FRIDAY
Race 6: Rocky Tough (Jockey Ricky Gonzalez, Trainer Bill McLean)
Race 7: Tribal War Chant (Victor Espinoza, Ed Moger Jr.)
Race 9: Let’s Rejoyce (Ricky Gonzalez, Jonathan Wong)
Race 10: Exeter (Geovanni Franco, Quinn Howey)
Race 11: Pure Perfection (Juan Hernandez, Bill McLean)
SATURDAY
Race 8: I’m So Anna (Ricky Gonzalez, Steve Sherman)
Race 8: Jasmine Chieftain (Juan Hernandez, Isidro Tamayo)
Race 10: Anyportinastorm (Juan Hernandez, Blaine Wright)
Race 11: Get’em Tiger (Abel Cedillo, Quinn Howey)
Race 11: La Gata Elegante (Eswan Flores, D. Wayne Baker)
SUNDAY
Race 4: Red Livy (Ricky Gonzalez, Bill McLean)
Race 6: Facts Matter (Tiago Pereira, Tim McCanna)
Race 7: Shanghai Groove (Tiago Pereira, Bill McClean)
Race 9: Breakfast Ball (Tiago Pereira, Tim McCanna)
FINISH LINES: Congratulations to Kyle Frey and Isidro Tamayo, winners of the jockey and trainer titles at Pleasanton…The first-ever Arabian race over Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields takes place this Saturday and goes as the opener on a 10-race program. Seven Arabian-breds sprint five and one-half furlongs in Race 1, with #1 Aura Makarina installed as the 9-5 morning line favorite…Jockey Erick Lopez, the older brother of David C. Lopez, is set to join the Golden Gate riding colony in the coming days…Fans of California Chrome will surely be tuning into Golden Gate on Friday. In the nightcap, ‘Chrome’s half-brother Fort McHenry races in a one-mile turf claimer. Fort McHenry, trained by Doug O’Neill, is a son of Tapit. Also on Friday, trainer Steve Sherman sends out Cold Brew Kelly, a 2-year-old filly by California Chrome out of the Trippi mare Decennial. Cold Brew Kelly drew the rail in Race 5. “She does a lot right,” said Sherman. “She has a good temperament and has been working OK.” It would be fitting if Cold Brew Kelly won: owner/breeders Perry and Denise Martin also co-own California Chrome, and Cold Brew Kelly would become the first North American winner for California Chrome as a stallion…I’m So Anna races for Sherman in the CTBA Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar while Anyportinastorm, conditioned by Blaine Wright, carries the hopes of Northern California in the Grade 2 Bing Crosby for sprinters that same afternoon…Jockeys Juan Hernandez, Ricky Gonzalez and Kent Desormeaux are off to a hot start at Del Mar, where all three journeymen have relocated. Hernandez sits fourth in the jockey standings with 6 wins. Gonzalez has won 4 races from 23 mounts (21%) and Desormeaux has scored victories atop 3 of his 14 rides (21%)…Ollie’s Candy competes in Sunday’s Grade I Clement Hirsch at Del Mar. The daughter of Candy Ride began her career at Golden Gate in 2018 and has blossomed into one of the top filly and mare dirt routers in the United States…Please note: the Rolling Super High Five at the upcoming Wine Country meeting is a 50 cent minimum bet and the Pick 6 is a $1 based bet…Happy birthday to trainer Debbie Winnick, who celebrated her birthday on Wednesday.