HOWEY REFLECTS ON SPECTACULAR FIVE WIN DAY
Trainer Quinn Howey was all smiles Wednesday morning, three days removed from a five-win Sunday at Golden Gate Fields. Howey won Races 4,7,8,9 and 10 on the program and swept the Late Pick 4 sequence, a feat that can only be illustrated as…well…we’ll let Quinn tell us.
“Unbelievable,” was how Howey described it.
Howey’s day started In Race 4, where 2-year-old filly Lawyer Proof picked up a maiden victory as the favorite in a field of 8. 2-year-old filly Sweet Kaela also made her first career trip to the winner’s circle after Race 7, a maiden special weight main track sprint, securing a double for the Howey barn.
In Race 8, Hong Kong Cowboy successfully routed under apprentice Juan Espinoza, having not raced two-turns since a double-digit length loss last year. He went off as the highest price of any Howey trainee that day: 10-1.
“When Hong Kong [Cowboy] won, that’s when I knew things were getting ridiculous,” joked Howey. “He ran unbelievable, actually. You don’t see horses at the lower level, non-2-lifetime conditions go as fast as he did early, only to kick on again at the eighth pole. I’m really proud of him. He ran great.”
Race 9 was “the most exciting” win for Howey, as 5-year-old gelding Navy Armed Guard scored a second level allowance victory at one mile on Tapeta. The final clocking of 1:35.69 seconds resulted in a new track record for the eight-furlong distance.
“I’ve never trained a horse that’s broken a track record before, so that’s pretty cool,” said Howey. “We purchased Navy Armed Guard for $60,000 at this year’s Fasig Tipton Sale. He ran a really good second at Del Mar in his first start for us. He came back and ran just as well, if not better, in the Rolling Green Stakes [on September 7]. He finished third to two really nice horses [Camino Del Paraiso and Kiwi’s Dream.]
Howey said he was very confident that Navy Armed Guard would run a winning race on Sunday.
“He was going up against easier company this time around,” said Howey. “I thought putting him back on a synthetic surface would be a good thing for him, too, because he won multiple times over synthetics when he raced on the East Coast. Personally, I think he’s at his very best over a synthetic surface.”
Navy Armed Guard is “under consideration” for the Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap in November, but Howey mentioned that he wants to see how Navy Armed Guard trains in the coming weeks before making a final decision on where to run next.
To put the icing on the cake of an incredible day, Square Peggy won the nightcap, a 20k claimer for 5-furlong turf sprinters. Although ecstatic after the races, Howey did not have much time to celebrate.
“I had to ship a few horses to a farm on Sunday evening,” said Howey with a smile. “Once we won the fifth race of the day, I was getting those horses loaded up and on a van north.”
Howey was quick to mention that, although the chances of him winning five races in one day again are slim, he enjoyed every minute of it.
“When the races are published every entry day, I always take a look at each race and see how ‘live’ our horses are. I genuinely thought all five horses entered for Sunday had really good chances to win, but you never expect to win five races in a day. It was fun.”
NO LONGER SILENT BREAKS FIVE AND A HALF FURLONG TRACK RECORD
3-year-old gelding No Longer Silent made his second start off a layoff in Saturday’s feature race, a second level allowance on Tapeta, and sizzled through the five and a half furlongs in a blistering fast 1:02.13 seconds. With the final time set and stone, the Tommy Town Thoroughbreds homebred broke the track record for the aforementioned distance by over a quarter of a second. Coincidentally, the horse who previously held the record was Passionate Reward, who ran second in Saturday’s race.
“We were thrilled,” said trainer Jonathan Wong, when reflecting on the track-record setting run by No Longer Silent. “Last year, we really liked him as a 2-year-old. We gelded him after his last start as a 2-year-old, gave him some time off and since then he’s come back bigger, faster… stronger. He’s really grown up from 2 to 3.”
Wong reported that No Longer Silent exited the race in good shape and would be considered for California-bred stake races in Southern California.
“The only concern would be whether he will be as effective on dirt as he is on Tapeta,” said Wong. “I don’t think it will be a problem, though. He’s got a lot of talent.”
Wong also noted that Windy City Red, who finished third in last week’s Speakeasy Stakes for 2-year-old turf sprinters at Santa Anita, is being considered for the Grade I Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Friday, November 6 at Keeneland.
“We’re still weighing our options, but the owners want to take a shot [at the Breeders Cup],” said Wong. “Our goal is to get into the Breeders Cup. He ran amazing the other day. If we don’t get into the Breeders Cup, then we’ll run in a 2-year-old stake at the [Golden Gate] Fall meet.”
Windy City Red broke his maiden at Golden Gate on September 5 and has always been well meant.
“He’s one of the best 2-year-olds I’ve ever trained,” said Wong. “[Bloodstock agent] Nick Hines bought him at the OBS sale earlier this year and ever since he started training at our barn at Golden Gate, it was apparent that he had a lot of ability. He has a lot of natural speed and a good way of going.”
I’M SO ANNA VS. TACOFLAVOREDKISSES IN TWO-TURN ALLOWANCE FEATURE ON FRIDAY
7-5 morning line favorite Tacoflavoredkisses and 8-5 second choice I’m So Anna square off in Race 5 on Friday afternoon, an allowance for 2-year-olds on Tapeta. A field of six entered the one-mile affair, with three colts and three fillies making the entry box.
Tacoflavoredkisses, a son of Distorted Humor trained by Southern California conditioner Simon Callaghan, enters the Golden Gate Friday feature off a third-place finish in the I’m Smokin Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old colts and geldings at Del Mar. He broke his maiden at the aforementioned seaside oval in August and makes his first start at a route of ground.
I’m So Anna, a daughter of speedy sprinter Fast Anna, went off at even money in the Generous Portion Stakes at Del Mar for California-bred 2-year-old fillies. She sat off the pace early before rallying for second in the final furlong. I’m So Anna races under the care of local horseman Steve Sherman.
“She ran pretty well at Del Mar, but I don’t think she loved the track,” said Sherman. “The surface at Del Mar is a little bit deeper and she labored late in her works there. She got a little sick before Del Mar, too, so we missed a little bit of training time with her. She’s doing really well right now, though, and training great over the Tapeta [at Golden Gate].”
Sherman is interested to see how his star 2-year-old filly will perform going two turns.
“Her pedigree doesn’t suggest she wants to run too far but she trains like she’ll be able to get the mile,” said Sherman. “She has a powerful, long stride and always gallops out really well. I want to see how she does routing so I’ll know what options we have heading into the fall meet and her 3-year-old season.”
CLAIMS REPORT
Below are all horses claimed last week and their new connections.
Thursday
Race 1: My Sunshine (New Trainer Dan Franko…New Owner Dan Franko)
Race 4: Takes a Village (Reed Saldana…Johnny Taboada)
Race 7: Kincaid Park (Tim Bellasis…Bellasis, O’Gorman, O’Gorman and Tschanz)
Race 7: Satanta (Reid France…France and Lagattuta)
Friday
Race 2: Senorita Estrella (Sammy Calvario…Mary Tucker)
Race 4: Mon Camo (Jonathan Wong…MJVET Stables)
Race 7: Lous Tiznow (Mike Lenzini…John Parker)
Saturday
Race 2: Cajun Bettor (Bill McLean…McLean and Naidoo)
Race 2: Unstoppable Guy (Marcia Stortz…Tirado and Tirado)
Race 5: Whenducksfly (Salvador Naranjo…Silvia Soto)
Race 7: Tick Tock (Marcia Stortz…Stan Spano and Jorge Zuniga
Sunday
Race 2: Lucky Antares (Isidro Tamayo…Johnny Taboada)
Race 3: Pulpit Singer (Gary Greiner…Marsha Rogers)
Race 9: Builder (Ed Moger Jr…Steve Moger)
Race 10: Dr Wysong (Isidro Tamayo…Sergio Salguero)
FINISH LINES: Congratulations to Winter/Spring meet leading jockey Juan Hernandez, who won his first Grade I race last Saturday with 4-year-old filly Mucho Unusual in the $300,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita. Hernandez also won the Eddie D. Stakes on Friday aboard Big Runnuer…Ricky Gonzalez won a stake of his own on Saturday afternoon at “The Great Race Place” with speedy sprinter Bulletproof One in the $75,000 Unzip Me Stakes on turf…Journeyman jockey Armando Ayuso has shipped his tack to Golden Gate Fields and is represented by agent Serjio Garcia…Stakes winner Indian Peak is back in the Quinn Howey barn after taking 45 days off. “We just decided to give him some time off; he had been training since we broke him as a 2-year-old. He’s doing well,” said Howey…$199,479 is the carryover amount heading into Thursday’s Golden Pick Six jackpot wager…Leg C of the Stronach 5 goes as Race 3 at Golden Gate on Friday…Happy birthday to trainer Matthew Troy and jockey Hugo Herrera, both who celebrate birthday’s this week.