MAYBE I WILL FACES WINNERS AFTER SPARKLING MAIDEN VICTORY
A five-and-a-half-furlong allowance for 3-year-old fillies is the marquee race on a 7-race program this Thursday at Golden Gate Fields. The feature, which goes as Race 6, includes a pair of Southern California shippers and a number of locals looking to play their hand against the visitors.
The most appealing local contender is Maybe I Will, making the third start of her career for trainer Brendan Galvin. Last time out, the daughter of Will Take Charge went to the lead, never stopped, and finished the race full of run while hitting the wire a length and three-quarters ahead of Hot Rageous, who returned to trounce maiden special weight foes two weeks ago. The third-place finisher, Ranger Molly, also came back to win her next start.
“She’s got a great mind,” said Galvin of Maybe I Will. “She ran very well last time and is getting better. [Owner] Mr. [Thomas] Bachman thinks she will be able to run longer and so do I. Hopefully, she’ll continue to improve, and we can run her in some California-bred stakes races later on in the year. We think we’ve got a nice filly.”
Morning-line favorite Becca Taylor draws the rail for trainer Steve Miyadi and has earned the right to hold favoritism. The daughter of Old Topper is unbeaten in three-lifetime starts, breaking her maiden at first asking before winning a pair of California-bred allowance races. Apprentice jockey Santos Rivera has the call, replacing Jessica Pyfer, an apprentice who rode Becca Taylor in all three starts at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos.
Starlight Stroll is out of the terrific broodmare Maddie’s Odyssey, who has produced stakes winners Been Studying Her, Grecian Fire, and Sneaking Out. She broke her maiden in the career debut at Golden Gate as a 2-year-old and most recently ran third behind Becca Taylor in a six-furlong turf sprint at Santa Anita. D.C. Lopez was aboard for the maiden breaker and retains the mount for trainer Steve Sherman.
Austrian Navy was a first-out winner against maiden special weight company and is out of a broodmare who has produced a number of winners, including stakes victor Kristo Skye. The red-hot jockey-trainer combination of Frank Alvarado and Steve Specht team up, adding to the appeal.
Do You Hear That has already won twice at this level and comes off a victory on February 19. She merits respect. Emma’s Dance has finished behind Do You Hear That on two occasions and is one of a duo of entrants campaigned by Ed Moger Jr., who also sends out Bold Mistress. Recent starter allowance winner Maggie’s Magic bumps up in class and completes the field.
10-YEAR-OLD MARE GRATZIE RETIRES, HAS A FOREVER HOME WITH JOCKEY WILLIAM ANTONGEORGI III
13-time winner Gratzie has been retired and will spend her post-race life in North Carolina on a farm run by jockey William Antongeorgi III and his mother. Gratzie, who went out a winner on February 4 against claiming competition, ended her racing career with earnings of $261,610.
Antongeorgi, who guided Gratzie to four lifetime wins, is excited about spending more time with her in the future. In total, Antongeorgi rode Gratzie in eight different races.
“She was always really honest,” said Antongeorgi. “Even if we didn’t win, she was right there-second or third. I would always go see her in the barn and give her lots of attention. We formed a strong relationship.
I told [trainer] Manny [Badilla], ‘I love this mare. If the owners are willing, I’ll ship her back to my place in North Carolina and she’ll be able to go out in the field and live out a good retirement on our farm.’ We were able to make it happen.”
Antongeorgi relayed that Gratzie arrived in North Carolina on Tuesday in good order.
“She’s a world traveler,” said Antongeorgi. “She’s from England. She’s traveled before. From what I understand, she had a very smooth trip across the country and looks really happy. We’ve got a pony named Dusty right next to her. They’re already hitting it off and in love with each other, so that’s really cool. We’ll take her out on the trails, and she’ll enjoy her life living out there in the pasture.”
Gratzie, by Grade 2 winner and Juddmonte homebred Three Valleys, was bred in Great Britain by John Troy and Robert Levitt and began her racing career as a 2-year-old in 2013. Three years later, she was sold to American owners Ron Charles and Sam Gordon for $25,685 at the Tattersalls Horses-In-Training Sale of 2016. Since the purchase, Gratzie won 7 races in America, raking in U.S. earnings of just over $150,000. Throughout her career in the states, Gratzie was conditioned by Manny Badilla.
“She’s a barn favorite for sure,” said Badilla. “She was always so sweet. You could come up and pet her and feed her and love on her. What I’ll remember about [Gratzie] is her heart: not only was she sweet around the barn but she tried so hard in every race she ran in. She never got sour. She always tried and loved being around our team. We’ll miss her here.”
With that, Manny had just one more thing to say.
“It’s the greatest thing ever to send her somewhere nice.”
CLAIMS REPORT
Below is a list of claims from last week:
Thursday
Race 2: Bigfoot City (New trainer Jonathan Wong…New owner Aaron Pewtherer and MJVET Stables)
Race 4: Implicitly (Jonathan Wong…MVJET Stables)
Race 4: Mister Mojo (Jonathan Wong…Johnny Taboada)
Race 6: Agent Zero (Monty Meier…William Branch)
Friday
Race 7: Harmon (Monty Meier…Donna L. Perone)
Saturday
Race 7: R M C Hook’em (Victor Trujillo…Frank Aufdermaur and Wayne Swisher)
Race 9: My Sunshine (Miguel Ramirez…Joel Fihn)
Sunday
Race 1: Hula King (Marcelino Trujillo…Trujillo and Salas-Ibarra)
Race 1: Northern Quest (Reid France…France and Laggatuta)
Race 3: Papaya (Jack Steiner…Marriott and Steiner)
Race 3: Simply Perfect (Owner/Trainer Isidro Tamayo)
Race 5: City Champ (Frank Lucarelli…Bill Meikle)
Race 6: Sunrise Journey (Owner/Trainer Isidro Tamayo)
FINISH LINES: The Golden Pick Six jackpot carryover has increased to $90,289 heading into Thursday’s card, while a Super High 5 carryover of $4,239 will be offered in the first race Thursday in which there are seven or more starters…Per trainer Manny Badilla, 2020 Kathryn Crosby Stakes winner Never Be Enough has been retired and now resides in Kentucky, where she will be bred later this year…My Pharoah Lady, who debuts in Race 6 on Saturday, is a 3-year-old filly by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of the Smart Strike mare Striking Scholar, making her a half-sibling to multiple Grade 3 winner Stryker PHD. My Pharoah Lady is trained by Blaine Wright and will be ridden by Kyle Frey…Recent Golden Gate Fields second-level allowance winner Clockstrikestwelve races for Jonathan Wong and jockey Tiago Pereira in the $300,000 Grade I Beholder Mile on Saturday at Santa Anita…Big Duke is a 7-5 morning line chance to win the feature on Friday, an allowance race for 3-year-old colts and geldings. Big Duke, who won at the aforementioned condition in January, spots a 3-2-0 lifetime record from 7 starts. The Sergio Ledezma trainee was purchased for $1,200 and has made $76,620 so far for his connections; not too shabby!