BAKER HOPEFUL GERLACH’S WILL TAKE TO TAPETA IN SIGNATURE ALLOWANCE ON FRIDAY
4-year-old California-bred Gerlach’s freshens up two months and enters his toughest race to date on Friday, a 6-furlong second level allowance, after a career best run at Pleasanton on July 1. That day, the son of Grazen sat off a fast pace and rolled down the center of the track in the final furlong, blowing past his competition and drawing off to win the contest by two and a half lengths.
Gerlach’s makes his second start off a claim by trainer D. Wayne Baker. After back-to-back victories at Santa Anita against claimers and California-bred allowance company, Gerlach’s was purchased for $20,000 out of a June 11 race by co-owners Baker, Dexter Bergounous, David Dicamilla and Norm Hansen.
“I can’t take credit for the claim,” said Baker. “Dexter Bergounous is the one who picked this horse out. We won a 9-way shake [at Santa Anita].”
In Friday’s seventh race, Baker is hoping for a pace for Gerlach’s to chase. Irving Orozco, who was aboard for the Pleasanton victory, retains the mount on Friday.
“He always comes from off the pace,” said Baker. “Even in his workouts, he’ll go really slow early and finish fast in the last part. That’s just his natural style. He’s never raced over a synthetic surface, but I think he likes the Tapeta based on how he works.”
It will be a tough task for any horse to win Race 7 on Friday. The 5-2 morning line favorite is I’m Corfu, claimed off a $32,000 victory at Del Mar two starts ago by trainer Isidro Tamayo. In his most recent start, I’m Corfu finished fourth, beaten a length and a quarter, behind salty sprinter War Games and Lost in the Fog Stakes winner Ultimate Bango at Santa Rosa.
Cool Mountain Lad, who won the Oak Tree Sprint at Pleasanton and most recently finished third in the aforementioned trial at Santa Rosa, is also entered in the seventh race on Friday. Trained by Victor Trujillo, Cool Mountain Lad sports an ultra-consistent record of six wins, five seconds and three third place finishes from 17 lifetime starts. Five of his six lifetime victories have come over the Golden Gate Tapeta.
Speedy gelding Irrefutable figures to set the pace for trainer Mike Lenzini. This summer, he won a pair of first level allowance races but was no match for Gerlach’s on July 1 when failing to make the lead. Unraptured began his career at Golden Gate in October and has won a trio of allowance races over the Tapeta since then. This summer, he finished off-the-board twice against stakes company at Woodbine in Ontario, Canada and returns to the Bay Area for the remainder of the year. Price horses Darnquick and Jeffnjohn’sthundr round out a salty field of seven.
First post each live race day this week is 1:45 PM PT.
Race 7 on Friday (Second level allowance at six furlongs on Tapeta for 3-year-olds and up)
#1 Jeffnjohn’sthundr (Jockey Assael Espinoza…trainer Jeff Bonde…morning line odds of 8-1)
#2 Gerlach’s (Irving Orozco…D. Wayne Baker…9-2)
#3 Unraptured (Frank Alvarado…Tim McCanna…8-1)
#4 Darnquick (Santos Rivera…Efrain Miranda…6-1)
#5 I’m Corfu (Evin Roman…Isidro Tamayo…5-2)
#6 Irrefutable (William Antongeorgi III…Mike Lenzini…3-1)
#7 Cool Mountain Lad (Pedro Terrero…Victor Trujillo…4-1)
I’MGONNABESOMEBODY LOOKS TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF AGAINST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STAKES COMPANY ON MONDAY
Golden Gate offers-along with our regular Friday through Sunday programs-a holiday Labor Day program this coming Monday. Exiting a fifth-place finish in the Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar, 4-year-old gelding I’mgonnabesomebody looks to stamp himself as a legit Northern California stakes player heading into Monday’s feature race, the Sam Spear Memorial at one mile and a sixteenth on turf.
Sent off at high odds of 37-1 in the Wickerr, the son of Will Take Charge finished about 2 lengths behind race winner Irideo, who may be a major player in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile in Southern California on Saturday.
“He ran hard that day,” said McLean. “It was a good effort. I hope a run like that is good enough to run big on Monday.”
Before his beachside appearance, I’mgonnabesomebody won a second level allowance race at Pleasanton on dirt. He posts two published workouts since the Wickerr Stakes. Over the last couple years, all recorded workouts by I’mgonnabesomebody have started out of the gate.
“When we try to break him off on his own, sometimes he starts propping,” said McLean. “He won’t hardly go sometimes. We break him out of the gate to get him to go when he works.
He’s going good right now,” concluded McLean. “He’s a pretty happy guy. He’s definitely fit enough.”
Among the probables for the inaugural Sam Spear Memorial is Freeport Joe, winner of the 2022 All American Stakes in May. One of the horses who finished behind Freeport Joe in the All American was Master Piece, who came back to win the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar. Trainer Gloria Haley noted that, although not definite to enter, the current plan for Freeport Joe is to enter and run in the Sam Spear Memorial.
“We’re just making sure he’s 100% good to go before we definitely say we’re running,” said Haley. “His last race at Del Mar [a 10th place finish in the California Dreamin’ Stakes] was a rough trip for him. He clipped heels on the first turn and then got bumped on the next turn, too. He was a little too anxious and wasn’t really himself at all. He didn’t settle like he usually does. I don’t think he was in love with that kind of surface either. It might’ve been a little bit too tight for him. He had a beautiful work last weekend [at Golden Gate] and he’s definitely happy to be back home in his own stall.”
Formerly known as the Rolling Green Stakes, the Sam Spear Memorial is a one-mile and a sixteenth turf race for 3-year-olds and upward. A $50,000 purse is offered. Official entries for the Sam Spear Memorial and the rest of the Monday card will be drawn on Friday.
Throughout a large portion of his career, Sam Spear held the position of publicity manager at Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows. He hosted “At the Track with Sam Spear,” a popular morning radio show every Sunday, and a daily race replay show that debuted in 1978 and ran through 2018 on KTSF-TV. Spear had strong connections with Bay Area newspapers, radio and TV stations and was a key figure in working with those channels to promote horse racing. He also consulted several notable figures who showed a passion for horse racing. Among them: rapper MC Hammer, Hall of Fame baseball player Joe DiMaggio, and Hall of Fame baseball manager Earl Weaver.
TOUGH TO SEPARATE TOP CONTENDERS IN SATURDAY NIGHTCAP
Throughout 2022, the 3-year-old filly sprint division at Golden Gate has kept handicappers on their toes. This Saturday’s ninth race is no exception. A contentious group of eight sophomore fillies are slated to run six furlongs in the finale on Saturday at Golden Gate, a first level allowance. Post time for the last race on Saturday is 6:05 PM PT.
Miss Union is a deserved morning line favorite at 5-2. The daughter of Unionize was a dominant 6 and three-quarter length winner on July 29 at Sacramento and returns to the Tapeta for her fifteenth lifetime start. She has started more than any other racer in this group, with 14 lifetime starts already under her belt. Jockey Evin Roman and trainer Isidro Tamayo, who win at a 23% clip together, team up once again.
Another runaway winner on the Sacramento dirt was Callmemarthajane, a daughter of Gun Runner who annihilated a maiden special weight group on July 30. She makes her first start against winners for top Northern California trainer Jonathan Wong. Earlier in her career, Callmemarthajane raced over the Golden Gate Tapeta and finished as the runner up behind now undefeated filly Chancery Way.
Although Dulce Emma has finished behind Miss Union in a pair of allowance races, she finished ahead of the aforesaid foe on two other occasions. In this particular race, Dulce Emma will likely go off as the longer shot of the two after she finished well behind Miss Union in the July 29 allowance race at Sacramento. Regular rider Pedro Terrero is back atop the daughter of Dads Caps for trainer Jesus Ramos.
Trainer Jack Steiner saddles Always Seeking and Blue Wildcat. The former filly broke her maiden in April before running third behind two-time stakes winner Tam’s Little Angel in a two-turn race. Getting back to sprinting while making her first start in over three months, Always Seeking sports a series of sharp workouts leading up to her fall debut. Stablemate Blue Wildcat was an easy winner of a $20,000 claimer at Sacramento and takes a sharp bump up in class.
The Arcadian Way was a first-out winner against allowance company as a 2-year-old. She took about five months off after picking up her maiden diploma and, since then, has misfired in two starts this year. Pleasanton maiden winner Emily Smiles and consistent Code Ribbon rounds out the field.
Race 9 on Saturday (First level allowance at six furlongs on Tapeta for 3-year-old fillies)
#1 Emily Smiles (Jockey Frank Alvarado…trainer Tim McCanna…morning line odds of 12-1)
#2 Always Seeking (William Antongeorgi III…Jack Steiner…8-1)
#3 Blue Wildcat (Irving Orozco…Jack Steiner…12-1)
#4 Callmemarthajane (Assael Espinoza…Jonathan Wong …3-1)
#5 The Arcadian Way (Alejandro Gomez…Blaine Wright…8-1)
#6 Miss Union (Evin Roman…Isidro Tamayo …5-2)
#7 Code Ribbon (Catalino Martinez…Jacquie Navarre…6-1)
#8 Dulce Emma (Pedro Terrero…Jesus Ramos…3-1)
DEL MAR WATCH LIST
Below is a list of Northern California horses-with their human connections-competing at Del Mar this week:
Friday
Race 1: Tiger Spice (Andy Mathis…Ricky Gonzalez)
Race 5: Keepmeinthe Moment (Jonathan Wong…Abel Cedillo)
Race 5: O’Neill’s Legacy (Andy Mathis…Ricky Gonzalez)
Race 6: Jamming Eddy (Quinn Howey…Kyle Frey)
Race 7: Northvale Road (Jonathan Wong…Armando Ayuso)
Race 7: The Little H Man (Andy Mathis…Kyle Frey)
Race 9: Acoustic Shadow (Jonathan Wong…Armando Ayuso)
Saturday
Race 1: Wearenotbadpeople (Quinn Howey….Edwin Maldonado)
Race 2: Kings River Knight (Andy Mathis…Flavien Prat)
Race 2: Shot of a Lifetime (Bill McLean…Kyle Frey)
Race 2: U. S. Danger (Jonathan Wong…Kyle Frey)
Race 3: Sue Generous (Quinn Howey…Jose Valdivia Jr.)
Race 3: Just a Little Luck (Andy Mathis….Flavien Prat)
Race 4: Il Bellator (Jose Bautista…Abel Cedillo)
Race 7: Tarantino (Ed Moger Jr…Mike Smith)
Race 10: Stilleto Boy (Ed Moger Jr…Juan Hernandez)
Race 11: Tesoro (O.J. Jauregui…Joe Bravo)
Sunday
Race 4: Never for Money (Andy Mathis…Kyle Frey)
Race 6: Pepperman (Bill McLean…Joe Bravo)
Race 10: Draw Me (Terri Eaton…Tyler Baze)
Race 11: My Kentucky Girl (Jonathan Wong…Abel Cedillo)
Monday
Entries to be drawn on Friday.
GOLDEN GATE CLAIMS REPORT
Below is a list of claims from last week:
Friday
No claims
Saturday
Race 2: Irish Wahine (New Trainer Reed Saldana…New Owner Johnny Taboada)
Race 3: Good Time Dolly (Sammy Calvario…Faustino Garduno and Alvaro Gonzalez)
Race 3: Party Spirit (Reid France…Williamson Racing LLC)
Sunday
Race 1: Applaud the Bench (Isidro Tamayo…Jerry Edwards)
FINISH LINES: Trainer Steve Sherman had a fun first three days of our summer meet, winning with four of his nine starters last week…A half sibling to stakes winner Cool Mountain Lad debuts in the fifth race on Saturday. Rose of Mooncoin, a 2-year-olf filly trained by Victor Trujillo, breaks from post 3 in a field of 10. Irving Orozco is set to ride…Trainer Steve Specht is two victories shy of 1,500 career wins as a trainer…With the victory aboard Irish Wahine in Race 2 on Saturday, veteran jockey Frank Alvarado picked up career win 3,900…3 of the 10 maiden special weight entrants in Race 5 on Sunday are from Southern California stables. Keith Desormeaux, Mike Maker and Doug O’Neill all have contenders…Congrats to trainer Jonathan Wong, who made 7 trips to the Del Mar winners circle last week. Among his winners was speedy filly Opening Buzz…California Derby winner Il Bellator runs in the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar. Conditioned by Jose Bautista, the Kentucky-bred by Shackleford drew post 3 of 5 and will be ridden for the first time by Abel Cedillo. He makes his first start on dirt in the Shared Belief…Also entered in a Saturday stake at Del Mar is the O.J. Jauregui trained Tesoro. The 4-year-old colt by Anchor Down drew post 8 of 11 in the 11-furlong $300,000 Del Mar Handicap on turf. Jockey Joe Bravo has the call…We send best of luck wishes to Ed Moger Jr, who saddles millionaire Stilleto Boy in the Grade I Pacific Classic and Tarantino in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Saturday at Del Mar. Both racers are owned by Ed’s brother Steve…$7,638 is carried over into the Rolling Super High five pool for the next race on Friday in which the wager is offered…$5,160 is carried over into the Golden Pick Six heading into Friday’s card.