FULL FIELD MAKES THE ENTRIES FOR SATURDAY’S GOLD RUSH STAKES
An oversubscribed field of 11 entered to compete in the $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes on Saturday at Golden Gate. Among the main contenders are a pair of stakes winners and a Southern California shipper who competed at the Breeders Cup in Kentucky last month.
One of the horses to beat is Clovisconnection. He was a dominant winner of the Golden Nugget Stakes on November 12 and gets to a route of ground for the first time in the Gold Rush. By turf router Vronsky, Clovisconnection enters this race with a bullet five-furlong workout in 59.3 seconds for trainer Blaine Wright. Kevin Radke was aboard for last month’s stakes win and retains the mount atop one of the leading 2-year-olds stabled at Golden Gate.
“He’s doing good,” said Wright. “We’re looking forward to trying to take another step forward.”
After a runaway allowance win at Golden Gate, Passarando outfinished heavy race favorite Giver Not a Taker in the Golden State Juvenile sprinting seven furlongs on dirt at Santa Anita Park. He wheeled back just two weeks later for trainer Steve Specht and finished as the runner up at 3-5 behind Clovisconnection in the Golden Nugget. The only three-time winner in the 2022 Gold Rush, Passarando tries routing for the first time. Catalino Martinez has been aboard in five of six lifetime races and will be back in the saddle on Saturday.
“Running back as quick as we did last time was just a little too much for him,” said Specht. “When he worked the other morning [5 furlongs in 1:03 and change], I just told Catalino we didn’t need to do too much with him. Just let him cruise around there and finish up well the last eighth of a mile. He’s coming into this race with good energy, and I think he’ll put up a good showing of himself.”
The only Southern California invader in the race is Wound Up, who was well beaten at 123-1 in the Breeders Cup Juvenile one month ago and gets much needed class relief while moving to a route of ground for the first time for trainer Michael McCarthy. His only career win came sprinting on turf at Del Mar over the summer. Reddam Racing LLC owns and employs go-to rider Mario Gutierrez to ride.
Four horses out of a November 5, one-mile allowance race return to action in the Gold Rush. The winner of the aforementioned heat was Happy Does. Interestingly, Happy Does was not originally nominated for the Gold Rush and had to enter as a supplemental entry for owner Gray Farms and trainer Felix Rondan. Happy Does boasts a perfect 2 for 2 record going two turns; he broke his maiden two starts ago in a one-mile turf race at Santa Rosa.
Chuckanut Bay went off at 4-5 on November 5 and had to settle for second. He spent his summer at Emerald Downs and finished second in three consecutive stakes there. In one of those races, he hit the wire first but was later disqualified for interference in deep stretch.
“Chuckanut Bay is doing well,” said Jack Steiner, who trains the son of Pacific Northwest stallion Abraaj. “He’s going to need to take a step forward to win a race like this. [Owner] Howard [Hammer] has always thought this horse would be a route horse. He came to us from Emerald just a little body sore, so we had to back off him a little bit. His last race I thought was a good try, and a good prep to get him cranked up for this race.”
November 5 third and fifth place finishers Smokin’ Hot and Sea Dog are also entered in the Gold Rush.
Chase the Chaos broke his maiden in a two-turn turf race at Canterbury Park for trainer Robertino Diodoro at the end of summer and was transferred to local trainer Ed Moger Jr.’s barn shortly thereafter. Most recently, Chase the Chaos finished third behind Clovisconnection and Passarando in the Golden Nugget and now gets back to a route distance for the Gold Rush.
Trainer Bill McLean saddles a pair of contenders. It’s Thievery broke his maiden in his route debut on November 11 and defeated a next out winner in the process. O B’s was a dominant seven length winner against starter allowance company in his last start and earned a career high Beyer speed figure. Like stablemate It’s Thievery, O B’s faces stakes company for the first time.
Prospect of Rain did not make the main body of the Gold Rush field and will need a defection before scratch time on race day to run. The Dan Franko trainee broke his maiden for an $8,000 tag sprinting two weeks ago and would be pulling off a massive upset if he were to draw in and subsequently win the Gold Rush.
The Gold Rush Stakes goes as the eighth on 9 races on the Saturday card. First post is 12:45 PM.
Race 8 on Saturday: The Gold Rush Stakes (For 2-year-olds at one mile on Tapeta)
#1 Clovisconnection (Jockey Kevin Radke…Trainer Blaine Wright…Morning line odds of 7-2)
#2 Sea Dog (William Antongeorgi III…O.J. Jauregui…15-1)
#3 Happy Does (Santos Rivera…Felix Rondan…6-1)
#4 Chuckanut Bay (Assael Espinoza…Jack Steiner…8-1)
#5 Smokin’ Hot (Brayan Pena…Jonathan Wong…10-1)
#6 Passarando (Catalino Martinez…Steve Specht…5-2)
#7 Chase the Chaos (Armando Ayuso…Ed Moger Jr…20-1)
#8 O B’s (Frank Alvarado…Bill McLean…9-2)
#9 It’s Thievery (Irving Orozco…Bill McLean…15-1)
#10 Wound Up (Mario Gutierrez…Michael McCarthy…8-1)
Also Eligible
#11 Prospect of Rain (Cristobal Herrera…Dan Franko…20-)
VETERANS BADILLA, RADKE PICK UP FIRST GRADED STAKES WIN TOGETHER IN BERKELEY HANDICAP
With a rail skimming ride from jockey Kevin Radke, 4-year-old gelding Lammas dashed up the rail for a graded stakes victory in the $100,000 Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap last Saturday. The Berkeley is considered the signature race of the fall meet every year at Golden Gate. Trainer Manny Badilla conditions Lammas and said that Saturday was “his biggest day in horse racing” to date.
“It was my first graded stakes win,” said Badilla. “When [Lammas] hit the wire, I looked at my wife and said, ‘We just won a hundred grander!’ and then gave her a kiss. I always give a kiss to my wife when we win a race.”
The Berkeley Handicap victory was also the first graded stakes win for Kevin Radke, who with two weeks left to go at the fall meet sits second in the jockey standings with 19 wins, 4 shy of top rider William Antongeorgi III.
Badilla noted that Lammas came out of the Berkeley Handicap with a clean bill of health. His next race is yet to be determined.
“He just loves the Tapeta,” said Badilla. “We’ll have to wait and see what types of races we can run him in heading into the New Year. We only run on Tapeta in the winter months, so he’s a perfect winter horse for around here.”
Badilla finished by saying he was thrilled to see an addition in noteworthy achievements added to his Equibase Trainer page.
“For my whole training career to this point, I’ve been a graded stakes placed trainer,” chuckled Badilla. “We ran second in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez with Code Warrior about seven years ago. Never Be Enough ran second in the Grade 3 Robert Frankel in 2020. Scherzo finished third in the Grade 3 Astra in January. But now my Equibase page says, ‘Graded stakes winning trainer!’”
SAME PLAYERS, DIFFERENT SHOW IS THE THEME FOR HALF THE FIELD IN FRIDAY FEATURE
Code Ribbon, Dulce Emma, and Miss Union comprise half the field in the feature fifth race on Friday at Golden Gate-a six-furlong sprint on the Tapeta restricted to 3-year-old fillies. A sequence of races throughout the year between these three has turned into quite the rivalry for racing fans to follow.
Dulce Emma and Miss Union have competed against each other at least five times. Code Ribbon has faced Miss Union at least five times as well, and has gone up against Dulce Emma on three separate occasions. The results have been a mixed bag. Dulce Emma beat Code Ribbon and Miss Union on June 11. Miss Union turned the tables in July, beating Code Ribbon and Dulce Emma. And Code Ribbon finished ahead of Dulce Emma and Miss Union in a September 3 sprint. All three races were at the same first level allowance condition that the fillies will compete at on Friday.
You get the picture. With all that in mind, three other fillies look to play spoiler and beat the mainstays of the 2022 3-year-old filly sprint division. The first is Iconic Sky, who beat a strong group of state-bred allowance foes at Del Mar earlier in the summer. She also won at this level in May at Golden Gate. Her most recent start came against older foes on November 6, when she set the pace and faded to finish in a midfield position. Although theoretically not a drop-in class, she faces easier on Friday than if she were in against older runners at the same condition.
Blue Wildcat has finished behind Code Ribbon in a pair of races earlier this year but enters this race off a much better than looked fourth place finish on November 6. She finished ahead of Iconic Sky that day. Zazen completes the field. At 18-1 in her most recent afternoon appearance, the daughter of Grazen beat an older group of claimers. Runner up finisher Bossy Mama wheeled back at the same level and defeated a large field in her next start. Zazen earned a Beyer speed figure good enough to be competitive against this field.
Race 5 on Friday (First level allowance for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs on Tapeta)
#1 Miss Union (Jockey William Antongeorgi III…Trainer Isidro Tamayo…Morning line odds of 8-5)
#2 Dulce Emma (Irving Orozco…Jesus Ramos…6-1)
#3 Iconic Sky (Julien Couton…Andy Mathis…4-1)
#4 Blue Wildcat (Armando Ayuso…Jack Steiner…8-1)
#5 Zazen (Kevin Radke…Dan Markle…10-1)
#6 Code Ribbon (Catalino Martinez…Jacqui Navarre…2-1)
CLAIMS REPORT
Below is a list of claims from last week.
Thursday
Race 7: Swanee (New trainer Monty Meier…New owner Michael Bean)
Friday
Race 3: Minoso (Gary Greiner…Renee Greiner)
Saturday
Race 2: Can’thelpfallin (Tim Bellasis…Bellasis, Donna Smartt and Cassandra Tschanz)
Sunday
Race 1: Take the Two Ten (Arnold Torres…Frances Jefferson)
Race 3: Cali Conquest (Tim Bellasis…Bellasis, Donna Smartt and Cassandra Tschanz)
Race 8: House of Lords (Isidro Tamayo…Frankly Speaking LLC)
FINISH LINES: A contentious field of 9 line up in the feature race on Sunday, a first level allowance for 3-year-old sprinters. Stakes placed Highland Ghost returns off a layoff for trainer O.J Jauregui and faces last out winner at the level Love’em N Leave’em, the runner up finisher Per Se, Lmlooknformischief, and Almanera among others…Owners and prominent California breeders Mr. Larry Williams and Mrs. Marianne Williams are one win shy of 500 career wins. They have Yoderando (Race 3) and A Rousing Babe (Race 8) in on Friday and Passarando (Race 8) and Running On Fire (Race 9) on Saturday. At Del Mar on Saturday, the Williams’ campaign Pulpit Rider (Race 3)…Southern California trainer Simon Hobson saddles his first Golden Gate starter in the sixth race on Saturday: Councilwoman Jilly. Julien Couton rides the 3-year-old filly…Congrats to Ricky Gonzalez, who picked up his 1,000th career win on Thursday in Race 3 at Del Mar with maiden winner Spiritist. Over 80% of Gonzalez’s lifetime wins have come at Golden Gate.