TRAINER MOREY A MAJOR PRESCENCE IN NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Trainer William “Billy” E. Morey has been a major player at Golden Gate Fields since the early 2000’s, when the son of the late William Morey Jr. went out on his own in 2001. Now-a-days, you can find Morey traveling back and forth from Santa Anita to Golden Gate Fields, managing his 45-horse stable. Morey currently runs a 30-horse barn at Golden Gate Fields, with an additional 15 horses stabled at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California.
So far, Morey is off to a white-hot start at The Santa Anita Winter/Spring meet (and in all honesty, that might be an understatement): he has won with 9 of his first 15 starters, which averages out to a 60% win percentage. In fact, 2 of those 9 Santa Anita victories came in a pair of stakes races. Last Saturday, California-bred Rye won The $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic, while 5-year-old mare Coniah beat six other fillies and mares in the Grade 3 $100,000 Las Cinegas Stakes on January 20.
“Rye has been a great horse for us,” said Morey. “We claimed him two years ago based on his breeding, which suggested he would love the turf. He is by English Channel out of an Unusual Heat mare. The Unusual Heat line gets better with age so the switch to turf, as well as time and racing experience, has helped him improve. He’s a nice horse.”
“Coniah is really good right now, both physically and mentally,” continued Morey on his other stable star. “She couldn’t have been training any better heading into [the Las Cinegas].”
Morey has also started off The Golden Gate Winter/Spring meet with a fair share of success. From 25 starters, his trainees have made 5 trips to the winner’s circle, with 11 other in-the-money finishes.
At the end of the day, Morey gives major credit to his help around the barn, who work hours on end to make sure the horses are well taken care of and ready to perform at their highest level on race day.
“I have great assistants, North and South,” said Morey. “That’s one big key. We have good help around the barn. I am lucky to have a great team working for me.”
SUPER BOWL PICKS
We asked the Golden Gate Fields racing community, “Who do you want to win this Sunday’s Super Bowl…and why?” Here are the responses:
Linda Anderson (Assistant Racing Secretary): Patriots “It’s history in the making…Tom Brady looking for his sixth Super Bowl win.”
William Antongeorgi III (Jockey): “No pick for me. May the best team win.”
D. Wayne Baker (trainer): Patriots “I have owners on the East Coast.”
Abel Cedillo (jockey): “I want the 49er’s to win so if they are not in it, I don’t care who wins.”
Sam DiLaura (trainer): Eagles “They’re due.”
Matt Dinerman (announcer): Patriots “All of my family is from Massachusetts.”
Tom “Bomber” Doutrich (jockey agent): Patriots “The pride of San Mateo.”
Pedro Flores (jockey): Eagles “We need a different team to win. The Patriots always win.”
Ricky Gonzalez (jockey): Patriots “Tom Brady is the GOAT.”
Juan Hernandez (jockey): Patriots “They are a really good team.”
Bob Hess Sr. (trainer): Eagles “They lost their quarterback at the beginning of the year [due to injury]. That would be neat to see them win after a setback so significant.”
O.J. Jauregui (trainer): Eagles “New team…I want a new team to win.”
Lisa Jones (Placing Judge): Eagles “That’s my uncle’s favorite team.”
Mike Lenzini (trainer): Eagles “I picked them at the beginning of the year to win the Super Bowl.”
Patrick Mackey (Racing secretary): Patriots “It will make my daughter happy.”
Dan Markle (trainer): Eagles “I’ll go with the underdog.”
William E. Morey (trainer): Patriots “Tom Brady went to ‘Serra High in San Mateo.”
Irving Orozco (jockey): Eagles “They’ve never won a Super Bowl before so I will root for them.”
Kevin Orozco (jockey): Eagles “The Eagles play fair.”
Ferrin Peterson (jockey): Patriots “Tom Brady is attractive.”
Maryellen Silva (Assistant trainer to Tim McCanna): “As long as my numbers win in Super Bowl Bingo that’s all that matters to me.”
Sam Spear (Bay Area media legend): Patriots “I’m a big Tom Brady fan.”
Steve Specht (trainer): Patriots “It’s like rooting for Secretariat. Brady and Belichick are two of the best. It’s like rooting for a great horse.”
Jack Steiner (trainer): Patriots “All of us have hated Tom Brady for so long. Eventually you give in and realize he’s pretty much the greatest man on earth.”
Mark Ventersca (Director of Food & Beverage): Eagles “I think the Patriots will win but I want the Eagles to win because they have never won before.”
Fernando “Shoes” Navarro (jockey agent): Eagles “Anti Brady.”
Dennis Patterson (jockey agent): Patriots “Pro Brady. The pride of San Mateo!”
Ramon Silva (jockey agent): Eagles “Because ‘Shoes’ told me.”
FINISH LINES: Remember: 11:15 AM first post on Super Bowl Sunday…Congrats to Northern California horsemen William E. Morey and O.J. Jauregui, who swept the exacta in last week’s $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic at Santa Anita Park with Rye and Camino Del Paraiso…Good luck to apprentice Ferrin Peterson, who rides in her first career race this afternoon. “I’m excited,” said Peterson. “I’ve wanted to be a jockey since I was a little kid.” Peterson rides the John Martin trained Flood Level in Race 2, a five furlong sprint for 8k maiden claimers…Congrats to jockey Kevin Orozco, who captured his first riding title at the 2017/2018 Portland Meadows race meet. The 21-year-old journeyman rider won on 46 of his 145 mounts at the meet; that equates to an outstanding 32% win percentage. He also hit the board with 72% of his rides. “It’s really cool,” said Orozco. “My agent Vito [Lucarelli] did a great job. He put me on a lot of live horses. I want to thank everyone who has given me a shot. I feel very lucky.”