2018 EL CAMINO REAL DERBY FEATURES LUCRATIVE DERBY POINTS
The $100,000 El Camino Real Derby, one of the most notable races every year at Golden Gate Fields, will be run this Saturday, February 18. The mile and an eighth contest is for 3-year-olds traveling the distance of 9 furlongs. Along with the $60,000 winner’s check, the 2018 El Camino Real Derby champion will also earn 10 points towards the Kentucky Derby. Over the years, we have seen El Camino Real Derby participants such as Chocolate Candy, Daddy Nose Best and Dance With Fate compete in The Run for the Roses on the first Saturday in May.
A field of nine 3-year-olds will go postward in the 2018 El Camino Real Derby. The expected morning line favorite is California Derby winner Choo Choo, who also ran third in The Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita in December. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee is owned by Calumet Farm and has been training at Golden Gate Fields since the California Derby victory. He will be ridden, once again, by Juan Hernandez. Other local contenders include California Derby runner up Mugaritz, multiple allowance winner Could Be the One, and recent starter allowance victor Unlawful Act.
Several Southern California invaders will try to add a stakes win to their resume. Paved, a filly facing boys in The El Camino Real, comes off a dominating five and a half-length score against maiden special weight company on turf. Paved was purchased for $320,000 as a 2-year-old and is trained by Michael McCarthy. Blending Citizen, conditioned by Doug O’Neill, ran fourth behind Choo Choo in the Eddie Logan and is scheduled to make his 2018 debut in The El Camino Real Derby. Rounding out the Southern California entrants are the Vladimir Cerin trained Calexman, who broke his maiden on November 24 at Del Mar, and Epical, wheeling back quickly after winning his first career start for trainer James Cassidy three weeks ago.
City Plan, a 3-year-old Godolphin homebred, is an interesting item from the Eoin Harty barn. The son of Street Sense ships up to Golden Gate Fields after a poor showing in The Grade 3 Sham Stakes against Kentucky Derby hopefuly McKinzie. City Plan won The Gold Rush Stakes over the Golden Gate Tapeta two-starts ago and defeated Ayacara, a runner who came back to run second in The Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.
Interestingly, of the nine entrants will be ridden by Southern California jockeys. Making the trip to Golden Gate Fields from Santa Anita are jockeys Drayden Van Dyke (aboard Paved), Kyle Frey (Blended Citizen), Tyler Conner (City Plan), Alonso Quinonez (Calexman), Tiago Pereira (Epical) and Mario Gutierrez (Mugaritz).
The El Camino Real Derby goes as Race 7 on the 9-race card, with a scheduled post time of 3:45 PM Pacific Standard Time. Here is the field, from the rail post position outward:
Horse (Trainer/Jockey)
#1 Paved (Michael McCarthy/Drayden Van Dyke)
#2 Blended Citizen (Doug O’Neill/Kyle Frey)
#3 Could Be the One (Jack Steiner/William Antongeorgi III)
#4 Choo Choo (Jerry Hollendorfer/Juan Hernandez)
#5 City Plan (Eoin Harty/Tyler Conner)
#6 Calexman (Vladimir Cerin/Alonso Quinonez)
#7 Epical (James Cassidy/Tiago Pereira)
#8 Unlawful Act (Matthew Troy/Cristobal Herrera)
#9 Mugaritz (Jonathan Wong/Mario Gutierrez)
LOST IN THE FOG STAKES HIGHLIGHTS PRESIDENT’S DAY RACING
The $50,000 Lost In The Fog Stakes will be the feature race on the Golden Gate Fields card this Monday, February 19. First post time remains the same: 12:45 PM Pacific Standard Time. The feature Monday race is named after one of the best Bay Area sprinters to ever compete, Lost In The Fog, who was conditioned by Greg Gilchrist and ridden by Hall of Famer Russell Braze.
Among the leading contenders is The Larry Rivelli trained Wellabled. Rivelli, who has a large string of horses on the East Coast, is well known for his success at Arlington Park in the summertime. Wellabled comes off a seven length win in The Forego Stakes at Turfway Park. Other local main contenders include the win machine Percy’s Bluff, defending champion Quick and Silver and Sunset Dragunn, who makes his stakes debut after a pair of sharp allowance wins.
FINISH LINES: Abel Cedillo is first in victories amongst the Golden Gate jockey colony with 26 wins, three more than Billy Antongeorgi III. Juan Hernandez sits in third place with 22 wins…In the trainer standings, Jonathan Wong holds an 18-17 lead over Jerry Hollendorfer…Good luck to Team Hollendorfer, whom race 3-year-old colt Instilled Regard this Saturday. The son of Arch is back at The Fairgrounds, where he won the Grade 3 LeComte Stakes, and is ready to take on nine other rivals in The Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes. The winner of The Risen Star earns 50 points to The Kentucky Derby…Northern California superstar Mended worked 5 furlongs on Sunday morning. The daughter of Broken Vow was last seen running second in The Grade 2 La Canada Stakes on January 13 and is possible for a stakes race at Sunland Park next month…Happy birthday to trainers Isidro Tamayo and Samuel Calvario, both whom celebrate birthdays in the upcoming days…The Golden Pick Six Jackpot Carryover has reached $27,658 heading into Thursday’s card…PLEASE NOTE: On February 23, 24 and 25, post time for our Golden Gate Fields races will be moved to 1:15 PM, a half hour later than our usual 12:45 PM first post time.