Thursday, April 19, 2018
MATHIS HAS BIG WEEKEND WITH STABLE GEMS CASTLE AND LAYNEE
Trainer Andy Mathis had a strong weekend, winning first-level allowance races with 5-year-old gelding Castle on Saturday and 4-year-old filly Laynee on Sunday. The Spiral Jetter, the only other Mathis trainee competing on the weekend of April 14 and 15, ran second in the race that Laynee won.
Castle, a Cal-bred son of Slew’s Tiznow, has compiled a record of 3 wins, 1 second and 1 third from 5 lifetime starts. The Eagle Ridge Farm homebred has won a pair of route allowance races in his past two starts and broke his maiden last fall against a salty group of sprinters. For Mathis, it was clear early on that Castle possessed raw talent.
“Before he ran his first race for me, he hooked up with [multiple stakes winner] Star Student in a workout,” recalled Mathis. “He held his own pretty good. Right there I knew he had some ability.”
“He’s a great horse to be around,” continued Mathis. “He’s a really friendly horse. My kids come by the barn and play with him. Training [in the mornings], he’ll do anything you ask him to do. For me, it’s just trying to space his workouts and races right. I try to put him in the right spots so he can put up his best effort.”
24 hours after Castle’s triumph, Laynee defeated a solid bunch of first level allowance runners in a six-furlong sprint. Laynee’s biggest win to date, however, may have come in February when she defeated Cal-bred allowance competition at Santa Anita.
“Laynee has always worked fast and showed in the mornings that she could run,” said Mathis. “It seems like every race she is maturing and getting better. It’s been a steady progression with her. She gets better little by little. I like horses like that, and I think she can still improve.”
Stablemate The Spiral Jetter, who rounded out the exacta for the Mathis barn, had not started since November of 2016. Mathis was pleased with the effort his “other” runner put forth.
“I was very happy with the way The Spiral Jetter ran,” said Mathis. “I think she might be better going a little bit longer, actually. Maybe seven furlongs or a mile. It was a good weekend.”
STRONG ALLOWANCE RACES FEATURED ON COMPETITIVE 9-RACE FRIDAY CARD
Golden Gate Fields offers a 9-race card this Friday, April 20, the first of three racing days this coming week. Heading into Friday’s card, Golden Gate Fields has a 20-Cent Pick 6 jackpot carryover of $26,098. The Pick 6 begins in Race 4.
The feature race on the card goes as Race 8, a second level allowance on tapeta for older colts and geldings routing one mile and a sixteenth. Leading the cast of contenders is Camino Del Paraiso, who comes off a fourth-place finish in The Grade 3 San Francisco Mile. The last time Camino Del Paraiso routed on the tapeta, he ran third in The Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap. Morning line maker Steve Martinelli installed Camino Del Paraiso as the 7-5 morning line favorite.
Other main contenders include stakes winners G.G. Ryder and Zakaroff, recent allowance victors Lovenseek and Taima the Hawk, and stakes placed 4-year-old More Power to Him. Sixes, who finished second to Lovenseek in a March 30 allowance race, is also expected to get support in the wagering. Harvest a Storm, who ran third behind Lovenseek and Sixes in the aforementioned March allowance event, rounds out the field.
Race 7, the second leg of the 50-Cent Late Pick 4, is another fun race on the Friday card. The event attracts a field of eight 3-year-old allowance fillies set to travel one mile on the turf.
The 2-1 morning line favorite is Tinabud, who ran second in The California Oaks three starts ago but has finished second in a duo of allowance races since then. Other main contenders include Sweetsongofthenile, who ran fourth in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita, California Oaks participant Bornonvalentineday and recent allowance winner Seaside Song.
First post on the 9-race card is 12:15 PM. Entries for Saturday were taken on Wednesday morning, with 10 races listed on the overnight. Racing Secretary Patrick Mackey carded 10 races on the Sunday program as well, with first post on Dollar Day scheduled at the usual time of 12:15 PM.
FINISH LINES: Trainer John Martin has a one-win lead over Jonathan Wong in the trainer standings (34-33) while William Antongeorgi III sits first in the jockey standings with 56 victories, four more than Abel Cedillo…Good luck to trainer Blaine Wright, who saddles Alliford Bay and Quick and Silver in two separate stakes events on Sunday at Hastings Racecourse. Alliford Bay, entered to run in The Bridgehouse Belles Stakes for older fillies and mares, comes off a third-place finish in The Camilla Urso Stakes. Quick and Silver, slated to run in The Swift Thoroughbreds Inaugural Stakes, makes his first start for the Wright barn after being privately purchased by owner Peter Redekop. The son of Dunkirk was previously in the barn of Bill Delia and enters the race fresh off an allowance win on March 11…Good luck to trainers Frank Lucarelli, Dan Markle and Blaine Wright. All three conditioners have a string of horses at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington and begin their meet this Sunday…Another “best wishes” shoutout to jockeys Rocco Bowen, Lucas Gutierrez, Kevin Orozco, Anne Sanguinetti and Edgar Velasco. The quintet of Northern California jockeys will be competing at Emerald Downs this spring and summer…Northern California trainer Ari Herbertson saddles A Red Tie Day in the $100,000 San Juan Capistrano this Sunday at Santa Anita. A Red Tie Day was claimed by Team Herbertson in March for $50,000.