Berkeley, Calif. (August 17, 2018)- Track officials announced earlier this week that Golden Gate Fields will offer a $50,000 guaranteed Late Pick 5 pool every Sunday afternoon during the 2018 summer meet. The Late Pick 5 is a 50-cent minimum wager which covers the last five races each day. The guaranteed pool, which was first implemented during the winter/spring season, has helped make the Late Pick 5 one of the more popular wagers at Golden Gate Fields.

“We are very pleased to, once again, be offering the $50,000 guaranteed pool in our Late Pick 5 wager every Sunday,” said General Manager and Vice President of Golden Gate Fields David Duggan. “We want to reward the dedicated horse players who are wagering on our races. We always strive to put out the highest quality product possible for them.”

Opening Day of the summer meet is this coming Thursday, August 23, and runs through Sunday, September 30.  For complete information about the summer racing season at Golden Gate Fields, visit goldengatefields.com.

Handle Grows for Fourth Consecutive Meet

BERKELEY, CA – Golden Gate Fields continued growing its Thoroughbred product during the Winter/Spring Meet with total handle up 15.85 percent and the daily average handle up 20.73 percent over the previous year.

Total daily handle was $3.180 during and the daily average was $2.634 during the meet which ended Sunday, June 10.

This is the fourth consecutive meet that Golden Gate Fields has shown sharp increases in handle. All-sources handle was up 10 percent and on-track handle was up 8 percent during the 2017 fall meet and on-track handle was up during the Winter/Spring and Summer meets in 2017.

“We’re very pleased with the growing popularity of our racing program over the past year,” said David Duggan, Vice President and General Manager of Golden Gate Fields. “We want to thank the bettors and horsemen who are supporting our program. We’re happy with our increases but we believe there’s still room for improvement in our racing program and customer experience. We will continue working the next several weeks to enhance our program as we look forward to the opening of our Summer Meet Thursday, August 23.”

P.J. Campo, Vice President of Racing for The Stronach Group, added: “We’re excited about the continued growth of our product at Golden Gate. We continue to reinvigorate the racing product and the experience of attending the races at all of our properties. We want to thank the fans and horsemen for participating as well as their support and feedback.”

Some of the meet highlights included The Lieutenant, a half-brother to Triple Crown winner Justify, winning the All American Stakes (G3); Flamboyant winning the San Francisco Mile (G3); Paved becoming the first filly to win the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby; and trainer Steve Sherman winning his 1,000^th race.

Golden Gate also carded a popular all-turf program on Thursday, May 31.

David Joesph.

By Matt Dinerman

Some say working in the horse racing industry is a “constant grind.” I suppose it is. But when you love your job as much as I do, it’s easy to change the phrase “constant grind” to “constant fun.”

Days removed from the Golden Gate Fields 2018 winter/spring race meet, I sit in a vacant press box with thoughts rushing through my mind.  There are many more thoughts right now than during the 799 races this meet where I picked up the headset and recited the happenings of powerful thoroughbreds and athletic jockeys.

You know… many people have asked me something to the effect of, “Your thoughts must be all over the place when you call a race, huh?”

“Not really,” I’ll answer. “It used to be when I first started calling races. But things have changed. I’ve developed.”

You see, during the live call of a horse race, my brain has taught itself to simplify things. Calling a race is a simple process but a complicated task. Memorize the horses, jockeys, trainers and anything else worth noting in the race, observe what is going on, and tell the public about it accurately. It’s observing a race and thinking out loud.

During the race, I clear my mind of everything other than the task at hand, which is to describe the race as accurately as possible. I forget about the laundry I have to do when I get home. I forget that I have to get gas in my car after the races. I focus on one thing: the race.

Anyway, I’ve got to focus on one thing NOW, which are my thoughts about Golden Gate. Let’s get to it.

First of all, it was wonderful to call a live race meet in my home state of California. We have a beautiful turf course that the horses seem to enjoy running on and the jockey enjoy competing over. Our Tapeta surface continues to hold up well since its installation in 2007.

The view from my booth is second to none: the Berkeley Hills overlooking the track and, behind my booth, I look outside to the glamorous view of water surrounding Downtown San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Michael Wrona says it’s his favorite announcer’s booth in the U.S. I can see why.

We have some solid stock (horses) here and very good horsemen that take great care of their equine stars. The jockey colony is extremely underrated, with many talented, young up-and-comers comprising a large percentage of the colony. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a few of our current riders at bigger tracks down the road. They can ride with anyone if they are given the right opportunities.

Now we talk about the future.

Golden Gate is a track that has needed much change…for a while. However, that change is beginning to happen. It will take a long time and many steps to implement the change we want for this track, but improvement is well underway.

We have an outstanding new General Manager and Vice President, David Duggan, who is a believer in positive, innovative and critical thinking. David is a believer in uniting the frontside and backstretch as one, and working as a team to accomplish goals while holding a strong emphasis on making the racing product great for everyone. David also believes in working with local communities (companies, sports teams, other groups) in the Bay Area to attract new fans to the races. He wants to give both Bay Area natives and tourists a reason to go to the racetrack and have a great experience. On top of all this, he interacts and communicates with members of the entire racing community, from high executives in the Stronach Group to everyone on the backstretch (the backstretch being the backbone of our product). This type of leadership is what is needed for American racing to improve at tracks all around the country.

We recently hired a marketing manager, Ryan Hilton, who is working very hard to create more events and fun for the on-track crowds. This is another area in which it will take time, dedication, and critical thinking to improving the events here so we can lure in more fans. That said, the area where Golden Gate Fields lies is surrounded by all sorts of communities…and money. We have resources and people around us to make things better here.

We have a dedicated team that works very hard and has a strong passion for the sport, especially Northern California racing, considering many employees have been at this track for a long time and come from racing backgrounds. Many of our horsemen are also Bay Area natives who have been in this region for decades.

Not that this is the most important change by any means, but we are also re-doing the winners circle. Bulldozers have annihilated the “old” winner’s circle and crews are working on the new layout for the winner’s circle, as well as areas of the paddock which are guaranteed to be a lot nicer. Plans for other renovation projects have already been discussed as well.

Everyone in the racing business knows of the uncertainty for the summer meet, and the anxiety that may be building for employees, horsemen and fans alike. All that said, I am highly confident we will reach an agreement and ultimately move forward in continuing the quest to improving Northern California racing and making the product as great as possible.

I end this write up with a thank you to everyone who has given me an opportunity leading up to this point. You need to work hard to achieve your goals but you must have help along the way.

SIR VRONSKI CONTINUES TO THRIVE

Trainer Quinn Howey hopped off a muscular, athletic gelding Wednesday morning and nodded his head towards the equine as his groom picked up the horse and walked him over to the hot walker machine in Barn 71, where Howey’s string of equines live.

“That’s him,” said Howey with a smile. “Sir Vronski.”

Sir Vronski has turned out to be a pretty cool horse…and that might be an understatement. The 7-year-old gelding has won 20 of 34 lifetime starts, with 4 wins from 5 starts in 2018.

It’s neat to see any horse that has a will to win like Sir Vronski does. There’s more to it, though. If you want to examine a versatile horse, take a peak at Sir Vronski’s past performances. The son of Vronsky has won on dirt, turf and synthetic surfaces while winning at distances of five furlongs to one mile and a sixteenth. He has gone to the lead and wired the field and has also sat off the pace and run down horses in front of him, before holding off the fast-closers late.

He can do it all.

“[Sir Vronski] used to be a horse that could only go wire to wire,” Howey recollected. “Unless he got an easy lead, he couldn’t hang on. Eventually he got older and, honestly, I think racing experience helped him become as versatile as he is now. That’s the biggest thing.”

“We gave [Sir Vronski] a chance to [sit off the pace] and be successful doing it,” said Howey. “Let’s say we run in a race where there was a horse on our inside with a lot of natural speed. Well, we let [Sir Vronski] sit off that horse. And then he realized, ‘Oh wow, I can pass that horse.’ I think he learned to be versatile that way.”

Sir Vronski, owned by longtime horse enthusiast Allen Aldrich, is out of the dam Sister Sally, by In Excess. Sister Sally has produced many winning foals, including Grade 2 victor Sircat Sally and recent Golden Gate starter allowance winner Madam Sophia.  In fact, Sister Sally’s 2-year-old filly by Acclamation, named Accomplishedsister, is slated to run in her very first race this Saturday: a five furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies.

For any handicapper or fan, it’s awfully hard not to respect Sir Vronski. For Quinn Howey, it’s impossible not to love him.

“I’m so proud of him,” said Howey. “He’s accomplished so much.”

TOP JOCKEY AND TRAINER RACE COMING DOWN TO THE WIRE

With four more racing days to go at the winter/spring meet, Abel Cedillo has 91 wins, seven more than Billy Antongeorgi III (84) and 8 more than Irving Orozco (83).

“Both of my riders are two very talented jockeys,” said agent Tom “Bomber” Doutrich, who represents both Cedillo and Orozco. “Their work ethic is spot on. We have had a lot of things go our way but we have worked hard and it’s been a lot of fun.”

“Abel is just solid,” continued Doutrich. “Irving has developed a little more consistency. It’s neat to see him grow up and turn into a nice, young man.”

Fernando “Shoes” Navarro, jockey agent for Billy Antongeorgi III, was quick to praise Antongeorgi III for his hard work throughout the meet.

“We’ve had a great meet,” said Navarro. “Billy’s been riding really well and we’ve been working really hard. I know when I put Billy on a horse he is going to give his best effort. Billy will ride hard for anyone. He’ll ride hard for first, second, third…it doesn’t matter. He goes out there and competes.”

In the trainer standings, Jonathan Wong has 52 wins, four more than Jerry Hollendorfer (48) and nine more than John Martin (43). Wong was all smiles Wednesday morning when asked to reflect on his winter/spring meet.

“The barn has had a terrific meet,” said Wong. “My barn help has worked very hard and my owners have been supportive of me running the horses in spots where we can win. I can’t thank my barn staff and owners enough. My grooms…they put in a lot of hours and work as hard as anyone. They really deserve so much credit.”

BELMONT STAKES DAY FEATURES TWO DIVISIONS OF THE ALBANY STAKES; MANDATORY PAYOUTS CLOSING DAY SUNDAY

A marathon 12-race card has been assembled for live racing at Golden Gate Fields on Belmont Stakes Day Saturday, June 9. The feature races on the card are the two divisions of the Albany Stakes, a five furlong turf dash for 3-year-olds and upward. 16 sprinters were entered in the race and the fields were split into two divisions, with eight horses per race. The first race on Saturday is at a special, early first post of 12:15 PM PST.

The first division of the Albany, which goes as Race 7, features My Friend Emma, who ran a gallant second in the Grade 3 All American Stakes just two weeks ago. The son of Tannersmyman last won a stake at Santa Rosa in the Jess Jackson Owners Handicap at 5 furlongs on the lawn (the same distance and surface as this race.) Other main contenders include Grade 3 placed gelding Many Roses and Southern California shippers Triston’s Trilogy and Life of Illusion.

Race 9 on the Saturday program is the second division of the Albany Stakes and attracts a strong cast. Leading the list of local entrants is defending Albany Stakes champion Krsto Skye, who was victorious at odds of 62-1 last year. His stablemate, 2018 Lost in the Fog stakes winner Tribal Storm, is also entered and comes into this race fresh off a sharp allowance win against his aforementioned barn mate. Southern California entrants in “Division 2” include Taman Guard from the Richard Mandella stable and Eddie Haskell, first off the claim for trainer Mark Glatt. Portando, who has won a pair of allowance races at Golden Gate, trains at Santa Anita under the care of conditioner Michael McCarthy and is also entered to run in the Albany.

Sunday afternoon is closing day of the Winter/Spring meet, with 11 or 12 races to be carded, according to General Manager and Vice President of Golden Gate Fields David Duggan. The 20 Cent Golden Pick Six will have a guaranteed payout along with the Late Pick 5, which will have a guaranteed pool of $50,000. Heading into Thursday’s card, the 20 Cent Golden Pick Six jackpot pool sits at $31,526.

Race 7: $50,000 Albany Stakes (Division 1)

Horse (Trainer, Jockey)

#1 Tristan’s Trilogy (Rafael Becerra, Abel Cedillo)

#2 My Friend Emma (Rhoda March, Ricky Gonzalez)

#3 Bay Muzik (Ari Herbertson, Alejando Gomez)

#4 Awhitesportscoat (Blaine Wright, Billy Antongeorgi III)

#5 Life of Illusion (Steve Miyadi, Irving Orozco)

#6 Many Roses (Ellen Jackson, Pedro Terrero)

#7 Annie’s Candy (Ari Herbertson, Frank Alvarado)

#8 Summersimage (Ricardo Perez, Catalino Martinez)

 

Race 9: $50,000 Albany Stakes (Division 2)

#1 Portando (Michael McCarthy, Juan Hernandez)

#2 Kochees (Jonathan Wong, Pablo Flores)

#3 Big Champion (Michael Curtis, Barrington Harvey)

#4 Aalsmeer (Aggie Ordonez, Frank Alvarado)

#5 Tribal Storm (Ari Herbertson, Irving Orozco)

#6 Taman Guard (Richard Mandella, Catalino Martinez)

#7 Krsto Skye (Ari Herbertson, William Antongeorgi III)

#8 Eddie Haskell (Mark Glatt, Abel Cedillo)

FINISH LINES: Hardboot, winner of the Silky Sullivan Stakes last month, ran second in the $200,000 Snow Chief Stakes at Santa Anita last weekend…Trainer Blaine Wright saddled Golden Gate Fields shipper Riser to a sharp win in the Governors Stakes for older horses at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington. Riser was ridden to victory by Northern California jockey Juan Hernandez. “Riser came out of the race great. He is happy and healthy,” reported Wright…Trainer Steve Sherman is one win away from 1,000 career victories…Happy belated birthday to trainer John Martin, who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday…Another happy birthday wish to Golden Gate Fields Director of Racing Patrick Mackey, who celebrates his birthday this Sunday…Good luck to Bay Area native Kyle Frey, who rides Peter Pan Stakes winner Blended Citizen in the Belmont Stakes. Blended Citizen ran second in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate in February…Good luck to loyal Golden Gate employee Del Scott, who retires Sunday afternoon after decades of work in the racing industry…Recent Golden Gate Fields allowance winner Animosity is scheduled to compete in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.

***Good luck to all horsemen, Northern California racing employees and personnel at the Northern California Fairs. See you on Opening Day for the summer meet, Thursday, August 23!!!***

Berkeley, Calif. (May 28, 2018)-Under the guidance of Southern California jockey Tyler Connor, 5-year-old The Lieutenant stalked the pace before surging in the final sixteenth of a mile to win The Grade 3 $100,000 All American Stakes for three-year-olds and upward.

“The pace definitely helped me,” said Connor. “Once I got him clear, he rolled home. He kicked on really well.”

My Friend Emma, who set the pace and carved out fast fractions of 23.07, 46.36, 1:10.78 and 1:23.43, hung on for second after doing the dirty work up front while Grecian Fire finished third after making a move from the back of the field. Perfectly Majestic rounded out the superfecta after encountering some traffic trouble in upper stretch.

The dam of The Lieutenant, Stage Magic, is also the dam of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Justify, who looks to win the Triple Crown in two weeks time at Belmont Park. By Street Sense, The Lieutenant has now earned $209,537, with 4 victories from 12-lifetime starts. This is his first stakes triumph for owners Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren Jr. and trainer Michael McCarthy, who picked up his second stakes win of the meet. In February, McCarthy saddled Paved to win in The Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby.

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Berkeley, Calif. (May 28, 2018) – On Thursday, May 31^st, Golden Gate Fields will host a seven race, all-turf card, with all races scheduled on the lakeside turf course. First post is 12:45 PM Pacific time with gates opening for simulcasting at 10:00 AM Pacific time.

“Turf racing is very popular amongst our horseplayers and fans,” said Golden Gate Fields general manager and vice president David Duggan. “We are very excited to present this unique opportunity for an all-turf card. There will be a lack of turf racing in Northern California in the coming months,” continued Duggan. “We found it was an ideal opportunity to use our excellent turf course for our horsemen to run their horses.”

Horseplayers should keep in mind that the turf rails will be set at 20 feet for the first four races on the program. Between races 4 and 5, track maintenance crews will move the rails to 0 feet for the remaining three races of the day. There will be about a one hour break in racing during the rail adjustment.

For complete race day, information fans are encouraged to visit GoldenGateFields.com. The winter/spring meet will conclude Sunday, June 10^th, 2018.

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TRAINER JOSE BAUTISTA PICKS UP FIRST STAKES WIN WITH TORTOSA

Equine conditioner Jose Bautista notched his first stakes victory as a trainer last Sunday with three-year-old colt Tortosa, who made a last to first move to win the $75,000 Alcatraz Stakes on turf. For Bautista, winning his first stake was an exciting experience.

“I was in shock, to be honest,” said Bautista. “Down the stretch I said to myself, ‘Wow, he’s going to do it.’ But it took a little while to realize, ‘Wow…he did it.’ It was a great feeling.”

“I’m mostly excited for the owners, Edward and Theresa DeNike,” continued Bautista. “They’ve been dedicated to me and have given me some nice horses over the past few years so I am very excited to finally win a stake for them.”

Bautista, who currently trains 25 horses, worked for longtime trainer Tony Diaz before going out on his own about five years ago. Jose noted Wednesday morning that Tortosa came out of the Alcatraz in good order and that there were a couple of options in mind regarding his summer schedule.

“I could ship [Tortosa] to Del Mar and run him down there in a 3-year-old stake or send him to the farm during the [Northern California] fairs and give him some time off,” relayed Bautista. “The good news is I still believe this horse has room to grow. He’s still a little bit green. I’m excited to watch him get better.”

PSARRAS SENDS MOTHER OF DRAGONS NORTH FOR NEXT STAKES TEST

Mother of Dragons, winner of the Camilla Urso Stakes on March 17, shipped to Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington earlier this week and will compete in the $50,000 Hastings Stakes on Memorial Day Monday. The Hastings, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares three-years-old and upward, typically draws the best female sprinters the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Trainer Andreas Psarras indicated Wednesday morning that he believes his stable star is ready to roll coming off a two and a half month freshening.

“She is training lights out,” said Psarras. “She broke her maiden on dirt at Santa Rosa so the switch from the tapeta at Golden Gate to the dirt at Emerald shouldn’t be an issue.”

Mother of Dragons, also owned by Psarras, has won 4 of 6 lifetime starts and will be ridden once again by jockey Julien Couton, who was aboard the daughter of First Dude when she won the Camilla Urso. The Frenchman rider has been at Emerald since early May and will spend his summer at the Washington state racetrack.

Another Golden Gate possible for the race is Strip It Down, trained by Blaine Wright. The 4-year-old filly by Congrats broke her maiden at Golden Gate in February and most recently ran second in an allowance race.

GRADE 3 ALL AMERICAN THE FEATURE RACE ON MEMORIAL DAY MONDAY

Golden Gate Fields offers five racing days this week, with our usual Thursday-Sunday cards and special holiday racing on Memorial Day Monday, May 28. The feature race this week is the $100,000 Grade 3 All American Stakes for colts and geldings three-year-olds and upward. The majority of the field will be local horses, with the possibles including stakes winners Force, My Friend Emma and Grecian Fire. Also possible are graded stakes placed runners Many Roses and More Power To Him and recent allowance winner Taima the Hawk.

Live racing each day begins at 12:45 PM Pacific time. Our second Fiesta Latina Day will be held on-track this Saturday, with live music, good food and 50% off specialized beers.

FINISH LINES: A $50,000 pool will be guaranteed once again in The 50 Cent Late Pick 5 this upcoming Sunday…With three weeks left to go at the winter/spring meet, Abel Cedillo sits atop the jockey standings with 78 wins, four more than fellow journeyman rider William Amtongeorgi III. Juan Hernandez and Irving Orozco are tied for third in the standings with 68 wins apiece….Jerry Hollendorfer holds the most wins out of any trainer at the current meet with 46 victories. Jonathan Wong and John Martin complete the top three spots in the trainer standings with 45 and 42 wins each, respectively…Well done to jockey Catalino Martinez, who took down both turf stakes’ in the past two weeks of live racing. Martinez won the Golden Poppy Stakes with 4-year-old filly Bella Luma on May 12 and came back to win the Alcatraz Stakes eight days later with 3-year-old colt Tortosa…Congrats to trainer Dan Markle and jockey Rocco Bowen, who teamed up to win the Seattle Stakes at Emerald Downs on Sunday with 3-year-old filly Ima Happy Cat. The California-bred daughter of Smiling Tiger broke her maiden on April 28 at Golden Gate and was facing winners for the first time in The Seattle Stakes. Interestingly enough, Blaine Wright trainee Bella Mia ran second in The Seattle Stakes, completing a Northern California exacta in Washington State’s premier race last week….The 20 Cent Golden Pick Six jackpot pool has climbed to $20,139. The Golden Pick Six begins with Race 2 on Thursday…$3,200 has been carried over into the Rolling Super High 5 pool for Race 4 on Thursday…Happy birthday to outrider Ashton Compoy, who celebrated his birthday this week.

Berkeley, Calif. (May 20, 2018)- Tortosa gave jockey Catalino Martinez his second stakes win in two weeks with a victory in the $75,000 Alcatraz Stakes for 3-year-olds racing a mile on the turf at Golden Gate Fields.

Tortosa sat at the back of the field for the first five furlongs before circling the field on the far turn and outfinishing second place finisher Unpossible and third place rival Respect the Hustle down the stretch. The son of Cape Blanco broke his maiden three starts ago and won an allowance race two races back before earning his third win in a row in The Alcatraz.

“I was sitting in a perfect spot early,” said winning pilot Catalino Martinez. “By the three-eighths pole, I went wide but was full of horse. In the stretch, I hit him a couple of times and he took off. Winning trainer] Jose [Bautista] has done a wonderful job with this horse.”

Tortosa was bred by his owners, Edward and Theresa DeNike, and has earned $94,185 from 3 wins and 3 seconds in 8 lifetime starts.

“He’s a horse my owners and I have always been looking forward to seeing run. He’s a nice horse,” said winning conditioner Jose Bautista. “”We proved today that he is at a top level and that is where we want to be.”

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Wednesday, May 16, 2018

2018 ALCATRAZ STAKES THIS SUNDAY

The $75,000 Alcatraz Stakes for three-year-olds is the feature race this week at Golden Gate Fields. The one-mile turf event will be drawn on Thursday afternoon, with a projected field of six to eight runners set to go postward on Sunday.

Among the list of probables is Afleet Ascent, who comes off a fourth-place finish in The Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Afleet Ascent ran second in The Baffle Stakes at “The Great Race Place” earlier in the year and completed the superfecta in last December’s Gold Rush Stakes.

Respect the Hustle will make his second start off a four-and-a-half month break for trainer Bill McClean in The Alcatraz. The son of Colonel John won the Oak Tree Juvenile Stakes last October and ran third in The Gold Rush Stakes against Southern California stakes colts City Plan and Ayacara in December.

Unpossible most recently ran second in the $100,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes for California-breds on April 29 and will be facing open company in the Alcatraz for trainer Felix Rondan and owners/breeders Dr. and Mrs. William T. Gray. Unpossible has hit the board in 6 of 11 lifetime starts.

Tortosa and Bronze Warrior, the top two finishers in an April 6 allowance race, round out the list of probables. Silky Sullivan Stakes winner Hardboot, recent Santa Anita maiden special weight victor Huddle and Grade 3 placed colt Ayacara are all marked down as “possible” for the race.

SPECIAL FIRST POST TIMES ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

This Friday and Saturday, the opening race at Golden Gate Fields will go off at a different time than the usual 12:45 PM first post.

The first of 8 races on the Golden Gate Friday program will be at 1:15 PM Pacific time, with gates opening for simulcasting at 10:00 AM. Fans on-site can watch and wager on the Black Eyed Susan card at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland, with their massive 14-race program featuring 7 stakes races. Included on the card is the aforementioned Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Meanwhile, the first of nine races at Golden Gate this Saturday, May 19, begins at 12:15 PM PT. Patrons can also tune in and bet on the Preakness Day card from Pimlico, with gates opening for simulcasting at 9:00 AM. The Preakness, a $1,500,000 race and the second leg of the Triple Crown, features Kentucky Derby winner Justify and is scheduled to go off at 3:20 P.M. PT. Along with the Preakness, Pimlico’s Saturday program features seven other stakes events.

Saturday is also the first of four “Fiesta Latina” days at Golden Gate, to be held every Saturday beginning this week and ending on June 9. Every Fiesta Latina Day features live music, food specials and 50% off specialty beers. Fans under 17 years old get into the track for free while general admission for patrons 18 and older is five dollars.

FINISH LINES: William Antongeorgi III and Abel Cedillo continue to battle for the top spot in the jockey standings. With four weeks left to go in the meet, Antongeorgi has a one-win lead over Cedillo (73-72 wins)…Jerry Hollendorfer has pulled two victories ahead of Jonathan Wong in the trainer standings…Congratulations to Jonathan Wong and his fiancée Megan Davenport. The couple welcomed their first child, a healthy baby boy, into the world last week…Jockey Silvio Amador broke the tibia and fibula bones in his left leg after going down in a spill during Saturday’s first race. Amador had successful surgery to repair the bones and will be out of action for 6 to 8 weeks, according to Dr. David Seftel…The Golden Pick 6 Jackpot wager was taken down three days in a row (last Thursday-Saturday) but was not hit on Sunday, resulting in a $5,815 carryover heading into this Thursday’s card….A REMINDER: Golden Gate is offering a GUARANTEED $50,000 Late Pick 5 pool every Sunday for the remainder of the winter/spring meet. The Late Pick 5 sequence is always the last five races on each race card.

Berkeley, Calif. (May 12, 2018)- Sent off at odds of 12-1, four-year-old filly Bella Luma sat off a fast pace before motoring to the front down to the stretch to pick up her first stakes victory in the $50,000 Golden Poppy Stakes for fillies and mares three-years-old and upward. Trainer Ed Moger Jr. scored his first stakes win of the meet in the mile and a sixteenth turf contest.

“I got out [of the gate] fast and got in a good spot,” said winning jockey Catalino Martinez. “By the five-sixteenths pole, I was just waiting to make a move. I knew I had a lot of horse. I had her switch leads [down the stretch] and she just took off.”

Bella Luma, bred by Thomas Bachman and co-owned by Bachman and Linda Brown, came into the Golden Poppy fresh off of two allowance victories on Tapeta earlier in the meet. The daughter of Ministers Wild Cat had never won in four starts on the lawn prior to the Golden Poppy triumph.

With the stakes win, Bella Luma improved her career record to 4 wins from 13 starts, with earnings of $136,317.