THE STRONACH GROUP’S PREMIER BAY AREA RACETRACK WILL OFFER MANDATORY PAYOUTS ON CLOSING SUNDAY IN THE PICK FIVE, PICK SIX AND SUPER HIGH FIVE. THE VERY POPULAR .50 CENT PICK 5 WAGER, WHICH COVERS THE DAY’S FIRST FIVE RACES, WILL ALSO FEATURE A PLAYER-FRIENDLY 14% TAKOUT RATE

 ALBANY, Calif. (Dec. 7, 2017)–Golden Gate Fields will offer an early first post-time of 12:15 p.m. on both Saturday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 10 of Closing Weekend of the 2017 Fall Meet. The early first post will accommodate two very competitive 10-race cards that are sure to test horseplayers.

The weekend will begin with a challenging Pick Five sequence on Saturday that includes 43 total horses, separated into legs of 7/10/10/8/8. Additionally, the ever-popular Pick Five will include a player friendly 14% takeout rate.

Set in the most picturesque of landscapes that includes bay views and cool breezes, Golden Gate Fields’ Closing Sunday will excite fans and players alike with not only a 10-race card but also mandatory payouts in the Pick Five, Pick Six and Super High Five. The $50,000 Miss America Stakes, which boasts a 14-horse field, will serve as Sunday’s feature at 1 1/16 miles on the turf for fillies and mares, ages three and up.

For more information regarding Closing Weekend, visit www.goldengatefields.com. For entries, visit http://www.goldengatefields.com/horseplayers/. Golden Gate admission gates will open at 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SHIPPERS SCORE BIG ON BOTH COASTS

Last Saturday, Bay Area equine stars Mended and Krsto Skye represented the Golden Gate Fields racing community in a big way.

Mended, trained by John Martin, shipped east to run in the $110,000 Claiming Crown Glass Slipper at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The Kentucky bred daughter of Broken Vow went off at odds of even money, shot to the front from the opening bell and pulled away from her 13 rivals down the stretch. Mended won the race by 6 and three-quarter lengths and earned an 87 Beyer speed figure for her effort. Regular rider Ricky Gonzalez flew to Florida to ride the 4-year-old filly and was still on cloud nine after returning home from the stakes-winning trip.

“We had a great trip,” said Ricky. “She is so confident right now and I was really confident the whole way around there. She was doing it easy so I was comfortable. I took a look behind me at one point and saw everyone was pumping on their horses. I knew right there we had it. What she has done in one year is unbelievable. She is one of my favorites for sure. It’s really fun to ride her.”

Owned by Troy and Martiza Onorato, Mended may be one of the best claims in North America this year. Since being claimed for $12,500 in January, Mended has won 10 straight races and earned $185,900 for her “new” connections.

“She’s turned into a nice filly,” said John Martin. “She came [to Gulfstream] and did nothing wrong. She has a lot of confidence right now…I started training her and ever since then she started getting better and better and better.”

About six hours after Mended’s stakes triumph, Krsto Skye raced in an allowance optional claimer at The Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meet in Cypress, California. The Ari Herbertson trainee scored a 13-1 upset after stalking the pace under Southern California jockey Stewart Elliott. Krsto Skye earned an 86 Beyer for his victory, which was his fourth win from nine starts in 2017.

“I knew he’d take to the dirt but it was a pretty tough race,” said Ari. “I told Stewart [Elliott] to take a hold early and make one run late. He gave him a great ride. Krsto Skye does nothing but try hard every time for us. I’m really proud of him.”

Krsto Skye is owned by Ari’s father, Scott Herbertson, who is currently the leading owner at the Golden Gate Fields Fall Meet. The Herbertson’s claimed Krsto Skye for $8,000 in April and have won 4 races and earned $72,875 since the 5-year-old gelding joined their barn. His biggest win to date came on June 10 in The Albany Stakes, a five furlong turf dash. That afternoon, Krsto Skye went off at astronomical odds (62-1) and won the contest by a length and three-quarters. The Los Alamitos win was the first Southern California victory for Ari Herbertson. Coincidentally, last Saturday was Ari’s 26^th birthday.

“It’s really tough to win in Southern California, no matter what the level is,” Ari said. “It was really cool to get that win. It was a great birthday present, that’s for sure.”

MANDATORY PAYOUTS AND 2 STAKES’ HIGHLIGHT CLOSING WEEK OF THE FALL MEET

There are plenty of items on the agenda for closing week of the 2017 Fall Meet at Golden Gate Fields.

Horseplayers will have one final chance to win big before the holidays on closing day Sunday, December 10; there will be mandatory payouts in the “player-friendly” 14% takeout Pick 5 wager, The Golden Pick 6 Jackpot wager, and The Super High Five. The Super High Five, where horseplayers must pick the first five finishers in order, is featured in the last race every live racing day.

The $75,000 Bear Fan kicks off the stakes action on closing weekend. A field of nine is set to compete in the six-furlong contest. Among the leading contenders are multiple stakes winner and defending champion Fast and Foxy, Tapeta win machines Princess Ashlyn and Spring Heat, and Southern California shippers Cuddle Alert, Dis Smart Cat and Obey. The $50,000 Miss America Stakes, a mile and a sixteenth turf event for older fillies and mares, is the final stakes race of the fall meet. The Miss America is expected to draw a large field and is the feature race on the closing day card this Sunday.

Golden Gate Fields will run more races than usual during the last three days of the meet. Friday has a 9-race card, with the opener set to go off at the usual first post of 12:45 PM. Saturday features a very strong 10-race card, with first post time at 12:15 PM. According to general manager David Duggan, Golden Gate may also run 10 races on closing day Sunday.

FINISH LINES: Heading into the final four days of live racing this fall, jockey Juan Hernandez has a 33-29 lead over Frank Alvarado in the jockey standings. Trainer Jonathan Wong won four races last week and holds a 5-win advantage over John Martin in the trainer standings…Golden Gate Fields will be adding a  $1 Rolling Super High Five and a 50 Cent Late Pick 5 to the wagering menu beginning December 26, opening day of the big winter/spring meet. According to a press release, “If no one selects the top five finishers in exact order, 100 percent of the net pool carries over to the next race…” The Super High Five, which has been featured in the last race every day, will now be offered in every race. The 50 Cent Late Pick 5 sequence will be offered on the last five races of each day. Please note that The 50 Cent Early Pick 5 (Races 1-5) will still be on the wagering menu this winter….Good luck and best wishes to track announcer Frank Mirahmadi, who completes his Golden Gate Fields announcing tenure this week. The veteran race caller will be heading to Aqueduct in Queens, New York, where he has been hired as the backup announcer and racing analyst on the TV show “Talking Horses” for the remainder of the Aqueduct meet. Matt Dinerman, former track announcer at Emerald Downs and the current Golden Gate Fields TV racing analyst, will be the new track announcer beginning the day after Christmas…January 7 is the last day Golden Gate will card turf racing until mid-April….All Golden Gate Fields backstretch workers (grooms, hotwalkers, etc.) are warmly invited to attend the annual Grooms Christmas Party, held in the turf club after the races this Thursday, December 7. The Golden Gate Fields jockey colony will be serving dinner throughout the evening.

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ALBANY, Calif. (December 2, 2017) Southern California shippers have dominated in stakes races at the 2017 Golden Gate Fields Fall meet and that trend continued on Saturday when City Plan, trained by Eoin Harty, flew up north and proceeded to beat nine other rivals in The $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes for 2-year-olds. City Plan stopped the clock for one mile in 1:39.01 seconds and paid $51.20 to win.

“I got hung wide most of the way but he was full of run so it didn’t matter,” said jockey Tyler Connor, who rode the bay colt to victory. “Down the lane he was all over the place. He was lugging in the whole way. If he figures things out, he will get even better.”

City Plan is owned by Godolphin Racing LLC, the racing operation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makotum. Sheikh Mohammed, the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, also bred City Plan. By top sire Street Sense, City Plan has an outstanding female family. His dam, Interior Design, is by A.P Indy and out of a mare who won a Group 2 in Europe and placed in The Grade I Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington Park in 1991.

“I’ve never rode him in a race before but worked him a few times and he worked well,” said Connor. “Galloping out, he was rolling. I think he can definitely go further.”

Ayacara, who most recently ran fourth in The Grade I Frontrunner Stakes at Santa Anita, went off as the 4-5 favorite under Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux. The Del Mar maiden winner broke a bit slowly, came with a late rally down the stretch but finished three-quarters of a length behind City Plan in second. Respect the Hustle, the winner of The Oak Tree Juvenile Stakes at Pleasanton, stalked the pace and wound up third over recent maiden winner Afleet Ascent.

With the Gold Rush Stakes score, City Plan has now won 2 of 4 career starts with earnings of $72,690. The next 2-year-old stakes race at Golden Gate Fields is the $100,000 California Derby on January 20. City Plan is “possible” for the mile and a sixteenth contest.

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By Matt Dinerman

Albany, Calif. (November 29, 2017) $43,854 carried over in The Golden Gate Fields 50 Cent Pick 5 for Thursday, November 30! The pool is expected to get to at least $250,000 and the wager features a low 14% takeout…talk about “player friendly.” A winning ticket will turn into a good chunk of cash in your pocket and a nice way to start off your racing week on The West Coast!

Here is how I am playing the Pick 5 at Golden Gate tomorrow:

LEG 1: Six $6,250 claimers go one mile in the first leg of the Pick 5. #4 Volkonsky is the one to beat after finishing second at this level on November 5; the rival who finished in front of him came back to win (again) in an 8k claimer on November 17.  One concern, though…Volkonsky has 4 wins from 53 starts, with 24 second or third place finishes. Obviously he hits the board more often than he wins. #3 On Fire easily won for $3,200 last time out and was claimed by Isidro Tamayo, who is 3 for 9 first-off-the claim. On Fire could take a step forward for the new connections, though his “A” race probably makes him competitive against this group anyway. We’ll use #3 On Fire and #4 Volkonsky to kick things off.

LEG 2: Eight 2-year-old fillies will travel five and one half furlongs in this $12,500 claimer. #2 Chiefs Lil Pearl would be hard to leave off tickets; the daughter of Bold Chieftain is the only entrant that has won at this level and comes into this off a nice second place finish behind a filly who would be odds on if she were entered in this spot. #6 Gambler’s Appeal drops in class after running fourth in a $25,000 claimer and #3 La Classic Gold can improve in her second lifetime start. In the career debut, she overcame a slow start and wide trip to break her maiden in a “better than it looks on paper” effort.

LEG 3: A six furlong, $8,000 claimer on Tapeta features a field of eight. #4 Kochees makes his second start off a nine-month vacation for trainer Blaine Wright, who hits at a 25% clip with horses making the second start in their form cycle. In his first afternoon appearance since the lengthy break, Kochees finished fourth in a tough starter allowance race, which featured stakes winner Kristo Skye and a hard knocker named Thirty Pepperonis, who came back to win a $16,000 event two weeks ago. Interestingly, Thirty Pepperonis is 5-2 on the morning line in a $20,000 claimer later on in the day. Note that Kochees moves from the turf to his preferred Tapeta surface; he is 1 for 11 on turf and 5 for 11 on Tapeta. We’re taking a stand and singling this guy on our ticket.

LEG 4: Eight $12,500 claimers to contest one-mile on the turf course. The top pick is #4 Peaked, who ran at this level on November 9. That day, she made a premature move on the far turn and got a little tired late, eventually losing by a length. If she gets a better ride, she can win this time. She is 0 for 2 on turf, yes, but her first start on the green (back in September of 2016) was solid and she was overmatched when racing on the lawn the second time. #1 Enchanted Jasmine drops from the starter allowance level to this $12,500 condition, which should help put her over the top, while #5 Gilded finished ahead of our top pick last time out and has run second in 3 of 4 starts at this level for high percentage trainer John Martin. We’ll use all three fillies on our ticket.

LEG 5: If we’re lucky enough to make it this far, we’re using 3 of the 8 runners in the last leg, a six-furlong $6,250 claiming sprint. #6 Tuesday’s Supernova is the only confirmed front runner in a race that lacks front-running speed. She cuts back from a route to a sprint after a poor effort going two turns last time out, but she has never routed well so we’ll cross that race out. ‘Supernova has finished second or third in her past four sprint races and the last time she ran at this level, she lost by a head to Passion For Papa, who came back to run second against a tough group of $12,500 claimers. #7 Pattin for a Dance just ran third at the $16,000 claiming level at Del Mar and would be awfully tough with a repeat of that effort. #1 Jersey Buns takes a significant drop in class from the starter allowance level to this $6,250 condition, so she faces a lot easier than what she is used to seeing.

THE 50-CENT TICKET ($27 investment)

R1: 3,4
R2: 2,3,6
R3: 4
R4: 1,4,5
R5: 1,6,7

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

WIN MACHINE MENDED TO PARTICIPATE IN CLAIMING CROWN RACE AT GULFSTREAM PARK

Wednesday afternoon, trainer John Martin was en route to Gulfstream Park, where he’ll watch one of his stable stars, Mended, compete in The Claiming Crown Glass Slipper Stakes this Saturday. The Glass Slipper Stakes, with a $110,000 purse, is for fillies and mares which have raced for a claiming tag of $12,500 or less since January 1, 2016. Mended drew Post 6 of 14 in the one-turn mile event, which goes as Race 2 on the 11-race card. Ricky Gonzalez, who rides year-round at Golden Gate Fields, has guided Mended to victory in her eight most recent races and will fly in to Florida to ride once again.

The Claiming Crown, an annual event held every year at Gulfstream Park, are a series of stakes races for horses that have or used to participate in claiming races throughout North America. Mended, a former claimer herself, fits the condition of The Glass Slipper like Cinderella’s foot. The daughter of Broken Vow was claimed for $12,500 on January 7 and since then, has won nine races in a row and earned $125,400 for owners Maritza and Troy Onorato. Mended’s biggest win for the Martin stable came at Del Mar on July 27, when she defeated second level allowance foes.

“We liked her when we claimed her, obviously, but we couldn’t have predicted she’d turn out to be this good,” said Reid France, assistant to John Martin. “She started to win one race after another and now she’s just gotten super confident. She’s a lovely filly to train and be around. She enjoys racing and wants to win.”

Heading into this Saturday’s stake, Reid France believes the 4-year-old filly has what it takes to pick up her first stakes win.

“If she runs her best race, I think she’ll be right there contending for the win,” said France. “She can run on anything. Synthetics, dirt…she’s won on turf too. She’s got such a great mind and always ships well. The whole barn has a lot of confidence in her.”

Post time for The Glass Slipper Stakes is 12:30 PM Eastern time and 9:30 AM Pacific time.

10 SET TO START IN THE GOLD RUSH STAKES FOR 2-YEAR-OLDS THIS SATURDAY

A field of ten 2-year-olds are expected to go postward in Race 7 on Saturday, The $50,000 Gold Rush Stakes. The race, a prep for the Grade 3 $200,000 El Camino Real Derby in February, attracts a solid contingent of runners.

Among the likely favorites is Ayacara, a Southern California shipper from the Keith Desormeaux stable who was last seen finishing fourth in The Grade 1 Frontrunner Stakes behind Bolt D’Oro, one of the best 2-year-olds in the nation. Ayacara broke his maiden at Del Mar under the guidance of jockey Kent Desormeuax last summer, and the Hall of Fame rider will fly up to Northern California to ride the son of Violence in The Gold Rush.

Hall of Fame conditioner Jerry Hollendorfer has a strong 1-2 punch in the 2017 Gold Rush with Afleet Ascent, a $300,000 sale purchase who comes off a 5-furlong maiden score on turf at Del Mar, and Night At the Opera, who ran second in The Oak Tree Juvenile at Pleasanton. Respect the Hustle, the winner of the Oak Tree Juvenile, is also entered in the Gold Rush and drew Post 7 for jockey Juan Hernandez and trainer Bill McClean.

The Gold Rush Stakes oversubscribed with 11 runners. Zippy Groom, who raced to his first career win in a 30k maiden claimer at Santa Anita last month, was put on the also-eligible list. There will need to be a defection by scratch time on Saturday morning in order for him to race in the one-mile contest. Post time for The Gold Rush Stakes is 3:45 PM Pacific Time.

FINISH LINES: A PICK 5 CARRYOVER of $43,854 highlights the Thursday card at Golden Gate Fields. The sequence: Races 1-5, and the wager has a “player friendly” 14% takeout. 38 horses are entered in the five-race sequence, which averages out to 7.6 horses per race. Track officials estimate the pool will climb to at least $250,000 by the time the gates open for Leg 1….Trainer Frank Lucarelli saddled a pair of talented 2-year-olds in a maiden special weight race last Saturday. Whatwasithinking, a 2-year-old son of Violence purchased for $20,000 at Keeneland last year, rallied from off the pace to win his debut by 3 lengths. Although well-regarded by The Lucarelli barn, Whatwasithinking went off at odds of 14-1. C.R. Bullitt, the second Lucarelli entrant in the race, was purchased at the 2016 Washington Yearling sale for $30,000. The son of Atta Boy Roy checked at the start after but ran on strongly for second, giving The Lucarelli barn a 1-2 finish in the Saturday nightcap. The Lucarelli exacta paid $316.40…The well-regarded Coachwhip, a Calumet Farm homebred, won her second lifetime start on Saturday, just one month after an extremely impressive maiden score in early October. The daughter So You Think beat a group of experienced older fillies and mares on Saturday and may run in Southern California in the future, according to trainer Jedd Josephsen… Congrats to jockey Kevin Orozco, who was recently named the “Jockeys Guild Jockey of the Week.” According to a press release, “the award is voted on by a panel of experts for riding accomplishments by members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents over 950 riders in North America.” Orozco won ten races at Portland Meadows in two days (November 20 and 21) and has won a pair of races at The Golden Gate Fields Fall Meet…Juan Hernandez has taken a 29-24 lead over Frank Alvarado in the jockey standings after winning a quintet of races last week. Hernandez and Ricky Gonzalez are tied for the highest win percentage amongst all riders at Golden Gate, both journeymen scoring at a 24% win clip this meet …Jonathan Wong has the most victories of any trainer at the 2017 Fall Meet with 13 trips to the winners circle. John Martin, who won the Fall Meet training title last year, is second in the standings with 11 wins.

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ALBANY, Calif. (November 25, 2017) Editore and jockey Brice Blanc sat in midfield before powering away from their competition down the stretch to win The Berkeley Handicap for older colts and geldings. The Berkeley, a Grade 3 event with a $100,000 purse, is the premier race of the Golden Gate Fields Fall Meet.

“I knew he had a nice turn of foot and he’s been finishing like a freight train in the mornings,” said Blanc. “I was very confident in him coming into this race. He’s being doing everything right in the mornings and he has been improving. When I asked him to go down the lane today, the race was over. He ran great.”

Editore, a 5-year-old gelding by Redattore, is trained at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California by trainer Paulo Lobo. The Brazilian bred last raced at Santa Anita on October 15 and won a second level allowance race on turf. This was his first start over a synthetic surface.

“The way he travels, I thought he would handle the Tapeta,” said Blanc. “You never know until the horses step foot on it but he’s a beautiful mover and very athletic; he has a lot of power.”

Force, the winner of The Rolling Green Stakes on turf last summer, went off as the 2-1 favorite for trainer John Martin and jockey Juan Hernandez. Heading into this race, the son of Raven’s Pass was a perfect 2 for 2 on the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta. He sat off the pace early on before running on strongly down the lane to snatch second.

“He tried the best he could,” said Juan. “He’s an honest horse. I wish I could have saved a little more ground on the far turn but I did not get that chance. I had to make my move outside. When I asked him to go, he went but the winner is a nice horse. We were second best today.”

Hard Aces, a Grade I winner racing in The Berkeley for Southern California connections Hronis Racing, trainer John Sadler and jockey Kyle Frey, sat at the back of the pack and stayed towards the rear throughout. Frey noted that the 7-year-old might not have cared for the Tapeta surface.

“He didn’t seem to be kicking it in like he had in past starts on the dirt,” reported Frey. “I don’t think he liked the Tapeta. Even up the backstretch, we were at the back but we really weren’t that far behind. The field was pretty bunched up. He just wasn’t able to make up much ground over this track.”

Camino Del Paraiso, who broke from post position fourteen, ran a gallant race in third while Seattle Serenade, winner of the Bulldog Stakes at Fresno last month, finished fourth. Editore stopped the clock for a mile and a sixteenth in 1:43.37 seconds.

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ALBANY, Calif. (November 24, 2017) Steph Being Steph and jockey Aaron Gryder stalked the pace before pouncing on the early leader and racing by to win the $50,000 Golden Gate Debutante for 2-year-old fillies at Golden Gate Fields.

“Watching her replays, I knew she was a filly that you have to ride and the more you ride her the more she reaches out,” said Gryder, who was happy with the effort his filly put out. “When we got into the far turn, I could see [Abel] Cedillo had a lot of horse left and was going to try to sneak away so I started to ride her sooner than I wanted to.”

“It wasn’t until the three-sixteenths pole where she got into her full stride and was able to make up ground,” continued Gryder. “She was very professional. She was quiet but alert in the post parade and was very responsive to everything I asked of her.”

She’s No Drama, who went off favored at even money for jockey Abel Cedillo and trainer Jeff Bonde, went to the lead and set blistering fast splits of 22.09, 44.64 and 56.98 seconds before getting tagged in the final sixteenth of a mile. Steph Being Steph completed the six furlongs on Tapeta in 1:10.23 seconds while She’s No Drama finished three-quarters of a length back in second. Streewithnoname, who went off at 53-1 for Southern California conditioner Eoin Harty, ran third while 6-1 shot Aniva Bay completed the superfecta.

Steph Being Steph, a 2-year-old filly by Majestic Warrior, shipped up to Golden Gate Fields from Southern California after most recently finishing second in The Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita. She was purchased for $240,000 as a 2-year-old and is currently under the care of trainer Brian Koriner.

“She was an expensive filly and we wanted to get her some black type,” said co-owner Scott Sherwood, who races as Blinkers On Racing Stable. “We entered in The Desi Arnez Stakes last week at Del Mar but she stepped on a rock  and had a little heat in her foot. We had this race as a backup and it worked out well.”

All who follow the NBA know very well that Steph Being Steph is named after Steph Curry, the star point guard for the Golden State Warriors. The real question is….how did this filly get her name?

“Her sire is Majestic Warrior and the dam is More Than Proud,” chuckled Sherwood. “My wife Lisa named the horse. We live up here in The Bay Area so we had to name this filly something after our Golden State Warriors.”

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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

JOCKEY OROZCO WINS TEN RACES IN TWO DAYS AT PORTLAND MEADOWS

Jockey Kevin Orozco has become best friends with The Portland Meadows winners circle in recent weeks. In just six racing days, Orozco has won with 19 of his 35 mounts at the Portland, Oregon racetrack; that equates to a miraculous 54% win percentage. He has finished second or third with an additional 11 mounts, which adds up to 30 of his 35 rides having finished in-the-money.

Kevin flies up to Portland Meadows every “weekend” to ride races on Monday’s and Tuesday’s. For Orozco, this past Oregon race week was a two-day stint that any jockey would dream of having at any racing venue. The 21-year-old native of Victorville won with all four of his mounts on Monday and proceeded to win six more races on Tuesday.

Kevin is the younger brother of Irving Orozco, who won The 2017 July/August Summer Meet jockey title. Both Orozco’s are represented by agent Tom “Bomber” Doutrich. Vito Lucarelli, the brother of trainer Frank Lucarelli, has Kevin’s book at Portland.

Last Sunday, the younger Orozco picked up his first win of the 2017 Golden Gate Fall Meet with She Sang, a 3-year-old filly who defeated six other rivals in the nightcap for trainer Andy Mathis.

“Hopefully that first win helps Kevin’s business here,” said Doutrich. “He is a likeable kid, has a great work ethic and has plenty of talent.”

“I have to give a lot of credit to Vito [Lucarelli],” continued Doutrich. “He saw there was business [at Portland] and asked Kevin to ride. I give Kevin a lot of credit, too, for being willing to fly up there, ride hard, compete and work to get better. So far, it’s paid off. ”

Before competing at the Golden Gate Fall Meet, Orozco won 63 races and finished third in the jockey standings at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington. Emerald Downs runs a six month meet every year from April to September. For the majority of the meet, Orozco rode as an apprentice and lost his bug in very late August.

“He has improved greatly from last year to now,” stated Doutrich. “It’ll be interesting to see where he’s at in six months to a year. In my opinion, he has a ton of upside.”

BERKELEY AND GOLDEN GATE DEBUTANTE HIGHLIGHT THANKSGIVING WEEK RACING

Two stakes races highlight Thanksgiving week racing at Golden Gate Fields: The $50,000 Golden Gate Debutante for two-year-old fillies and the Grade 3, $100,000 Berkeley Handicap for older horses.

The Golden Gate Debutante goes as Race 7 on the nine-race card this Friday. In a field of ten, the 5-2 morning line favorite is She’s No Drama, a filly from the Jeff Bonde barn who won an allowance race by over a half dozen lengths in October. Abel Cedillo, who rode the Florida-bred filly last time out, retains the mount. Southern California invader Steph Being Steph, who was last seen finishing second in The Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita, is the second choice on the morning line at 7-2. Aaron Gryder picks up the mount for trainer Brian Koriner. Bettors who like to make hunch plays may want to place a few bucks on Steph Being Steph; the filly is named after Steph Curry, the star point guard for The Golden State Warriors.

The Berkeley Handicap, which goes as Race 7 on Saturday’s program, drew a full field of 14 entrants. Leading contenders in the mile and a sixteenth contest include Grade I winner Hard Aces, shipping up to Golden Gate from Southern California, and the Jerry Hollendorfer stakes winning trio of G. G. Ryder, Point Piper and Seattle Serenade. Force, conditioned by John Martin, is a stakes winner who recently won an allowance race against salty company and is likely to get good support at the betting windows.

Saturday’s card looks especially enticing for horse players. 95 runners were entered in races on Saturday, resulted in an average field size of 10.5 horses per race.

FINISH LINES: Celebrate Thanksgiving with a day at the races! Golden Gate Fields will conduct live thoroughbred racing with an 8 race card this Thursday, November 23; first post time 11:15 AM. The front gates and Turf Club open at 9:30 AM…Jockeys Juan Hernandez and Frank Alvarado continue to battle for the top spot in the jockey standings. After five weeks of live racing, Hernandez has a 2-win lead over Alvarado…Congrats to trainer Jeff Bonde, who saddled three winners from four starters last week. One of his victories came with 3-year-old gelding Right Hand Man, who pulled off an 8-1 mild upset in The $50,000 Oakland Stakes for older sprinters on Saturday…Trainer Cliff DeLima also had a fine weekend; the 85-year-old horseman saddled three winners from six starters on Saturday and Sunday…Northern California native Kyle Frey flies up to Golden Gate Fields on Saturday to ride Hard Aces for trainer John Sadler in The $100,000 Berkeley Handicap. Frey also picked up two additional mounts (in Races 2 and 8) on the Saturday card. Last year, Kyle was a regular rider at Golden Gate Fields and won 38 races at the Winter/Spring meet, his biggest win of the meet coming aboard Zakaroff in The Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby. Kyle’s father, Jay Frey, is a jockey valet…Southern California rider Brice Blanc also ships his tack to Golden Gate this Saturday, with a commitment to ride Editore for trainer Paulo Lobo in The Berkeley Handicap.

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ALBANY, Calif. (Nov. 18, 2017)- Under the guidance of jockey Ricky Gonzalez, three-year-old gelding Right Hand Man sat off of speedy pacesetter Quick and Silver, pounced on that early leader turning for home and held off a late challenge from Mach One Rules to win the $50,000 Oakland Stakes for older sprinters at Golden Gate Fields.

Heading into The Oakland Stakes, the son of Street Boss had not raced since July, was making his first start as a gelding and had not visited the winner’s circle since a win in The Golden Nugget Stakes twelve months ago. Nonetheless, trainer Jeff Bonde was confident his trainee could be competitive.

“He’s been ready to run for quite some time,” said Bonde. “I’ve been entering him in races and none of them filled. I tried entering him everywhere: the [Northern California] fairs, Los Alamitos, Santa Anita, Del Mar. Nothing was going.”

“We had to remove a bone chip after his last race,” continued Bonde, when asked why Right Hand Man had not raced since July. “We gelded him to get some weight off him, too. He was a bit heavy. He’d been working great leading up to this race and I knew he was fit.”

After the winner’s circle photo, jockey Ricky Gonzalez praised Right Hand Man for his hard-trying effort.

“It was a beautiful trip,” said Gonzalez, who was all smiles after the stake win. “I had a lot of horse at the three-eighths pole and turning into the stretch. I knew it was just a matter of if somebody was going to come flying or not. I was very confident in my horse, though, and he showed a lot of class today.”

Mach One Rules, the 2017 Horse of the Year at Emerald Downs, sat fourth in the early going and came with a strong rally in the final furlong, surging at Right Hand Man late, but came up a nose short.

“He ran a big race,” said his rider, Pedro Terrero. “When he passed the eighth pole he put in a big kick but just ran out of ground. He’s a nice horse.”

“We’re really proud of him,” said Frank Lucarelli, who trains the Washington-bred son of Harbor the Gold. “If the race was just a few yards longer he would have won. Pedro rode him perfectly.”

Outside Nashville, one of three runners in the race for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, finished third while Star Student, a two-time winner of the Oakland Stakes, checked in fourth.

I Will Score broke from post position seven in The Oakland and was making his first start since winning The Grade 3 Laz Barrera Stakes 18 months ago at Santa Anita. The four-year-old colt missed the break and lost all chance at that point, according to jockey William Antongeorgi III.

“He slipped behind coming out of the gate and never recovered after that,” reported Antongeorgi. “He got a race into him and we’ll regroup.”

Right Hand Man has now earned $147,780 with four career wins, one second and one third from eight lifetime starts. He is owned by the partnership group Blinkers On Racing Stable and eight other individual partners. Right Hand Man completed the six furlongs in 1:09.39 seconds.

When asked about future plans for Right Hand Man, trainer Jeff Bonde replied, “We may have to go out of town. There are no more races for him here. We’ll find a good spot. He’s a good horse.”

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MATT DINERMAN NAMED NEW GOLDEN GATE FIELDS ANNOUNCER; AT AGE 25, CALIFORNIA NATIVE BRINGS ENTHUSIASM & DYNAMIC TALENT TO ICONIC FACILITY BEGINNING OPENING DAY, DEC. 26

‘A HOME RUN FOR GOLDEN GATE FIELDS AND CALIFORNIA RACING’

ARCADIA, Calif. (Nov. 17, 2017)–Effective opening day, Tuesday, Dec. 26, there will be a new voice by the San Francisco Bay, as Golden Gate Fields has announced the hiring of Matt Dinerman, who has served as track announcer for the past three years at Emerald Downs near Seattle.

Dinerman, 25, is regarded as a dynamic young talent who has made the transition from ardent horse racing fan to announcer with unbridled enthusiasm and a work ethic to match. Employed just four summers ago as a press box steward, Dinerman began calling races into a tape recorder at age 20 and has proven to be the personification of a quick study.

“A home run for Golden Gate Fields and California racing,” is how Emerald Downs Director of Media Relations Vince Bruun described Dinerman’s ascent to the Golden Gate announcer’s booth. “Matt was in the stable area every morning talking to horsemen, getting to know the horses, and putting out good stuff on social media–In addition to being a GREAT young talent.”

A paddock and handicapping analyst at Golden Gate since late 2016, Dinerman’s first job in racing was as a summertime hot walker for trainer John Sadler in 2008.

“I’m very excited to be working at Golden Gate Fields,” said Dinerman. “I’ve met so many great people here and I look forward to being a part of the community on a year-round basis. Golden Gate is an absolutely gorgeous track, with good horsemen and plenty of talented horses.

“Thank you to The Stronach Group for presenting me with this opportunity and thank you to Emerald Downs for their support over these past three years. I’m so honored to be working out of the same booth that a lot of great announcers have occupied over the years and I can’t wait to start the day after Christmas.”

Born and raised in San Diego, Dinerman graduated with a degree in Communications from Chapman College in nearby Orange CA., in 2015.

First post time at Golden Gate Fields for opening day, Tuesday, Dec. 26, is at 12:15 p.m. PT. For more information on the upcoming 96-day Winter/Spring Meet at Golden Gate Fields, please visit goldengatefields.com.