Albany, Calif. (June 18, 2017)–Golden Gate Fields concluded its 99 day winter/spring meet on Sunday, June 18 with gains in both attendance and on-track handle. The Bay Area track was able to achieve these gains despite experiencing one of the wettest seasons to affect Northern California in years, with over 40 inches of rain recorded during the first part of the season. This is the first winter/spring meet since 2011 where attendance was up by 5.65% with on-track handle also increasing by 3.44%. The most notable change in attendance came from the popular Dollar Day Sundays which saw a 13% increase year-over-year.

“We are very happy with our loyal fans for braving the weather and supporting our live racing product. I look forward to seeing them again during our summer meet,” said Joe Morris, senior vice president of West Coast operations for the Stronach Group.

The leading trainer of the meet was John Martin with 62 wins, leading him to back-to-back winning trainer titles (Martin was the leading trainer of the 2016 fall meet at Golden Gate Fields). Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer came in second. The leading jockey for the winter/spring meet was Abel Cedillo with 89 wins.

“It was a long meet. I’ve just been working hard and running a lot of horses. I tried really hard to win it this time. I need a little bit of a rest now,” said trainer John Martin.

“I learned a lot down at Santa Anita from great jockeys like Mike Smith and Kent Desormeaux. I’m just blessed I’m here. I’m getting great horses now and my agent, Roger Olguin, couldn’t be better,” said jockey Abel Cedillo.

Golden Gate Fields is set to open its doors for another exciting summer meet on Thursday, August 24. The brief summer race season will run through Sunday, September 17, with special holiday racing on Labor Day Monday, September 4. First post every race day is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. The summer meet will feature a Turf Festival during the last two weeks: September 8 to September 17, a time in which Golden Gate Fields will be the only track in California offering turf racing.  The track will offer vanning and stabling incentives for horsemen looking to ship from Southern California.  The Turf Festival will be highlighted by the $50,000 Rolling Green Stakes, which will be contested on the lakeside turf course at a distance of a mile and one-sixteenth.

Fans can enjoy the famous Dollar Day deals every Sunday during the meet, when the track offers $1 general admission, $1 general parking, $1 programs, $1 hot dogs, $1 beers, $1 Mimosas and $1 sodas. For updates and racing news, fans are encouraged to visit goldengatefields.com

 

Albany, Calif. (June 10, 2017)–At 62-1, the longest shot in the field, Krsto Skye, won the $50,000 Albany Stakes. Ridden by Billy Antongeorgi and trained by Ari Herbertson, Krsto Skye was unhurried to the turn then moved outside to win handily. Horse Laugh, ridden by Ricky Gonzalez, raced off the rail to close with Krsto Skye, but didn’t have enough in the tank even though he finished willingly. Rocket Heat, ridden by Aaron Gryder, set the pace, but faded in the stretch. The $50,000 Albany Stake is for three year olds and upwards, on the turf, and is run at a distance of 5 furlongs. Today’s victory was completed in a time of 56.70 seconds with the winner paying out $126.40 for a $2 win bet. This was trainer Ari Herbertson’s first stakes win of his young career, which began less than year ago.

“We were a big longshot in there. I just kept my cool with him. I knew he had some gas, but there was a lot of other horses in there that out footed him early. I just let them go and let him get into stride himself and he just carved his way through there real nice. On the turn, I knew I had a lot of horse and then when he got outside, he ran like the even money favorite,” said jockey Billy Antongeorgi.

“You know Billy is a great rider and I just told him to break and play the break, just use your best judgement, he worked him last week and was completely confident in the horse and he also knew we were stepping way up in class. When I told him the horse would be running in the stake, he almost didn’t believe me. We knew there was a lot of speed in the race and just went out there and won the race for us. I am really proud of the horse, he has come a long way. He used to run with his head sort of cranked to the side, he finally learned to relax a little bit. And I think that has helped him the most,” said trainer Ari Herbertson.

Live music will run now through the end of the meet on June 18^th. Horseplayers, be sure to take advantage of the mandatory payouts offered on Closing Day of the Winter/Spring Meet.  Golden Gate Fields will offer mandatory payouts for the Pick 6, Pick 5, and the Super High 5. First post is at 1:15 p.m. PT. And the last Dollar Day of the season.

Albany, Calif. (May 29, 2017) — G.G. Ryder, trained by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, won determinedly in a four horse photo to take the victory in 1:37.48. Ridden by Irving Orozco, G.G. Ryder was never far back to the second turn, but had to cover four lengths in the stretch to get the nod over Flamboyant. Trained by Patrick Gallagher, Flamboyant, also coming with a rush, could not catch G.G. Ryder, the California bred, who is now over $600,000 in earnings after today’s effort. The betting favorite, Alert Bay, pressed the pace with Street Lad, but was outkicked to the wire. The GIII $100,000 All American stakes is for three years old and upward. G.G Ryder rewarded fans $23.80 with the $1 superfecta (7-8-6-1) paying $2,213.

Orozco: “I was kind of disappointed in myself last time because I let Alert Bay get away. This time I wanted to sit just off of him. Once I got my horse to the outside, he knows what to do. I knew I had the inside horses put away, and I was just worried about the outside horse closing. But my horse dug in and put his nose out to get there,” said jockey Irving Orozco.

“This horse always tries real hard. He’s never changed and he’s always been eager to do this. He’s been very good for us and we’re grateful to have him. Street Lad is a horse you’re going to be hearing a lot from. He’s a really nice horse. They had a hard time getting to him,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Live racing will resume next Friday, June 2. Live music will run now through the end of the meet on June 18^th. Tickets are available online for our Belmont Wine Festival, June 10^th; come out and celebrate the last leg of the Triple Crown and taste wines from around the world.

GRECIAN FIRE ESCAPES THE ALCATRAZ STAKES WITH $75,000

Albany, Calif. (May 14, 2017) — Grecian Fire, trained by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, held the pace then was much the best in the stretch to win by 1 ¼ lengths. Ridden by William Antongeorgi III, Grecian Fire completed today’s route in 1:37.81. The performance rewarded fans $11.00 for their $2 wager. The runner up, More Power To Him, trained by Faith Taylor, kept pace to the turn then moved outside to close in late for the nod. The $75,000 Alcatraz stake is on the turf for three year olds and institutes a track record time of 1:33.40, accomplished on March 22, 1980.

“My horse was running in spots in the last race and so I felt ok coming back in two weeks. Actually, jockey Frank Alvarado, told me to try some blinkers on the horse and I was going to do that anyway. I was surprised he didn’t ride him back. He kept to his task a little better today; he’s a really nice colt and Unusual Heat has a good record as a sire. I didn’t know if Moger’s horse would go or not, but I thought we would have tactical speed,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

“We wanted him to get on his way. The last time he won, he was right up on his lead. Jerry put blinkers on him so we wanted to get him out on his way. The one went so we sat off him then toward the quarter pole the horse on the outside headed us and I got into him left handed and he responded for me and kicked back on. And he ran very game. He was on his toes in the paddock and in the post parade. I knew he would be alive out there and he dug in for me,” said jockey William Antongeorgi III.

Live racing will resume next Thursday, May 18. Live music will run now through the end of the meet on June 18^th. Tickets are available online for our Belmont Wine Festival, June 10th. Come out and celebrate the last leg of the Triple Crown and taste wines from around the world.

 

Albany, Calif. (May 13, 2017) — Lady Valeur, trained by Patrick Gallagher, pressed the pace to the half then fought gamely to win the $50,000 Golden Poppy stakes. Lady Valeur was ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez and completed today’s 1 1/16 miles on the turf in 1:43.17. The betting favorite awarded players $3.60 for her efforts. Street Surrender, ridden by Julien Couton, was the runner up, but rallied in the stretch to challenge today’s victor. Jockey Couton gave a stellar ride on Street Surrender and paid $5.20 to place. Trained by Simon Callaghan, the third place finisher was Sweet Dragon Fly, who stalked the pace to the second turn, but couldn’t catch leaders to finish 4 lengths back. She rewarded bettors $5.60 for the show.

“The jockey Ricardo put her in a great spot throughout. The second filly ran very well. It was a good stretch battle. When you get second, third and fourth you get disappointed, but then she comes up and wins. Those consistent horses are hard to find,” said Patrick Gallagher.

“She was a really nice filly and I’ve ridden her a couple times before here, but that was on the main track. And on the turf, she steps it up way more. She got out of there really nice and I just sat behind the leader and made my run. The other horse was coming after her, but she was game. I had too much horse for that horse to come back. She kicked right back under as soon as that horse got next to me,” said Jockey Ricardo Gonzalez.

The Golden Pick 6 jackpot was also hit today at Golden Gate Fields with a single ticket paying out $218,795. The Golden Pick 6 Jackpot requires a single winning ticket to take home the grand prize. The Golden Pick-6 was hit today by a unique serial number at Twin Spires Portland. The cost of the winning ticket was $1,152.00, and was worth $218,795.84 to the Winner. The ticket went as follows:  1,2,3,4,5,6/1,3,4,5,7/2,3,4,5,6,7/6/2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11/2,3,4,5

Tomorrow, May 14, is Dollar Day; enjoy a  $1 Mimosa, $1 Beer, $1 Hot Dog, $1 General Admission, $1 General Parking, and $1 Program all day long. Live music will run now through the end of the meet on June 18^th. Tickets are available online for our Belmont Wine Festival. Come out and celebrate the last leg of the Triple Crown and taste wines from around the world.

Albany, Calif. (April 30, 2017) — The first stakes race of the Cal-Bred Turf Festival was the $100,000 Campanile. It was for three year old California-sired fillies. Miss Sunset, ridden by Juan Hernandez, was today’s betting favorite, and took the race wire to wire, but it wasn’t a stroll. Breaking alertly, Miss Sunset had problems on the first turn and was caught in the stretch, but fought back gamely to win late by ¾ lengths.  Miss Sunset is trained by Jeff Bonde and bred by Premier Thoroughbreds. She is a product of Into Mischief out of Tuscan Sunset. Coming second in today’s first stake was Radish, trained by Doug O’Neill. Radish pressed the pace, but fell short in the late stretch duel. The 1 mile turf race was completed in 1:39.20 and Miss Sunset paid $3.20 for today’s efforts.

“She’s been a fun horse, given everybody a lot of thrills. I figured that this filly would clear my other horse, who was stalking nice, but got intimated on rail. She’s Cal-bred so she’ll get a lot more opportunities. She’ll be a fun horse at Del Mar. You always wonder if a couple speed horses will hurt each other because pace makes the race no matter where you run, but that filly, Lucky Christiana, didn’t break so it made it easier on our horse. She still jumped at the half mile pole. She has a habit of seeing better than the average Joe and that hurt her in a couple races, but today it wasn’t enough to make a difference and she came with her best race,” said trainer Jeff Bonde.

“The plan was, I had the speed horse and they sent me. I thought the six horse was going to be with, but I was alone on the front and it was slow pace so it was really nice. She ran nice on the turf. She is a nice filly,” said jockey Juan Hernandez. Hernandez was also the winner of yesterday’s GIII San Francisco Mile.

Today’s second Cal-bred stake race was the Silky Sullivan and was for California-sired three year olds. The betting favorite, B Squared, also took this one home. B Squared was ridden and trained by Kentucky Derby winning duo, jockey Mario Gutierrez and trainer Doug O’Neill. B Sqaured ran off the pace to the second turn, but responded determinedly in the stretch to win by a length and ¼. Elwood J ran just off the pace, before taking the lead at the ½ mile pole. Elwood J tried to hold off B Squared, but was overtaken in the stretch. The 1 mile turf race was completed in 1:37.56 and B Squared paid $5.60 for today’s efforts.

“What a great ride and we got to thank Paul Reddam and the guys who did all the work. What a beautiful race. In this sport no matter what the purse is with all the hard work that goes in when horses do well, it’s very rewarding.  We’re so proud of the whole team. It’s expensive to breed and raise a horse so it’s so important to have this program (Golden State Series). You’ve really got to incentives the breeding. It’s a great program. It’s great to be part of Square Eddie Bloodlines,” said trainer Doug O’Neill.

“We broke out of the gate really sharp. I didn’t have to hustle my horse out of the gate. I didn’t have to fight him to relax him. I think that was the key to today; he relaxed beautifully. Turning for home he was a little bit green, and the horse on the inside kept the fight going, which made him motivated. My horse was very game though. I just called on him, and I could feel him pushing forward and I was not afraid of who was coming close after that,” said jockey Mario Gutierrez.

Next Saturday, May 6, is the 143^rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Join us for a day of Derby Festivities, including a hat contest, cigar bar, and plenty of Mint Juleps. The following Sunday, May 7, is the start of the concert series and live music will run every Sunday until June 18^th. It was also be Dollar Day; enjoy a  $1 Mimosa, $1 Beer, $1 Hot Dog, $1 General Admission, $1 General Parking, and $1 Program all day long.

Albany, Calif. (April 29, 2017) — Alert Bay, trained by Blaine Wright, pressed the leader before digging in to win the $100,000 GIII San Francisco Mile. This is the first time in 59 years that a horse has won back to back San Francisco Miles; the last time it happened was in 1957 and 1958, and it was accomplished by a horse named Battle Dance. The San Francisco Mile was for three year olds and upwards, at a distance of 1 mile on the turf, and was completed in 1:35.12.

Many Roses, trained by Ellen Jackson, set the pace early in the race, but was once again outkicked, leaving fans empty handed. G. G. Ryder stalked the pace and in a driving finish, nipped Many Roses to take second. The remaining horses finished 7 lengths off the leaders. Alert Bay, the heavy betting favorite at race time, paid $3.20 for today’s efforts.

“It is pretty neat to wake up and see him every day. I am very thankful for him. He is a once in a lifetime for me. When I read it hadn’t been done back to back in 59 years, I got awfully nervous. I thought it was a walk over for us, but I know that there are good horses and trainers, and they’re going to give us a fight. So I feel very lucky to be standing here. I felt pretty confident the whole way, but I just needed to know what G. G. Ryder was going to do. Hollendorfer sent him off the pace and we kind of figured that if he went hard from the one hole, we would know what the four horse was going to do and we could back off of him. And I told Juan we got to be the ones to put the pace on the four horse if that horse don’t go. And with our post position it worked out to our advantage,” said trainer Blaine Wright.

“I was just having fun with him. He broke fast. I was sitting waiting for the stretch to make my move.  When I saw the cutoff point, I asked him and he started running again.  He’s a really good horse. He does everything. Yeah, no one was passing – so I stuck close,” said jockey Juan Hernandez.

Tomorrow, April 30, is Dollar Day; enjoy a  $1 Mimosa, $1 Beer, $1 Hot Dog, $1 General Admission, $1 General Parking, and $1 Program all day long.

ELKTON, Md. – For the third consecutive year, tracks and racing venues will participate in a
Kentucky Derby Day Silent Auction to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund (PDJF) on
Saturday, May 6.

Proceeds from the collaborative effort by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA), PDJF,
JockeyTalk360, and the Jockeys’ Guild will provide aid for permanently disabled jockeys’ health
care and living expenses.

Each track will hold a silent auction with three beautifully framed photos, including Arrogate
winning the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Classic (autographed by jockey Mike Smith), “3 for the Ages” of
Triple Crown winners Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed (signed by jockeys Ron Turcotte, Jean
Cruget, and Steve Cauthen), and Secretariat “Flying” to victory in the 1973 Kentucky Derby (signed
by jockey Ron Turcotte). Fans who contribute to PDJF during the auction will be offered a racing
souvenir such as a gold-plated replica Secretariat horse shoe, classic photos from the Tony Leonard
Collection, or Kentucky Derby lapel pins.

“The Derby Day Silent Auction continues to build momentum in its third year as an important
fundraiser for the PDJF,” said PDJF President Nancy Lasala. “It gives horse racing fans an
opportunity to collect priceless memorabilia while supporting a worthwhile cause. We would like to
thank the Tony Leonard Collection, Reed Palmer Photography, Skip Dickstein, Penny Chenery,
Secretariat.com, Mike Smith, Ron Turcotte, Jean Cruget, Steve Cauthen and all the tracks. Without
their generous support, this would not be possible.”

Auctions will be held at the following locations: Arlington Park, Belmont Park, Churchill Downs,
Ellis Park, Finger Lakes, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town
Races, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race
Course, Keeneland, Kentucky Downs, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, Louisiana Downs,
Parx Racing, Prairie Meadows, Remington Park, Sam Houston Race Park, Santa Anita Park, Tampa Bay
Downs, Turfway Park, Wyoming Horse Racing, and Zia Park.

Those who wish to contribute to the fundraising effort for disabled jockeys may do so by sending
checks payable to: PDJF, P.O. Box 803, Elmhurst, IL 60126 or visit www.pdjf.org. PDJF is a
501(c)(3) public charity providing financial assistance to 60 former jockeys who have suffered
catastrophic on-track injuries. Since its founding in 2006, the fund has disbursed approximately $8
million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or brain injuries.

Through the years, the TRA has played a leading role in the establishment of many programs
beneficial to the member associations conducting racing at 40 racetracks in the United States and
Canada. Visit www.tra-online.com for more information about the TRA.

 

THE WORLD’S RICHEST THOROUGHBRED HORSE RACE COMES BACK TO MIAMI

Miami, Florida, April 5, 2017  – Fresh off the heels of the inaugural running of the $12 million USD Pegasus World Cup Invitational, The Stronach Group announced today that the world’s richest Thoroughbred horse race is about to get even richer. On January 27^th, 2018, the world will again turn its attention to South Florida in anticipation of an extraordinary, new record-setting $16 million USD purse.

The 2018 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, to be held at The Stronach Group owned Gulfstream Park, is open to twelve domestic and international owners who will put in $1 million USD each for a spot in the starting gate.  The additional $4 million USD will be contributed by The Stronach Group.

“The 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational surpassed our expectations and we believe took the sport of Thoroughbred racing to an exciting new level”, said Belinda Stronach, Chairman and President, The Stronach Group.  “Our company is committed to building on the momentum that was inspired by our Founder and Honorary Chairman, Frank Stronach. In 2018, we will bring an even bigger, more modern and unforgettable entertainment experience to a global audience.”

With the commitment to an enhanced purse, The Stronach Group aims to attract the attention of an international audience marking the resurgence of North American Thoroughbred racing.

Follow all of the excitement and details of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational at pegasusworldcup.com and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @pegasusworldcup.

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The Stronach Group

The Stronach Group (TSG) is an industry leader in world-class horse racing, entertainment and pari-mutuel wagering technology. Within our portfolio of racing and gaming businesses, the Company holds some of the greatest brands in the industry including; Santa Anita Park, “The Great Race Place”; Pimlico Race Course, home of the legendary Preakness Stakes; Gulfstream Park, one of Florida’s newest entertainment destination centers, and home to the $16-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, the world’s richest Thoroughbred horse race; Laurel Park; Golden Gate Fields; Portland Meadows; and Rosecroft Raceway.  TSG is an industry leader in pari-mutuel technology through its subsidiaries AmTote and Xpressbet and is a major distributor of horse racing content to a global audience through Monarch Content Management. The award winning Adena Springs is the breeding and training facility of The Stronach Group with stables in Kentucky, Florida and Ontario.  For more on The Stronach Group, visit www.stronachgroup.com.

Media Contact:

Dave Joseph, Gulfstream Park, david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com

Tiffani Steer, The Stronach Group, tiffani.steer@stronachgroup.com

Albany, Calif. (March 18, 2017) — Fast and Foxy, trained by Holly Evans and ridden by Catalino Martinez, broke clean and set the pace on the rail to take the victory in the $50,000 Camilla Urso stakes. Turkish Tabby, saved ground in the stretch, but wasn’t able to get there in time, taking second. Code Warrior ridden by Anne Sanguinetti, was forced four wide, but also rallied in the stretch to finish third. Today’s race was for fillies and mares four years old and upward and was completed in a time of 1:09.20. Fast and Foxy, the betting favorite, paid $4.40 for today’s efforts.

Trainer Holly Evans: “I was just hoping she would hold on. She’s easy to handle she does what you want. She really is. She just never stops she just keeps going. They hook her she keeps going, they finish she keeps going she’s just tough. I don’t know. One time I was going to sell her because there weren’t any races. I’ll take those ones any day. I hope she didn’t get claimed because I like her personally. But Joe said it’s a lot of money. We needed to run. Absolutely incredible. I’m so lucky to have a horse like that. So many horse people never get a good horse and I get one dropped in my lap.”

Jockey Catalino Martinez: “I know the two horse showed a lot of speed in her races so my only choice was to go to the lead. I sent her and I knew the other horses didn’t have the speed to go with me, so I got her to relax and by the 3/16 pole, I knew the race was over. It was close, but we hung on to win.”

Tomorrow, March 19, is Dollar Day; enjoy a  $1 Mimosa, $1 Beer, $1 Hot Dog, $1 General Admission, $1 General Parking, and $1 Program all day long. The $100,000 San Francisco Mile is April 29th. All paid admissions will receive a SF Mile themed ball cap.