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.

From 2010 to 2012, the racing world followed the success of the undefeated racehorse Frankel, one of the twenty first century’s most talented racehorses.

Five years have gone by since Frankel’s last race. The legendary champion has moved on to his second career as a stallion while his world renowned trainer, Sir Henry Cecil, has since passed away. But Frankel’s jockey in all 14 races, 33-year-old Tom Queally, continues on the path to success.

This week, Queally begins a new chapter in his racing life. The native of Ireland moved to The Bay Area earlier this month and will make his Golden Gate Fields debut in Race 1 on Thursday. His mount, the Tim McCanna trained Annisquam, is 7-5 on the morning line.

“I’m looking forward to this meet,” said Tom. “I’ve got nice rides to start out on. I’m hoping to make an impact and hoping to impress the people I ride for. I’m very happy with how things have gone so far.”

“I’ve been looking into it for the last 2 to 3 years,” continued Queally, when chatting about his thoughts on voyaging to America. “I’ve done my research and have watched as much U.S. racing as I have European. I’ve spoken to lots of people. One of the first things I did off the plane was walk the turf track here at Golden Gate. If it rides the way it walks, it will be a heck of a track.”

The son of Irish trainer Declan Queally is represented by agent Dennis Patterson, who says Tom has quickly attracted interest from many different trainers on the Golden Gate backstretch.

“He’s been working in the mornings for about a week,” said Patterson. “We’re hoping to put him on the right horses.”

This year, Queally has won three Group 1 races in Europe, including the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot with The Tin Man. In 2009, Queally won The Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita aboard Midday. Other major victories include wins in The Champion Stakes, The 2,000 Guineas, The Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Anne.

“I’ve been extremely lucky,” said Tom when asked to reflect on his career. “I rode first call for Sir Henry Cecil for seven years. And getting to ride Frankel was…exceptional.”

When asked what it was like to ride the superhorse?

“It’d be like pulling you into the driver’s seat of a Ferrari, telling you to step on the gas pedal and hold on to the steering wheel,” answered Queally. “Everything about him was phenomenal. His looks, his demeanor, his talent, his speed, his stride…he was just head and shoulders better than anything I’ve ever seen or ridden against and I’ve ridden some good ones and ridden against some good ones.”

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Southern California trainer Mike Machowsky was beaming with joy in the winner’s circle after his star 2-year-old, Runaway Ghost, recorded a seven and a half length romp in the $50,000 Golden Nugget Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.

“We’ve always been really high on him,” said Machowsky. “He’s got plenty of talent and he loves training. He broke his maiden at Santa Anita and then got sore shins so we gave him time. He has come back strong.”

Jockey Aaron Gryder, aboard the Kentucky-bred son of Ghostzapper, was impressed with the 2-year-old colt’s effort.

“There was never a point in the race when I didn’t feel I was on the best horse,” said Gryder. “There was a lot of horse underneath me and I felt very confident. He has a lot of talent.”

Runaway Ghost, owned and bred by Joe Peacock, paid $3.80 to win, $2.60 to place and $2.20 to show. He completed the six furlongs in 1:09.71 seconds.

The race did not go without controversy. At the five- eighths pole, Runaway Ghost was in tight with three rivals to his inside: Soul of Discretion, Intimidate and Generally Lucky. Soul of Discretion and Intimidate got the worst of it, both having to steady multiple times, while Generally Lucky was able to avoid major issues and crossed the wire third. After a lengthy inquiry, the stewards ruled that La Waun, the unofficial second place finisher, drifted in and caused the chain reaction. La Waun was disqualified from second and placed back to last for the interference. Generally Lucky was placed second and Go Bobby Go, the unofficial fourth place finisher, was moved up to third.

Said Abel Cedillo, the rider aboard Intimidate, “There was a lot of pressure from the outside and if I didn’t take my horse back, I would have gone down. I took him back and tried to save something for the stretch but he gave up at that point. I didn’t rush him and saved something for next time.”

Aaron Gryder also commented on the incident.

“[La Waun] came over and all the guys inside of me were yelling,” replied Gryder, when asked by media personnel about the backstretch trouble. “A few of them had to get out of there and at that point, when my horse was clear, I decided to go on with it so I wouldn’t get shut off again.”

According to Mike Machowsky, Runaway Ghost is “possible” to run in the next 2-year-old stake race at Golden Gate Fields, The Gold Rush Stakes, which is a one mile route to be run next month. Runaway Ghost has now won 2 of 3 starts with career earnings of $73,550.

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Golden Gate Fields Stable Notes

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

A HALF DOZEN TO COMPETE IN THE GOLDEN NUGGET STAKES

Six 2-year-old colts and geldings have entered to run in the first juvenile stakes race of the meet, The $50,000 Golden Nugget Stakes. The half dozen runners will sprint six furlongs on Tapeta.

Leading the Northern California 2-year-old contingent is Intimidate, a colt from the Bob Hess barn who comes off a gutsy allowance win three weeks ago. The second place finisher in that allowance race, Lucky Romano, came back to run third in a Cal-bred stake on The Breeders Cup undercard at Del Mar last week. Abel Cedillo has ridden Intimidate in both career races and retains the mount.

Runaway Ghost, one of two Southern California shippers, is an interesting item from The Mike Machowsky barn. The son of Ghostzapper won a maiden special weight race at Santa Anita on June 10, but has not been seen since then, and makes his first start in five months while shipping to Golden Gate Fields for his debut in the Bay Area. Serengetti, the second place finisher in the race that Runaway Ghost won, came back to break his maiden by 11 lengths for trainer Bob Baffert. Aaron Gryder picks up the mount on Runaway Ghost this Saturday.

The other Southern California entrant signed on is the Jeff Bonde trained Soul of Discretion. Since breaking his maiden by double digit lengths at Canterbury Park in Minnesota, the Kentucky bred colt has finished off the board in two consecutive stakes races. Jockey Frank Alvarado rides for the first time.

The Golden Nugget will go as Race 7 on the 9-race card this Saturday. First post on Saturday is 12:45 PM PT and the Golden Nugget will go off at approximately 3:45 PM PT.

FINISH LINES: Two horses represented Golden Gate Fields in a pair of Breeders’ Cup undercard races at Del Mar last week. Noble Nick, trained by Ari Herbertson, ran fourth in The Marathon Stakes on Friday while Lucky Romano, conditioned by Andy Mathis, finished third in The Golden State Juvenile on Saturday. Each horse came out of their respective races in good order, according to both trainers…Congrats to Northern California horseman Jerry Hollendorfer, who won The Breeders Cup Dirt Mile on Friday with 14-1 shot Battle of Midway. Flavien Prat rode the three-year-old colt to victory for owners Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm…Jockey Kevin Orozco shipped his tack to Portland Meadows on Tuesday and proceeded to win five races on the ten-race card. The Victorville native rides at Golden Gate Fields Thursday through Sunday and will travel to Portland to compete on Monday’s and Tuesday’s each week…Coachwhip recorded her first morning workout since an ultra-impressive maiden victory on October 21. The daughter of 11-time Group 1 winner So You Think worked a half mile on Saturday in 50 and 1/5 seconds for trainer Jedd Josephson…Nominations for the Oakland Stakes close Thursday, November 9. Stakes winners Quick and Silver, Star Student and Mach One Rules are three equines expected to lead the nominations list…Frank Alvarado holds the lead in the jockey standings with 15 wins while Jonathan Wong leads the trainer standings with 9 victories. Juan Hernandez is two wins behind Alvarado in the jockey standings with 13 trips to the winner’s circle. Tim McCanna and William Morey are tied for second in the trainer standings with 6 wins apiece…The Pick 6 Jackpot carryover has grown to $27,605 heading into Thursday’s card while $4,817 has been carried over in the Super High Five wager, which is offered during the last race each day…A “Celebration of Life” memorial service for longtime Golden Gate Fields bartender CiCi Naboisek will be held at 10:30 AM Thursday morning in the Paddock Pub (Lower A Deck Grandstand). CiCi was a beloved member of the community who will be greatly missed.

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Shipping up to the Bay Area from Southern California, Multiplayer earned her first career stakes win for trainer Tim Yakteen and owner/breeder George Krikorian in the $75,000 Pike Place Dancer Stakes. Multiplayer was sent off as the even money favorite in a field of eight 2-year-old filles and completed the one mile contest in 1:39.93.

Multiplayer, a Kentucky bred daughter of Giant’s Causeway, sat in midfield for the first three quarters of a mile and was able to save ground on both turns. At the top of the stretch, the rail opened up for Multiplayer and jockey Juan Hernandez, who sent the dark bay or brown filly right through an opening on the inside.

“The rail was closed for a little while but then on the turn they opened it up and she responded,” said Hernandez. “She broke really well today and was comfortable on the rail. She’s really professional and a really nice filly.”

Completing the exacta was the 25-1 shot Cash Cannon, a Tim McCanna trainee who broke her maiden on the turf in September. Cash Cannon paid $13.00 to place and $5.40 to show.

“She ran good,” said jockey Aaron Gryder. “[Tim] told me to take her back and make one run with her. She was so confident the whole way. When I took her outside she really exploded. She finished up really well, has a lot of room to improve and is definitely going in the right direction.”

Neon Gypsy ran third, paying $3.20 to show. Completing the order of finish was Our Bold Princess, Blessed Lady, Little Doe, Seaside Song and Majestic Tica.

Multiplayer has now won two races from four career starts with career earnings of $93,345. In Southern California, she finished third in The Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes at Del Mar on September 4 and most recently finished off-the-board, four lengths behind Fatale Bere, who will be competing in The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf next week.

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GOLDEN GATE FIELDS STABLE NOTES

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

• PIKE PLACE DANCER KICKS OFF FALL STAKES ACTION
• TRAINER NAVARRE SCORES WITH FIRST TWO GOLDEN GATE STARTERS
• BREAST CANCER AWARENESS DAY THIS SATURDAY

PIKE PLACE DANCER KICKS OFF FALL STAKES ACTION

The first stakes race of the fall meet, the one-mile $75,000 Pike Place Dancer Stakes on turf, drew a cast of nine 2-year-old fillies.

The field is headlined by Southern California invader Multiplayer, who comes off a seventh place finish behind Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf contender Fatale Bere earlier in the month. Multiplayer’s best performance came two starts ago, when she ran third in The Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes in September. Juan Hernandez has the mount in The Pike Place Dancer for trainer Tim Yakteen.

Four of the nine entrants (Seaside Song, Cash Cannon, Amers and Neon Gypsy) come into this race fresh off of maiden victories while two other runners (Majestic Tica and Our Bold Princess) are maidens themselves.

The Pike Place Dancer will go off as Race 7 on the 9-race card. Post time for the race is 3:45 PM PST.

TRAINER NAVARRE SCORES WITH FIRST TWO GOLDEN GATE STARTERS

Jacqui Navarre is no stranger to the winner’s circle. In fact, 15 of her 27 lifetime starters have gone on to win their respective races. Talk about a remarkable win rate.

“The majority of those wins came at Portland Meadows,” explained Navarre. “I helped out a trainer there.”

In Race 7 last Saturday, Navarre saddled her first Golden Gate Fields starter, 6-year-old gelding Drink Til You Drop. The son of Purim sat at the back of the pack before passing the entire field to win the $6,250 claiming event by a head. The following afternoon, Navarre came back to win Race 4 with Solar Tex, a 7-year-old Tribal Rule gelding who beat a solid group of hard-knocking, 40k claimers. Both Navarre trainees were ridden to victory by veteran pilot Frank Alvarado.

“Frank rode those horses like he was in The Kentucky Derby,” said Jacqui. “It was great…very exciting.”

The win with Solar Tex was especially enjoyable for Navarre.

“I have ridden Solar Tex since he was 2-years-old,” said Navarre. “He’s turned into such a neat horse. To see him develop has been fun. Hopefully we get lucky and win some more races.”

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS DAY THIS SATURDAY

This Saturday, October 28, Golden Gate Fields will go pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Any patron who wears pink to the races will be granted free general admission. Golden Gate Fields will also offer a special $3 cocktail menu, featuring all pink cocktails. All purchases/proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Alliance, a non-profit group which has been dedicated to breast cancer research since 1996.

“We are very pleased to be a part of spreading awareness for this terrible disease,” said Golden Gate Fields general manager David Duggan. “Every little bit [of awareness] helps.”

Nine races are slated for the Saturday program. Gates open at 10 AM and first post time is 12:45 PM.

FINISH LINES: Seattle Serenade drilled a half mile in 50.40 seconds Tuesday morning, his first workout since winning the $50,000 Bulldog Stakes at Fresno. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee could make his next start in The Grade 3 $100,000 Berkeley Handicap on November 25…Win machines Mended and Percy’s Bluff both won races opening week and came out of their respective starts in good order. Mended tallied her ninth win in a row in the opener on Sunday while Percy’s Bluff defeated a salty group of allowance rivals two races later. Percy’s Bluff, a Washington-bred by Raise the Bluff, has now won 9 of his last 11 starts…Agent Fernando “Shoes” Navarro confirmed Wednesday afternoon that jockey Billy Antongeorgi will fly down to Del Mar to ride Noble Nick in the Marathon Stakes on Breeders Cup Friday…Jockey Aaron Gryder will also be traveling to Del Mar on Breeders Cup week. The veteran rider has been hired as a TV analyst for the Breeders Cup simulcast feed…Juan Hernandez won 6 races in the first 4 days of live racing and sits atop the jockey standings after week 1. Frank Alvarado, Billy Antongeorgi, Rocco Bowen and Ricky Gonzalez recorded three wins apiece and are tied for second in the standings…Trainers Jerry Hollendorfer and William Morey picked up a trio of victories opening week and lead the trainer standings after Week 1…Two carryovers heading into Thursday’s 7-race program: $13,035 in the Super High 5 and $3,671 in the Golden Pick 6 Jackpot wager.

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GOLDEN GATE FIELDS STABLE NOTES

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

• 2017 FALL MEET KICKS OFF THIS THURSDAY
• NEW LOCAL CONDITIONER ANTHONY STABILE READY TO RUMBLE

2017 FALL MEET KICKS OFF THIS THURSDAY

Live racing for the 2017 Fall Meet at Golden Gate Fields begins this Thursday, October 19 and runs through Sunday, December 10. Entries for opening day were taken earlier this afternoon (Sunday, October 15) and 55 horses were entered to compete on the seven-race Thursday card (an average of 7.8 horses per race).

First post time each afternoon of the 32-day Fall meet is at 12:45 PM, with three exceptions. The first race on November 3 (Breeders Cup Friday) will go off at 12:05 PM while post time on November 4 (Breeders Cup Saturday) is at 11:40 AM. Golden Gate Fields will also hold live thoroughbred racing on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 23) with a special first post of 11:15 AM. The gates open every morning at 10 AM.

Eight stakes races (listed below) are set to take place this fall, highlighted by The Grade 3, $100,000 Berkeley Handicap for colts and geldings and the $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes for 2-year-olds.

2017 GGF Fall Meet Stakes Schedule

October 28: $75,000 Pike Place Dancer Stakes for 2 YO fillies (one mile on the turf)

November 11: $50,000 Golden Nugget Stakes for 2 YO’s (six furlongs on the tapeta)

November 18: $50,000 Oakland Stakes for 3 YO’s & up (six furlongs on the tapeta)

November 24: $50,000 Golden Gate Debutante for 2 YO fillies (six furlongs on the tapeta)

November 25: $100,000 Berkeley Handicap for 3 YO’s & up (Mile and a sixteenth on the tapeta)

December 2: $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes for 2 YO’s (one mile on the tapeta)

December 9 $75,000 Bear Fan Stakes for Cal-bred fillies & mares 3 YO’s & up (six furlongs on the tapeta)

December 10: $50,000 Miss America Stakes for fillies and mares 3 YO’s & up (mile and a sixteenth on turf)

NEW LOCAL CONDITIONER ANTHONY STABILE READY TO RUMBLE

Trainer Anthony Stabile is no stranger to the racetrack; he worked for trainers Bobby Frankel and Laz Barrera, was a jockey agent for top quality riders like Kent Desormeaux and Jean Cruguet, and has trained horses since 1980. But for now Stabile is the new guy in town, as the Brooklyn native recently shipped his 20 horse stable to Golden Gate from Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania.

“I’m here to run. We’ll be entering plenty of horses,” said Stabile. “All of my stock can run on either turf or the tapeta.”

One horse Stabile is quite high on is Black Tie Event, a 4-year-old gelding by Distorted Humor who won six races at The 2017 Presque Isle meet, three of those victories coming against allowance company.

“Black Tie Event is the reason I came here, honestly,” said Stabile. “I looked and saw The Berkeley Handicap in the condition book and thought it’d be a great race for him. That horse has the heart of a gorilla. He’s tough.”

“I’d like to stay here as long as possible,” added Stabile. “So far, The Stronach Group and [racing secretary] Patrick Mackey have been nothing but good to me.”

Stabile’s son, also named Anthony, is a host on the Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) and a commentator on NYRA Live.

FINISH LINES: 25-year-old trainer Ari Herbertson is pointing 4-year-old gelding Noble Nick to The Marathon Stakes on the Breeders Cup Friday undercard at Del Mar. The Marathon, run at a mile and three-quarters on the dirt, will go as Race 3 on the November 3 undercard. Herbertson and his father Scott claimed Noble Nick for $16,000 in May and have won two races with the son of Zensational, including a victory last month in The Humboldt County Marathon at Ferndale. Noble Nick also ran third in The Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar this summer…Jockeys Rocco Bowen, Julien Couton and Kevin Orozco are back in the Bay Area after a successful meet at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington. Bowen finished first in the standings with 126 wins, just one victory shy of the Emerald Downs record for most wins by a jockey in a single season. Couton, who showed up to Emerald a couple of months after the meet started, finished second in the standings with 65 wins while Orozco wound up third with 63 trips to the winners circle, and also received the Top Apprentice Rider award. Kevin, the younger brother of 2016 summer meet leading rider Irving Orozco, lost his bug in late August. Bowen and Couton are represented by agent David “Marbles” Singer while Tom “Bomber” Doutrich has Orozco’s book…Golden Gate Fields welcomes Jose Verenzuela to the jockey colony. Verenzuela is a native of Venezuela who recently shipped his tack up north from Santa Anita Park. Verezuela scored the biggest win of his career in the 2009 $2,000,000 Grade I Dubai Golden Shaheen aboard Big City Man and has also won multiple stakes races in Singapore. He will be represented by agent Don August…Track announcer Frank Mirahmadi returns to the Golden Gate announcer’s booth on Thursday after another season at Monmouth Park in New Jersey…Matt Dinerman, fresh off a track announcing gig at Emerald Downs, is also back at Golden Gate and will be doing paddock/handicapping analysis for the second year in a row…Notable horses on the Sunday, October 15 work tab include 2 time Oakland Stakes winner Star Student (1/2 mile in 50 seconds), 2016 El Camino Real Derby (G3) winner Zakaroff (one mile in 1:40 & 4/5 seconds), and 2016 Laz Barrera Stakes (G3) winner I Will Score (5 furlongs in 1:01 & 4/5 seconds).

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