PICKS FOR THE BIG GAME

Horsemen, racing office and front side staff were asked for their picks to win the 2019 Super Bowl. Here were there responses:

Linda Anderson (racing office) Manchester United: “The greatest football team of all time.”

Jose Bautista (trainer) Rams: “I’m rooting for the California team.”

Tina Bryant (racing office) Patriots: “Tom Brady…what can you say?”

Abel Cedillo (jockey) Rams: “The Patriots have won a bunch already….so I will root for the Rams.”

Matt Dinerman (announcer) Patriots: “All my family is from Massachusetts so if I don’t want to get shunned from my family for the day I have to root for them.”

Tom “Bomber” Doutrich (jockey agent) Patriots: “One word…Brady.”

David Duggan (General Manager and Vice President) “No pick from me…but I am very much looking forward to an empty 580 [freeway] on the way home. This is the one day of the year where the roads are empty.”

Carrie Fawcett (racing office) Patriots: “Tom Brady is great.”

Ricky Gonzalez (jockey) Patriots: “Tom Brady is the GOAT [greatest of all time].”

Roger Hansen (trainer) Patriots: “I don’t think New England is getting beat.”

Brent Harmon (jockey agent) Rams: “According to [trainer] Anthony Stabile, I picked [The Rams] because I’m brain dead.”

Ari Herbertson (trainer) Rams: “I want to see someone new win.”

Juan Hernandez (jockey) Patriots: “I like them more than the other team.”

Bob Hess Sr. (trainer) “The way the refs are calling ’em…who knows?”

Ryan Hilton (marketing manager) Rams: “I like their coach and the quarterback went to Berkeley.”

Lisa Jones (racing office) Rams: “The Rams will win because of Todd Gurley.”

Vince Jones (broadcast department) Patriots: “They win every year!”

Sergio Ledezma (trainer) Rams: “They’re from California.”

Dan Markle (trainer) Patriots: “The Rams are lucky to be in the Super Bowl because of the bad call in the NFC championship. They’ve got bad karma. Patriots for me.”

Bill “The Mate” McClean (trainer) Rams: “I’m just hoping the Rams win. New England has been pretty lucky in the Super Bowl. Rams….28 to 24.”

Monty Meier (trainer) Patriots: “Brady ranks up there with one of the best that ever played.”

Fernando “Shoes” Navarro (jockey agent) Rams: “Anybody but Brady.”

Aggie Ordonez (trainer) Patriots: “It’s karma. The refs made a bad call [in the NFC championship game] and it cost the [New Orleans] Saints the game. The Rams won that game and got into the Super Bowl. So I think they’ll lose this game.”

Irving Orozco (jockey) Rams: “I’m from LA…they are my team.”

Kevin Orozco (jockey) Rams: “Any LA team is a team I root for.”

Dennis Patterson (jockey agent) Patriots: “Tom Brady went to my high school.”

Ricardo Perez (trainer) Patriots: “I made a bet with [trainer] Jose Bautista for fun. He’s going with the Rams and I’m going with the Patriots.”

Ferrin Peterson (jockey) Patriots: “I always root for the Patriots.”

Andreas Psarras (trainer) Rams: “I don’t like the Patriots. They beat my [Kansas City] Chiefs!

Jerry Puertas (trainer) Patriots: “I made a good amount of money on the Patriots 15 years ago and have rooted for them ever since.”

Merry Scalzo (administration) Rams: “The quarterback went to Cal Berkeley, which is where I went to college, and so did the running back. I’m sticking with my Cal team.”

Morgan Schlesser (racing office) Rams: “My hate for the Rams supersedes my hate for Tom Brady.”

Mary Ellen Silva (assistant trainer) Patriots: “Tom Brady is old and so am I. I root for the oldies!

Austin Solis (jockey) Rams: “The Patriots win every year. And the Rams are from LA…and I’m from LA.”

Sam Spear (media legend) Patriots: I’m a big Brady fan. But I like both quarterbacks and I hope it’s a good game.”

Anthony Stabile (trainer) Patriots: “The Patriots are as sure to win as I am eating a full plate of linguini and claims with white sauce.”

Jonathan Wong (trainer) Rams: “I want to see the young team win; they’ve got a young coach and a young quarterback.”

Please note there is an early first post time on Sunday of 11:15 AM PT. Kick off for the game is 3:30 PM PT.

LATE PICK 5 CARRYOVER HIGHLIGHTS THURSDAY CARD

This Thursday, Golden Gate Fields offers a $32,723 carryover in the Late Pick 5. The Late Pick 5, a fifty cent minimum bet, goes as races 3-7 on the seven race program. Post time for Race 3 (the first leg) is 1:45 PM PT. Golden Gate also offers a Super High Five carryover in Race 3 of $3,993. The Super High Five in Race 3 will only remain prominent on the wagering menu if the race goes with all 7 starters. If there is a scratch, then the wager (and carryover) moves to Race 5.

Track officials expect there to be at least $150,000 new money added into the Late Pick 5 pool. However, with major tracks like Aqueduct and Laurel Park canceling due to poor weather, there is reason to believe that new money put into the Late Pick 5 pool will be much greater.

Meanwhile, the Golden Pick Six jackpot pool continues to increase. Heading into Thursday’s card, the pool sits at $77,127.

FINISH LINES: Abel Cedillo continues to lead in the jockey standings while Jonathan Wong sits atop the trainer standings…Wong confirmed earlier this week that recent starter allowance winner Mayor Cobb is pointing for the El Camino Real Derby. As a 2-year-old, Mayor Cobb ran third in the Gold Rush Stakes…El Camino Real Derby probable Anothertwistafate worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.40 seconds for trainer Blaine Wright on Sunday morning. The son of Scat Daddy was purchased for $360,000 as a 2-year-old and is a perfect 2 for 2 on the Golden Gate main track…Another El Camino Real Derby contender who worked Sunday morning was Magnificent McCool, a Doug O’Neill trainee who drilled six panels at Santa Anita in 1:14.80. Magnificent McCool recently broke his maiden in a two turn turf event at ‘The Great Race Place”…More noteworthy horses who put up Sunday workouts: stakes winner Whatwasithinking (3F in 38 seconds for trainer Frank Lucarelli), stakes performer Daddysprize (3F in 37.20 for Tim McCanna), and the Blaine Wright stakes winning duo of Alliford Bay (4F in 48.80) and Anyportinastorm (4F in 49.40). All four aforementioned runners have taken time off and are back in training after their respective vacations.

JOCKEY HENRY WINS FIRST RACE BACK FROM HIATUS

Jockey Wesley Henry made his first trip to the winner’s circle in his debut ride as a Golden Gate Fields jockey. On Monday afternoon, Henry guided Omache Kid to a victory in Race 1, a five and a half furlong claiming sprint. Henry also rode Jump the Tracks to a second place finish in Race 6. Isidro Tamayo trains both horses.

Henry, now in his early 40’s, has ridden in races for over two decades. He was one of the top jockeys in Jamaica for a number of years and won numerous marquee races there before making a transition to America in the early and mid 2000’s. He took a break from riding in the United States from late 2015 to 2018.

Henry has ridden at major tracks in California, Florida and New York.

GOLDEN GATE FIELDS ENTRANTS IN MANY RACES/STAKES ON SATURDAY SANTA ANITA CARD

Santa Anita carded 11 races scheduled for their Saturday card, with a large amount of entrants coming from Golden Gate Fields. 4 of the 11 races are stakes events for California bred or California sired horses, part of the “Golden State” Stakes Series run throughout the year at all California tracks. First post is 11:30 AM PT.

Race 1 is a maiden 50k claimer and features 4-year-old gelding Outlaw, who most recently finished second in a pair of maiden special weight races on the Golden Gate Tapeta. Geovanni Franco has the mount for trainer Steve Miyadi.

Race 2 attracts a field of six sprinters. The Miyadi trained Just Hit Play figures to get betting support with hot-riding apprentice Heriberto Figuroa in the irons. Just Hit Play won a starter allowance race at Golden Gate in November.

Race 3 goes as the $100,000 California Cup Turf Sprint Stakes, for 3-year-olds and upward set to travel *about* six and a half furlongs on the downhill turf course. Tivan, a Jerry Hollendorfer trainee who won the Golden Nugget Stakes as a 2-year-old, drew post position number six in the field of seven and will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux.

Race 6 is a second level allowance group of fillies and mares set to contest the one mile distance on turf. The outside-drawn runner is Gratzie, trained by Manny Badilla. The 7-year-old mare has run in a number of allowance events at Golden Gate and will be making her third start off a 9-month layoff in this spot. Shehastheritestuff, who most recently finished off the board in the Miss America Stakes for trainer Paddy Gallagher, is one of seven other runners set to take on Gratzie.

Race 9 is the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint, for fillies and mares set to tussle down the hillside turf course. Bella Luma, winner of the Golden Poppy Stakes in May, draws the rail post position for trainer Ed Moger Jr. The daughter of Ministers Wild Cat makes her 5-year-old debut in this spot. Also slated to compete is Pulpit Rider, winner of the Campanile Stakes last spring, and Fiery Lady, claimed back in November by trainer Anna Meah. Fiery Lady won a number of races at Golden Gate Fields before the recent purchase and makes her second start off the claim for Team Meah. In her first start off the claim, Fiery Lady finished second in the Miss America Stakes. Coincidentally, both Pulpit Rider and Fiery Lady are out of the same dam, making them half siblings.

Race 11 marks the feature on the card: the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for four-year-olds and upward going one mile and an eighth on grass. Recent allowance winner Unusually Green drew post position number two for GGF leading trainer Jonathan Wong while stakes performer Camino Del Paraiso drew post seven of 11 for conditioner O.J Jauregui. Locally based jockeys Luis Ocasio and Ricky Gonzalez ride in the race, with Ocasio aboard Unusual Green and Gonzalez set to ride Camino Del Paraiso. Also in the field is the William E. Morey trained Rye, who won this race last year and most recently ran third in an allowance Tapeta sprint at Golden Gate. Kent Desormeuax takes the reins.

FINISH LINES:  Fan favorite Sir Vronski won a first level allowance race on Friday. Trained by Quinn Howey, Sir Vronski has now earned 22 wins from 39 lifetime starts…Also on Friday, Mr. Twinery won the second race and improved his Golden Gate Fields record to eight wins from nine starts. The son of Sidney’s Candy moved up to the Bay Area for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in early April and has thrived since then…The Steve Sherman trained Hollywood Hills increased her win streak to four with another hard-knocking victory in the feature race on Saturday, an allowance 6-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies. Owned and bred by George Krikorian, the daughter of Hoorayforhollywood is now 5 for 7 lifetime…Mugaritz has improved with age; the 4-year-old won an allowance race in his second start off a 9 and a half month break on Monday. Last year, he finished second in the California Derby and was fourth in the El Camino Real Derby…Happy birthday to Jockeys Room boss and former rider Ross Allardyce, jockey agent “Oakland Ron” Freitas, trainer Steve Sherman and racing official Steve Martinelli, all whom celebrate birthday’s in the next 7 days…A reminder that Pegasus World Cup Day is this Saturday, January 26^th. Fans on track can watch and wager on the Pegasus World Cup card at Gulfstream Park and are also eligible to sign up and compete in the “Win A Bet” contest. To sign up for the contest (a sweepstakes in which the winning player will get to cash a $100 win bet on the Pegasus World Cup), visit Customer Service Level 2 “B-Deck”…Race 5 on Friday is Leg E (the last leg) of the Stronach 5 wager this week. The race, a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds going one mile, attracted 10 entrants.

FOR LARRY & MARRIANE WILLIAMS, IT’S ALL WITHIN THE FAMILY

Larry and Marianne Williams reside in Boise, Idaho, where the couple raises cattle and horses. The duo, however, also has a major presence in California racing, breeding and campaigning a number of racehorses in the Golden State. Steve Specht conditions the Williams’ Golden Gate Fields string, which couldn’t have had a better weekend last week.

On Saturday, 3-year-old fillies Heavenly Holiday and Priest Lake finished first and second in Race 8 for the Williams’, who bred and currently own both fillies. One day later, the Williams homebred Lucky General broke his maiden in Race 2, a route event for 3-year-old colts and geldings.

As breeders, the Williams’ won the 2014 California Breeders of the Year Award, an award that was announced at the TOBA National Awards Dinner in Lexington, Kentucky. The Williams’ also owned longtime California sire Lucky Pulpit, whose most notable son, 2014 and 2016 Horse of the Year California Chrome, earned over $14.7 million while winning top class races like the Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness (G1), Dubai World Cup (G1), Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Pacific Classic (G1). Lucky Pulpit passed away unexpectedly in 2017 but his progeny continue to race, with a number of them stabled and competing at Golden Gate.

At the track, the Williams’ have raced over 400 winners since they began their racing operation in 2003, with career earnings of over $14.2 million. Among their most successful racehorses include 2013 Del Mar Futurity (G1) champ Tamarando and multiple stakes winners Rousing Sermon, Antares World and Yodelen Dan.

Pulpit Rider, another Williams stakes winner currently in the Mike Puype stable at Santa Anita, won the Campanile Stakes at Golden Gate in April. Coincidentally, Pulpit Rider is out of the stakes winning dam Lady Railrider, who earned over 600k for the Williams’ as a racehorse from 2007 to 2012. The Williams’ bred both Lady Railrider and Pulpit Rider, as well as the aforementioned list of stakes winners.

See the trend here? It’s all within the family. 

“WIN A BET” SWEEPSTAKES OFFERED ON PEGASUS WORLD CUP DAY AT GGF

Golden Gate Fields is happy to offer fans a chance to “Win A Bet” on the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The Pegasus, a $9 million mile and an eighth contest for the best dirt route horses in the world, will be run on Saturday, January 26 at Gulfstream Park. Among the main contenders slated for the 2019 Pegasus are Breeders Cup Classic winner Accelerate, Breeders Cup Dirt Mile victor City of Light and 2018 Kentucky Derby third place finisher Audible.

Golden Gate Fields’ “Win a Bet” sweepstakes takes place on the aforementioned Saturday (January 26). Each fan that is entered in the contest will be randomly assigned one horse that is racing in the Pegasus World Cup. A $100 win wager will then be placed on each horse. Whichever fan is assigned to the winning horse will get to cash their $100 win bet.

“We are excited to offer this contest for our on-track fans,” said Golden Gate Fields marketing manager Ryan Hilton. “Every fan wants to ‘win big’ so we’re giving fans a chance to do just that: win big.”

To sign up for the “Win A Bet” sweepstakes, please visit “B-deck” Level 2 customer service by Saturday, January 26 and fill out the complete sign up sheet. Registry for the contest concludes at 2:00 PM PT on January 26^th.

For additional information on the “Win A Bet” sweepstakes, please visit www.goldengatefields.com and click on the “Win A Bet” sweepstakes link posted at the home page. 

HOLIDAY RACING THIS MONDAY

Golden Gate Fields offers five live racing days this week. The Bayside track runs the usual Thursday-Sunday schedule, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday (January 21) tallies the fifth afternoon of live racing. All five-race days have a scheduled first post of 12:45 PM.

FINISH LINES: Abel Cedillo and Juan Hernandez are tied for first in the jockeys standings with 19 wins apiece…In the trainer standings, Jonathan Wong has surged 4 wins ahead, with 11 total victories at the current Winter/Spring meet. Bill Delia and Blaine Wright sit in second with 7 wins each….Larry Rivelli won with 4 of his first 12 starters at Golden Gate Fields this past week. Rivelli recently shipped horses to the Bay Area and will be campaigning a string of horses here for the remainder of the meeting…Awesome Anywhere, who finished third as the favorite in the Oakland Stakes last November, will run in the $200,000 Grade 2 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita on Saturday for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has the mount…Turf racing resumes at Golden Gate in late March or very early April, according to track management. Per usual, Golden Gate Fields will take a hiatus from turf racing during the winter months to renovate the course and let the rainy season pass…Trainer Aggie Ordonez was given an early birthday present when Aalsmeer, a hard-knocking eight-year-old gelding, won the third race on Sunday. Ordonez celebrated her birthday on Tuesday…The Golden Pick Six Jackpot carryover has increased to $27,979 heading into Thursday’s seven-race card.

RIVELLI READY TO ROLL AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS

Trainer Larry Rivelli, who has won the Arlington Park training title five years in a row, recently shipped a string of 17 horses to Golden Gate Fields and will be a regular in the entry box at the current Winter/Spring meet. Based in Chicago, where Rivelli runs horses at Arlington Park and Hawthorne Racecourse, the Midwest horseman indicated he was ready to rumble with his string on the West Coast.

But why did a successful trainer like Rivelli decide to take a shot at Golden Gate Fields, a track many miles from where he and his owners are based? The answer was pretty simple.

“You’re racing secretary [Patrick Mackey] did a pretty good job recruiting me,” said Rivelli with a chuckle.

Kudos to Mr. Mackey.

“We’ve got horses that run well on the synthetic at Arlington [Park] and we figure they can transfer their good form to the Tapeta at Golden Gate,” continued Rivelli. “[Golden Gate] increased purses recently, too, and that helped. And of course, Patrick has been trying to recruit me for a while now. I knew Patrick when he was in Chicago for a number of years. Hopefully my barn has some success.”

As mentioned, getting horses to perform on the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta is not a worry for Rivelli, who has plenty of experience training and racing horses over synthetic surfaces. In fact, Rivelli has had just as much success over synthetic surfaces than any trainer in the country. With five straight Arlington Park training titles in the bag, there is reason to believe he will have plenty of trips to the winners circle at Golden Gate.

“We’ve got some good horses at Golden Gate,” said Rivelli. “Richiesinthehouse runs [Thursday, January 9] and he’s a nice horse. He’s been competitive against stakes horses in Chicago. He’s been off [since September], but we’re looking forward to getting him going again.”

Rivelli has 2 horses entered on Thursday and 5 for Friday, with 6 of the 7 entrants scheduled to be ridden by Rivelli’s go-to jockey in Chicago, Jose Valdivia Jr.

GOLDEN GATE FIELDS STAKES WINNERS PUT UP RESPECTABLE EFFORTS AT SANTA ANITA

Golden Gate Fields stakes winners Sueno and Tomlin finished in-the-money in two major graded stakes events at Santa Anita Park this past weekend.

Sueno, winner of the Gold Rush Stakes in December, ran second in the Grade 3 $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on Saturday. The son of Atreides out finished two well regarded Bob Baffert trainees in midstretch before getting tagged late by the talented Jerry Hollendorfer entrant Gunmetal Grey, who won the race under Hall of Fame pilot Mike Smith. Sueno earned 4 points to the Kentucky Derby for his second-place effort. Though not definite for the El Camino Real Derby next month, the Keith Desormeaux trained Sueno can surely be listed as a “possible” for that race.

One day after Sueno’s runner up finish, 3-year-old filly Tomlin, who won the Golden Gate Debutante on November 23, ran third behind Grade I winner Bellafina and the Grade I placed Mother Mother in the $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs. Tomlin, conditioned by longtime Bay Area horseman Steve Specht, improved her lifetime record to 3 wins and 2 thirds from 6 lifetime starts with career earnings of $95,820.

FINISH LINES: CARRYOVER ALERT: The 50 Cent Late Pick 5 has a $38,284 carryover heading into Thursday’s card. The Late Pick 5 sequence goes as Races 3-7. We also have a Rolling Super High Five carryover in the first leg of the Late Pick 5, Race 3, of $9,198…Race 2 on Thursday begins the 20 Cent Golden Pick Six Jackpot wager of $15,346…Reports indicate that Magnificent McCool, a Doug O’Neill trainee that recently broke his maiden on the turf at Santa Anita, will ship up to Golden Gate Fields for the El Camino Real Derby next month. The 3-year-old colt, purchased by owners Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $650,000, will train up to the race at Santa Anita…Juan Hernandez sits atop the jockey standings with 16 wins, two more than Abel Cedillo. Silvio Amador, Alejandro Gomez and Kevin Orozco are tied for third in the standings with six wins apiece…Trainers Bill Delia, Jerry Hollendorfer, Jonathan Wong and Blaine Wright are in a four-way tie atop the trainer standings with 6 wins each.

ANOTHERTWISTAFATE A HORSE TO WATCH IN 2019

After a smashing debut victory on December 9 at Golden Gate Fields, two-year-old colt Anothertwistafate was on the radar of horsemen not just in the Bay Area, but all over the United States.

Purchased by owner Peter Redekop and bloodstock agent Alistair Roden for a whopping $360,000 in June, the Scat Daddy colt was transferred to trainer Blaine Wright’s stable shortly after the sale. Once he began training, it was apparent that the dark bay or brown colt oozed talent.

“[Anothertwistafate] has a good mind-not a nervous colt,” said Wright. “I worked him with a couple of other 2-year-olds and he outworked his company pretty easily. I worked him against some 3-year-olds and he finished ahead of them. And then I started working him against some pretty well regarded, nice older horses-allowance caliber horses-and he beat them too. It was clear that he had a ton of ability.”

His first start came on November 3, 2018 at Santa Anita: a six-furlong maiden special weight on the dirt. That day, he ran ninth of 12, though Wright explained that the run was a good learning experience for his star 2-year-old.

“He got some dirt in his face and didn’t like it,” said Wright. “[Jockey] Juan [Hernandez] came back after the race and said [Anothertwistafate] hated the dirt in his face. But if you watch the replay, Juan was able to get him in the clear down the stretch and once he did, he made up a good amount of ground, and the gallop out was terrific.”

“I probably should have never run him in that race,” admitted Wright. “It was a mistake on my part. I blame myself for that loss.”

Anothertwistafate redeemed himself in lifetime start number two, a maiden special weight on December 9 at Golden Gate, going a mile and a sixteenth on the Tapeta. That afternoon, he went to the lead and never looked back, finishing four lengths ahead of second place finisher Shadrack, who in turn was 10 lengths clear of the third place finisher. Anothertwistafate covered the 8.5 furlongs in 1:43.44 seconds, which was the fastest mile and a sixteenth run on the Tapeta that week.

“He ran in his second start like we thought he could,” said Wright. “I don’t think Juan really asked him to run until the very end of the race-the final 100 yards or so. I don’t think the race took a lot out of him either.”

Anothertwistafate is entered to run in Race 3 on Friday, an allowance event for 2-year-olds. The race will be served as a prep for stakes competition later on down the line.

“The El Camino Real Derby [in February] is a long term goal, certainly,” relayed Wright. “We’ll see how he does and go from there. I think he can run on any surface; he has good balance underneath him.”

ALVARADO, CEDILLO PICK UP MILESTONE WINS 

Jockeys Frank Alvarado and Abel Cedillo earned major milestone wins last week at Golden Gate Fields. Both riders have been highly successful in the Bay Area for a number of years and were greeted in the winner’s circle by fellow jockeys and members of the racing community after their milestone victories.

Alvarado, a successful veteran that began his riding career in 1990, picked up career win number 3,500 in the last race of 2018 when Sweetly Spoken pulled off a 13-1 upset in the New Years Eve nightcap, a maiden special weight for fillies and mares. Alvarado was quick to thank all of his followers via social media following the big win.

“What a beautiful end to 2018,” said Alvarado. “Thanks to everyone at GGF: the trainers, owners…everybody.”

Cedillo made his 1,000^th career trip to the winner’s circle one day earlier with Be Thoughtful, a maiden claimer routing for the first time. Cedillo has consistently finished in the top three spots in the jockey standings since joining the Bay Area riding colony in 2012.

“I feel really happy,” said Cedillo. “I’m excited also because I won the race on my son’s birthday. I want to thank everyone for the opportunities I’ve been given. I feel really lucky and blessed.”

JOCKEY CEBALLOS LOOKS TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF

19-year old Franklin Ceballos began his riding tenure at Golden Gate Fields last month and is here to stay for the foreseeable future. The Venezuelan born journeyman has already ridden horses for top outfits like John Martin, William E. Morey and Isidro Tamayo and picked up his first victory since joining the Golden Gate jockey colony with Southern Thunder on New Years Day.

“Franklin is excited to be here,” said jockey agent Fernando “Shoes” Navarro, who represents Ceballos. “He is a good kid who is eager to learn and get better as a rider.”

Before moving to Golden Gate, Ceballos rode the Southern California racing circuit: Santa Anita, Del Mar and Los Alamitos. As an apprentice, Ceballos began his riding career at Gulfstream Park before relocating to California.

Bay Area racing fans may be familiar with Ceballos already, as he guided Rickey B to a pair of wins earlier in the year: once at Golden Gate in September and the other at Fresno in October.

“He wants to do well here and he is hungry to win races,” expressed Navarro. “He has raw talent, will work hard, listens to instructions and has a great attitude. He has everything you’re looking for in an up and coming rider.”

FINISH LINES: Larry Rivelli, who has won the Arlington Park training title 5 years in a row, shipped a string of 17 horses to Golden Gate Fields last week from his home base in Chicago. The majority of his Golden Gate Fields trainees worked over the main track on Tuesday morning. A story to come in an upcoming edition of the news and notes…The Steve Specht trained Tomlin, who won the Golden Gate Debutante in November, faces four other rivals on Sunday at Santa Anita in the Grade 2 $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going 7 furlongs. Tyler Baze rides the daughter of Distorted Humor…Jockeys Juan Hernandez and Abel Cedillo both had a sensational first week at the current Winter/Spring meet. Hernandez sits atop the jockey standings with 13 victories, two more than Cedillo. Luis Ocasio and Catalino Martinez are tied for third in the standings with 4 wins apiece…Trainer Bill Delia is off to a white-hot start at the current meeting, with 6 wins from his first 17 starters (equating to a 35% win rate.) Delia is first in the trainer standings after Day 6, one win ahead of Jonathan Wong and Blaine Wright…Congratulations to jockey Julien Couton, who recently became engaged to fiancé Angela Johnson…Happy birthday to Stronach Group Director of Food and Beverage Mark Ventresca and jockey Edgar Velasco, both whom celebrate birthday’s this week…Race 5 on Friday will be Leg E (the last leg) of the Stronach 5 wager this week.

BERKELEY, Calif. (Dec. 13, 2018)–With the Grade III, $250,000 San Francisco Mile leading the way, Golden Gate Fields has announced its inaugural Gold Rush Weekend on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28.  The two-day racing festival will be comprised of eight stakes races and a wide variety of on-track events as Golden Gate Fields seeks to combine top class racing with Bay Area culture and entertainment, thus serving fans of all ages.

 

                    With increased purse money the order of the weekend, The San Francisco Mile, for three year olds and up on turf, will be run on April 27, as will the $100,000 California Derby, the $75,000 California Oaks, the $75,000 Lost in the Fog Stakes for older sprinters, the $75,000 Golden Poppy Stakes on grass for fillies and mares and the $75,000 Camilla Urso Stakes, also for fillies and mares.

 

                    These races will serve to comprise an All-Stakes Pick 6, Pick 5 and Pick 4 on April 27, along with the popular 14 percent low takeout Early Pick 5.

 

                    “We are looking at making Gold Rush Weekend a major hit on the list of events in the Bay Area in 2019,” said Golden Gate Vice President and General Manager David Duggan.  “We’re hoping to attract a lot of new people and of course, horses, for this two-day event.  We’re confident a number of horses from Southern California will be coming, as well as horses from the East Coast and perhaps England and Ireland.

 

                    “Golden Gate Fields and The Stronach Group are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Gold Rush.   We will have a number of things going on that will greatly enhance the on-track experience for everyone, from live music and dancing, to beer and wine tasting, food trucks and more.  It’s going to be an incredible weekend and we’ll also have a number of local celebrities joining us, which helps us to spread the word.”

 

                    A pair of three year old stakes for California-bred or sired horses will highlight the Sunday, April 27 card, as the $100,000 Campanile for fillies and the $100,000 Silky Sullivan for colts and geldings will both be contested at a mile on turf. 

 

                    Golden Gate Fields will offer fans an “All Turf Pick 4” on April 28, with both the Campanile and Silky Sullivan included.

 

                    “(Gold Rush Weekend) will be great for the racing fans,” said Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.  “I am happy to see increased purses in many of the stakes races.  Over the past year, Golden Gate has increased purses in other races, too, and it’s great for owners.  I plan on running more horses at the upcoming Golden Gate meet.”

 

                    Current Bay Area training kingpin Jonathon Wong echoed Hollendorfer’s sentiments.

 

                    “I’m really excited to see how the big weekend shakes out,” said Wong, who annexed his second Golden Gate training title this year by taking the Fall Meet crown this past Sunday.  “Things are really on the improve here.  The purses are going up and horsemen are seeing the front side staff trying really hard to make Golden Gate great, which gives us reasons to be excited for the future.

 

                    “Everyone wants to see Golden Gate succeed.  Ever since David Duggan has taken over and (Announcer) Matt Dinerman and the new marketing team has been added, things have really been going in the right direction.  It’s an exciting time to be racing at Golden Gate Fields.”

 

                    Opening day for Golden Gate Fields’ 2018-19 Winter/Spring Meet is Wednesday, Dec. 26.  For additional information on opening day and Gold Rush weekend April 27 & 28, please visit goldengatefields.com or call (510) 559-7300. 

Berkeley, Calif. (December 8, 2018)- A stakes triple-header on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields resulted in thrilling finishes and competitive racing.

The Miss America Stakes, a $50,00 route event for fillies and mares, saw 18 entrants in the entry box on Wednesday morning, and the race was split into two divisions. The Miss America Stakes, for fillies and mare’s three-years-old and upward going a mile and a sixteenth, was originally scheduled for the turf but was moved to the main track after heavy rain hit the Bay Area earlier in the week. Nonetheless, there was only one scratch in the race, that being 6-5 morning line favorite Sweet Charity in the first division.

In the aforementioned first division, Southern California shipper Lynne’s Legacy rolled from last to first to win the eight and a half furlong contest for trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Alonso Quinonez. O’Neill and owners Maureen Richardson, Ritchie Robershaw and Steve Rothblum claimed Lynne’s Legacy out of her most recent afternoon appearance, an allowance optional claimer at Del Mar, in which Lynne’s Legacy was in for a $40,000 tag. Lynne’s Legacy picked up her first stakes victory with the Miss America Stakes triumph.

In the second division of the Miss America, 5-year-old Washington-bred mare Pyscho Sister took the field gate to wire after taking advantage of a slow pace early on in the race. Owner Scott Herbertson and trainer Ari Herbertson, who have tag-teamed as a father-son, owner-trainer combo for the past couple of years, announced after the race that Pyscho Sister would be retired and bred in 2019. Leading rider William Antongeorgi III rode the daughter of Freud to victory in her final career race.

The final stakes event of the afternoon was the $75,000 Bear Fan Stakes for California bred or sired fillies and mares three-years-old and upward. In a three-way driving finish, The Spiral Jetter rallied from well off the pace to score at 8-1 for trainer Andy Mathis and jockey Julien Couton. The grey daughter of Don’tsellmeshort was making her stakes debut in the Bear Fan, a six furlong contest on Tapeta.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon, closing day of the 2018 Fall Meet. Golden Gate has an early first post of 11:45 AM on Sunday, with a 12-race program and mandatory payouts in the Golden Pick Six, the Rolling Super High Five and the Pick 5 and Pick 4 wagers. The Golden Pick Six jackpot pool has climbed to almost $59,916 heading into Sunday and track officials are expecting at least $300,000 new money added into that pool on closing day.

-30

MISS AMERICA SPLIT INTO TWO DIVISIONS, BEAR FAN DRAWS 11 ON SATURDAY CARD

A trio of stakes events highlights a 12-race program on Saturday afternoon, which has a special, early first post time of 11:45 AM.

The Miss America Stakes, a $50,000 ungraded event for fillies and mares going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf, received 18 entries on Wednesday morning. With the overflow of entries, racing secretary and GGF Director of Racing Patrick Mackey opted to split the Miss America into two divisions with nine runners each. The first division goes as Race 7 on the program and begins the Pick Six wager on Saturday. Among the entrants are the Grade 2 placed Sweet Charity from the John Sadler barn and South American Group 1 winner Birdie Gold from the Gary Mandella stable. The second division of the Miss America is Race 9, the first leg of the Late Pick 4 wager. Among the leading contenders are Southern California stakes performers Bernina Star and Pantsonfire, local sharpie Pyscho Sister and Golden Poppy Stakes winner Bella Luma.

Race 10 on the program is the last of the three stakes, the Bear Fan Stakes, a $75,000 six-furlong sprint on the Tapeta for California-bred or California sired fillies and mare. A large field of 11 is set to compete, led by stakes winner Isa Firecracker, Southern California shipper Helen’s Tiger and hard knocking allowance equines Claudia Mae, Impecunious and Spring Heat.

Race 7: Division 1 of the Miss America Stakes

#1 Savannah Slew: Jockey Catalino Martinez/trainer Samuel Calvario

#2 Sweet Charity: Juan Hernandez/John Sadler

#3 Gratzie (GB): Pedro Terrero/Manny Badilla

#4 Birdie Gold: Brice Blanc/Gary Mandella

#5 Dutton’s Legend: Frank Alvarado (alt)/Steve Specht

#6 Fiery Lady: Austin Solis/Anna Meah

#7 Lynne’s Legacy: Alonso Quinonez/Doug O’Neill

#8 Shehastheritestuff: Ricky Gonzalez/Paddy Gallagher

#9 Mybluebell: Abel Cedillo/Bob Hess Sr.

 

Race 9: Division 2 of the Miss America Stakes

#1 Bernina Star: Jockey Julien Couton/James Cassidy

#2 Impasse: Juan Hernandez/Michael McCarthy

#3 Pantsonfire: Brice Blanc/Richard Baltas

#4 Pyscho Sister: William Antongeorgi III/Ari Herbertson

#5 Fizzy Friday (GB): Aaron Gryder/Phil D’Amato

#6 Blazinbeauty: Javier Matias/Frank Lucarelli

#7 Music Babe: Alejando Gomez (alt)/Isidro Tamayo

#8 Bella Luma: Frank Alvarado/Ed Moger Jr.

#9 Tizno’s Dilemma: Ricky Gonzalez/Andreas Psarras

 

Race 10: $75,000 Bear Fan Stakes

#1 Meet Miss Kitty: Jockey Austin Solis (alt)/Trainer Clifford Delima

#2 Spring Heat: Juan Hernandez/Clifford DeLima

#3 Isa Firecracker: Alejandro Gomez/Jamey Thomas

#4 Vronilla Parfait: Frank Alvarado/Sergio Ledezma

#5 The Spiral Jetter: Julien Couton/Andy Mathis

#6 Bezzy: Ricky Gonzalez/Victor Trujillo

#7 Helen’s Tiger: Alonso Quinonez/Doug O’Neill

#8 Queen Bee To You: Catalino Martinez/Mike Pender

#9 Bako Sweets: William Antongeorgi III/William E. Morey

#10 Impecunious: Abel Cedillo/Frank Lucarelli

#11 Claudia Mae: Pedro Terrero/Tirso Rivera

MANDATORY PAYOUTS THIS SUNDAY  

This Sunday, December 9 is closing day of the 2018 Fall Meet. Horseplayers are sure to be firing away on the Sunday card, which features extra races, an early first post time of 11:45 AM and mandatory payouts in the Golden Pick Six, the Rolling Super High Five and both Pick 4 and Pick 5 wagers.

Heading into Thursday’s card, there is a carryover in the 20-Cent Golden Pick Six jackpot wager of $37,029. If there fails to be a single winning jackpot ticket by Saturday evening, horseplayers are looking at a large carryover pool in the Pick Six on Sunday, with at least a quarter of a million dollars new money projected.

Entries for Sunday afternoon will be taken on Thursday morning. Track officials confirmed the 11:45 AM early first post time on Wednesday. 11 to 12 races are expected to be carded on the Sunday program.

FINISH LINES: With four more racing days to go, journeyman William Antongeorgi III has a two-win lead in the jockey standings over Abel Cedillo. Cedillo, in turn, has 12 victories more than third place rider Juan Hernandez…Jonathan Wong has made 27 trips to the winners circle, the most out of any trainer at the current meeting. Jerry Hollendorfer sits in second in the trainer standings with 13 wins, 2 better than Tim McCanna…There is a Rolling Super High Five carryover heading into Thursday’s first race of $8,256…As mentioned in the last article, there is also a Golden Pick Six jackpot carryover of $37,029 on Thursday…Southern California jockeys Brice Blanc, Aaron Gryder and Alonso Quinonez will be in town to ride on Saturday…Live racing resumes at Golden Gate Fields the day after Christmas, Wednesday December 26. Have a great holiday break!

Berkeley, Calif. (December 1, 2018)- Southern California shippers continue to dominate stakes races at Golden Gate Fields, with the aforementioned trend continuing in the Gold Rush Stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday afternoon.

Sent off at odds of 6-1, the Keith Desormeaux trained Sueno stalked the pace before strutting his stuff down the stretch, finishing a length and a half ahead of second place finisher The Creep. Sueno was making his first start off a 3-month layoff in the Gold Rush, having most recently broken his maiden at Del Mar in late August.

“Keith [Desormeuax] told me to let him break good from the gate. He said if he goes to the lead, take it, but if not, ride your race,” said winning jockey Abel Cedillo. “He broke a little slow. I kept him in the race. At the half-mile pole I kept him outside to keep him out of trouble. He’s a nice horse and still has room to improve.”

Sueno stopped the clock for one mile in 1:38.28. He was sired by Kentucky stallion Atriedies and is out of the Quiet American mare Class Above, who won multiple stakes routes as a racehorse. Sueno improved his lifetime record to 2 wins and 1 third from 3 starts, with career earnings of $70,040. The 2-year-old colt is owned by Silverton Hill LLC, who purchased Sueno for $61,000 as a yearling at the 2017 September sale.

Mayor Cobb, a 19-1 longshot who broke his maiden on the turf last month for Golden Gate leading trainer Jonathan Wong, completed the trifecta. Golden Nugget Stakes winner Tivan went off as the 7-5 favorite and stalked the pace before fading in the final furlong, finishing fourth. Spin Lightning, Rally Cat, Gobsmack, Rey Coliman and Mad Luther completed the order of finish.

-30-

OCASIO TO RIDE AT GOLDEN GATE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FALL MEET

Luis Ocasio, a native of Puerto Rico who won the Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey in 2016, will ride at Golden Gate Fields for the remainder of the fall meet. Ocasio, represented by agent Gersom Rodriguez, won with 2 of his first 7 Golden Gate Fields mounts and has primarily ridden for leading trainer Jonathan Wong since moving his tack to Northern California.

“I recruited him from Pennsylvania,” said Wong on Wednesday morning. “He obviously has talent. He works hard and is a very patient rider. We’ll see how he does this meet and then go from there.”

As an apprentice, Ocasio won 108 races and earned $2.8 million in purse money-strong statistics which, as previously mentioned, led to a prestigious Eclipse Award for top apprentice jockey. The majority of his riding success in America has come at Parx and Penn National. Before moving to America, Ocasio attended Escuela Vocacional Hipica, a Puerto Rican school for aspiring jockeys. Top young riders such as Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz and Evin Roman also learned their craft at Escuela Vocacional Hipica.

GOLD RUSH STAKES FILLED WITH PROMISING 2-YEAR-OLDS

Nine 2-year-olds have been entered to run in the 2018 edition of the $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes. The Gold Rush, a one mile event on Tapeta, goes as Race 7 on the 10-race Saturday afternoon program. First post on Saturday is 12:45 PM PT, with the Golden Rush set to go off at approximately 3:45 PM PT.

Leading the list of local contenders is the Jerry Hollendorfer trained Tivan, winner of the Golden Nugget Stakes on November 10. The son of Indian Evening is undefeated in two career starts and makes his route debut in the Gold Rush. Hollendorfer has always thought highly of Tivan, who will once again be ridden by veteran journeyman Frank Alvarado.

Leading trainer Jonathan Wong saddles a duo of runners in Mad Luther and Mayor Cobb. Mad Luther, private purchased by Wong and co-owners Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano in late September, ran last of six in the 6-furlong Golden Nugget but had previously won an allowance route race at Presque Isle Downs when racing for trainer Teresa Conley. The “other” Wong entrant, Mayor Cobb, faces winners for the first time in the Golden Nugget after a sharp maiden special weight score on turf.

Gobsmack and Rally Cat are two local runners who route for the first time. Gobsmack, trained by Mike Lenzini, broke his maiden in a California-bred six furlong sprint while Rally Cat, conditioned by Blaine Wright, picked up his first career win in a November 4 maiden special weight against open company. Rey Coliman, the runner up finisher in an October 27 allowance race on grass, completes the list of Bay Area-based horses set to battle in the Gold Rush.

A trio of Southern California shippers travel north to compete in the Gold Rush. The Creep, who won a starter allowance at Golden Gate two races ago, recently finished fourth in a salty allowance race at Del Mar for trainer Doug O’Neill and returns to the bayside track for his stakes debut. Meanwhile, Spin Lightning, from the Jeff Mullins barn, broke his maiden at first asking in August at Del Mar before finishing off the board in two straight stakes races: the Grade I Del Mar Futurity and the Zuma Beach Stakes. Sueno rounds out the list of Southern California entrants; the Keith Desormeaux trainee broke his maiden at the 80k maiden claiming level at Del Mar on August 31 and races for the first time since the aforementioned maiden triumph.

The 2018 $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes

#1 Mad Luther: Jockey Catalino Martinez/trainer Jonathan Wong

#2 Sueno: Abel Cedillo/Keith Desormeaux

#3 Spin Lightning: Ricky Gonzalez/Jeff Mullins

#4 Rally Cat: Julien Couton/Blaine Wright

#5 The Creep: Juan Hernandez/Doug O’Neill

#6 Tivan: Frank Alvarado/Jerry Hollendorfer

#7 Mayor Cobb: William Antongeorgi III/Jonathan Wong

#8 Rey Coliman: Cristobal Herrera/Felix Rondan

#9 Gobsmack: Kevin Orozco/Michael Lenzini

WINNING BEYER SPEED FIGURES

***Winners of last week’s races***

THURSDAY

Race 1: Tangled Up in Ju-54

Race 2: Neon Gypsy-54

Race 3: Perfect Come Back-77

Race 4: Taima the Hawk-75

Race 5: Coastal Starlite-47

Race 6: Rprettyboyfloyd-74

Race 7: English Royality-49

Race 8: Fire to the Wire-74

FRIDAY

Race 1: Night of Idiots-68

Race 2: My Audubon-62

Race 3: Coco Bee-68

Race 4: Tizno’s Dilemma-67
Race 5: Anitanewmercedes-55
Race 6: Cedar Rapids-67
Race 7: King’s Peak-70
Race 8: Tomlin-79
Race 9: Run Like Rhett-76
Race 10: Private Marini-72

Race 11: Ice Cream Fame-61

SATURDAY

Race 1: Hot N Breezy-42

Race 2: Fort Courage-77

Race 3: C I M Sweet-44

Race 4: Blueberry Acclaim-63

Race 5: Mr. Gee’s Journey-80

Race 6: Music Babe-69

Race 7: Touched by Autism-88

Race 8: Sequentially-74

Race 9: Editore-95

Race 10: Gallant Heat-60

SUNDAY

Race 1: Courtship-75

Race 2: Giant Mark-81
Race 3: Capall-74
Race 4: Native Chieftain-59
Race 5: Joejoe’s Kingdom-64
Race 6: Rideo-83
Race 7: Blessed Lady-66
Race 8: Clem Labine-57
Race 9: Oh Marvelous Me-75

Race 10:  She’s an Eagle-54

FINISH LINES: With eight racing days left at the current meet, William Antongeorgi III sits atop the jockey standings with 23 victories, three ahead of Abel Cedillo…Jonathan Wong has run away with the trainer standings; the 2018 winter/spring and summer meet leading trainer has made 23 trips to the winners circle, 13 more than second place conditioner Jerry Hollendorfer…Jockey Frank Alvarado is six wins shy of 3,500 career wins…Oakland Stakes winner Touched by Autism is named for a great cause; Johnny Taboada, who owns the chestnut horse, frequently names his horses to spread awareness for autism. In fact, 62-1 shot Autism Awareness won the 2008 El Camino Real Derby for Taboada in what is considered to be the biggest upset in El Camino Real Derby history…Trainer Bill Delia claimed Rideo for $5,000 in 2017. The son of Candy Ride most recently won a second level allowance race last Sunday for Delia, who also co-owns the gelding with owner Ray Pagano. Rideo is 5 for 9 in 2018 with earnings of $70,080 this year. Great claim…The Golden Pick Six jackpot wager carryover has climbed to $15,506 heading into Thursday’s card…Happy birthday to trainer Ari Herbertson, who turns one year older this Sunday.