PLENTY OF HORSES WHO HAVE RACED AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS ARE COMPETING ON BREEDERS CUP CARDS
This Friday and Saturday, Santa Anita Park hosts the 2019 Breeders Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. A number of horses competing in the 2-day racing festival are either shipping from Golden Gate Fields or have run here in prior starts. Here are some familiar Bay Area names to watch out for:
Anneau D’Or: The Blaine Wright trainee makes his first start against winners in the $2,000,000 Grade I Breeders Cup Juvenile on dirt this Friday. He has raced just once in his career, with his lone afternoon appearance resulting in an eight-length win against maidens on turf. Juan Hernandez retains the mount on the son of Medaglia D’Oro, who was purchased for $480,000 earlier this year by owner Peter Redekop. Santa Anita morning line maker Jon White has installed Anneau D’Or as the 15-1 morning line fifth choice.
Apache Princess: This 3-year-old filly races in the first event on Breeders Cup Saturday, the Grade 3 $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes for fillies and mare sprinters on grass. In May, we watched Apache Princess finish third in the Campanile Stakes on Gold Rush Weekend Sunday for trainer Keith Desormeuax.
Bowie’s Hero: The Phil D’Amato trainee ran in this year’s San Francisco Mile, finishing off the board as the 7-2 third choice in the wagering. The 5-year-old has won two races since then: the Grade 2 $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar and the Grade I $1,000,000 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. Bowie’s Hero races in the Breeders Cup Turf Mile on Saturday and drew the far outside post position, stall #14, and has been tabbed at 12-1 on the morning line. Kentucky Derby winning jockey Flavien Prat rides back.
Brave Nation: The last time Brave Nation raced at Golden Gate Fields, he won a first level allowance on Tapeta in May. Since then, he has relocated to Hastings Racecourse in British Columbia, where the 4-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile recently won the Grade 3 $100,000 BC Premier Handicap. This Friday, he races in the $200,000 Grade 2 Marathon Stakes at one mile and three-quarters.
Bulletproof One: Bulletproof One ran in the first Golden Gate Fields 2-year-old race this year for trainer Ellen Jackson and won the May 11 maiden special weight by eight lengths. After defeating males in the Everett Nevin Stakes by an eye-popping nine and three-quarter lengths, the 2-year-old filly was privately purchased by trainer Peter Miller and owners Gary and Cecil Barber, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Wachtel Stable. For her new connections, Bulletproof One scored an easy win in the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar and, most recently, ran second in the Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita on turf. She is entered against males in the Grade 2 $1,000,000 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint but sits as the first also eligible, so she will need one defection to draw into the race. If she fails to draw into the race by Friday morning, then she will compete in Friday’s $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies on dirt. She is listed as a 12-1 morning line chance in the Turf Sprint and 3-1 in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies.
Doc Tommy: We last witnessed Doc Tommy break his maiden on August 18 in a California-bred maiden special weight for trainer Felix Rondan. After the aforementioned victory, he was privately purchased by 2018 Eclipse Award winning owner Hronis Racing and trainer John Sadler, who will run the son of Comic Strip in the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile on Friday.
Don’t Sell: Campaigned by owner Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill, this filly broke her maiden at Golden Gate in April and has since become a stakes winner, scoring a front-running victory in the Unzip Me Stakes in September. She is entered to run in the Grade 3 Senator Ken Maddy on Saturday and is the third choice on the morning line at 3-1.
Eddie Haskell: The 9-2 morning line favorite in this year’s Grade 1 $1,000,000 Breeders Cup Turf Sprint ran in the 2018 Albany Stakes at Golden Gate Fields and finished third. In 2019, the son of Square Eddie has racked off four wins, with his most significant victory coming in the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes on May 25.
Kingly: The well-bred son of Tapit gave Hall of Famer Bob Baffert his first California Derby victory on Gold Rush Weekend in April. Kingly found a new home on turf this summer when he made every poll a winning one in the Grade 3 $150,000 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar. He is entered this Saturday in the Grade 2 $200,000 Twilight Derby on grass.
Ollie’s Candy: Ollie’s Candy began her career at Golden Gate Fields, winning a pair of races under jockey William Antongeorgi III in 2018. Earlier this year, she moved down south to the barn of John Sadler, where the daughter of Candy Ride won the Grade I Clement Hirsch in August and, most recently, finished third in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes. She races next in Saturday’s Grade I $2,000,000 Breeders Cup Distaff with world renowned rider Joel Rosario in the irons. She is 15-1 on the morning line.
Outlaw: This recent Golden Gate Fields allowance winner is on the also eligible list in the last race on Breeders Cup Friday, a 7-furlong allowance on dirt for 3-year-olds and upward. He would need one scratch to draw into the main body of the field.
Stradari: She is one of two runners trained by OJ Jauregui who will be competing in the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies on Friday. Her lone career start resulted in a gate to wire score against maiden special weight company. She was well meant that day, too, going off at even money. Flavien Prat has the mount.
Warm Summer: The second Jauregui entrant in the Golden State Juvenile Filles broke her maiden at first asking and has finished second and fourth, respectively, in a pair of open allowance races. Top class jockey and East Coast based Irad Ortiz Jr. picks up the mount.
Zestful: The son of Ghostzapper has won 7 straight races; 4 of the 7 aforesaid wins came while he competed in the Bay Area. He is currently under the care of Southern California trainer Mark Glatt, who will tighten the girth before this gelding races in the Marathon Stakes on Friday.
JOSEPH T. GRACE STAKES DRAWS A STRONG FIELD OF NINE
A field of nine will tackle a mile and a sixteenth on turf in the Joseph T. Grace Stakes for 3-year-olds and upwards this Saturday. The marquee race of the week goes as Race 8 on the 10-race program at Golden Gate.
The likely favorite is Grecian Fire, shipping North for trainer Keith Desormeaux after an off the board finish in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita. Earlier in the year, the KMN Racing homebred won the All-American Stakes at Golden Gate and was victorious in the California Dreamin’ Stakes at Del Mar for state-breds.
Jonathan Wong starts a pair of contenders in Mugaritz and Sixes. The former gelding makes his second start off a layoff after a dominant win in the Bulldog Stakes at Fresno while the former is undefeated on the Golden Gate Fields lawn and most recently finished third in a second level allowance race on Tapeta.
Grade 3 placed Camino Del Paraiso makes his 2019 debut in the Joseph T. Grace. His biggest effort last year came in the Grade 3 Berkeley Handicap, finishing a head behind multiple stakes winner Editore. Juan Hernandez rides for trainer O.J Jauregui.
Builder and Café Flavor finished second and fourth, respectively, in the September 28 Rolling Green Stakes and are entered in Saturday’s marquee race. Builder has run once since the Rolling Green-a runner up effort in a second level allowance on Tapeta-while Café Flavor makes his second start off a lengthy vacation.
2018 Alcatraz Stakes winner Tortosa, recent allowance winner Arch Prince and supplemental entrant Respect the Hustle round out the field of nine. Approximate post time for the Joseph T. Grace is 3:00 p.m. PT.
$50,000 Joseph T. Grace Stakes (one mile and a sixteenth on turf)
- Builder (Jockey Irving Orozco, Trainer Isidro Tamayo)
- Café Flavor (Julien Couton, Paddy Gallagher)
- Tortosa (Catalino Martinez, Jose Bautista)
- Camino Del Paraiso (Juan Hernandez, O.J Jauregui)
- Arch Prince (Brayan Pena, Sammy Calvario)
- Respect the Hustle (Kyle Frey, Bill McLean)
- Grecian Fire (William Antongeorgi III, Keith Desormeaux)
- Sixes (Frank Alvarado, Jonathan Wong)
- Mugaritz (Ricky Gonzalez, Jonathan Wong)
FINISH LINES: After 2 weeks of live racing at the fall meet, Frank Alvarado, William Antongeorgi III and Juan Hernandez are locked together in a three-way tie atop the jockey standings. All three journeyman riders have won 10 races at the current meeting…Jonathan Wong has the most wins out of any trainer at the meet with 7 victories…Well done to trainer Isidro Tamayo, who scored a hat trick on Friday afternoon. The 33-year-old conditioner won the second race with Mr. Q, the third with Passionate Reward and the nightcap with Conquest Sabre Cat. “This was the first time I’ve won three races in one day,” said Tamayo. “I knew going in that we had really good chances. It felt great.”…NOTE: SPECIAL FIRST POST TIMES will be in effect this Friday and Saturday. On Friday, gates open for simulcasting at 9:30 AM, with first post time set for 12:10 PM PT. On Saturday, gates open at 8:30 AM, with first post slated for 11:30 AM…Happy birthday to trainer Jeff Bonde, who turns a year older today…No Stronach 5 wager this week; the industry low 12% takeout wager will be back in play next Friday.