DIVERSE GROUP OF 3-YEAR-OLDS ENTERED IN FRIDAY ALLOWANCE
A salty batch of 3-year-old colts and geldings take center stage in the signature race on Friday at Golden Gate, a first level allowance at six furlongs on the Tapeta. All seven horses in the race have been campaigned differently. Some sport sharp, recent form. A few of them step up in class. One makes his 3-year-old debut while another makes his first start off a claim. For handicappers, there are many angles to dissect but only one winner to find.
Morning line maker Jacob Shephard has tabbed Rachel’s Coach as the 9-5 favorite. There are reasons to suggest he may indeed be favored come post time. The son of Coach Bob was a decisive starter allowance winner on March 12 and earned a Beyer speed figure (82) that tops any of the other six entrants’ best speed figures by quite a few points. Rachel’s Coach has also run well at this condition in the past; two starts ago, he finished third behind California Derby contender and next out winner Prince Abu Dhabi, and placed third one race prior to next-out stakes placed Harcyn.
“He’s doing good,” said trainer Isidro Tamayo of Rachel’s Coach. “He wasn’t a big horse when we first got him. After he broke his maiden, he really started to figure everything out. I think he can rate if the pace is too fast, but he’s got natural speed.”
Tamayo also saddles Strength of Autism, who failed to be competitive at this level two starts ago.
Like Tamayo, Victor Trujillo trains two entrants in the race. Rodrigoknows, a bargain $5,700 sale purchase by Cat Burglar, suffered traffic late in his career debut and wound up second. He returned to the races on March 25 and easily defeated a group of maiden special weight foes. He faces winners for the first time on Friday. Barn buddy Idaho Once finished as the runner up behind stakes winner Clovisconnection coming off a 7-month vacation at this condition last time out. Also sired by Cat Burglar, Idaho Once figures to be fairly close to the pace.
Chuckanut Bay began his career in Northern California last summer and broke his maiden at Pleasanton. He subsequently moved to Emerald Downs for the summer and placed in three stakes races there. After a pair of losses, including a double-digit length defeat in the Gold Rush Stakes behind Southern California stakes winner Passarando and El Camino Real Derby champion Chase the Chaos, Chuckanut Bay was given four months off. He returns with a steady series of drills for trainer Jack Steiner
“We’re using this as a starting point and we’ll see how it goes,” said Steiner. “He’s training okay. On paper, he’s in a pretty tough spot.”
Talk About Autism placed third behind Clovisconnection and Idaho Once at this level on March 17. The Sammy Calvario trainee went off as the 7-5 second choice in the wagering that day. He figures to be a better price this go around. Sporting a 3 for 5 lifetime win record, Talk About Autism broke his maiden on debut and won a pair of starter allowance races earlier this year.
“He’s still a colt [as opposed to a gelding]. He’s pretty playful,” said Calvario. “[Jockey] Cristobal [Herrera] fits him really well. He wasn’t available [last race] and I think getting him back will help. He knows this horse.”
Saxon Saga rounds out the field. He makes his first start off a claim by trainer Ed Moger Jr. after a pair of convincing $12,500 claiming wins.
Live racing begins at 1:45 PM on Friday. 8 races are on the schedule.
Race 7 on Friday (First level allowance at six furlongs for 3-year-olds)
#1 Chuckanut Bay (Jockey Assael Espinoza…Trainer Jack Steiner…morning line odds of 10-1)
#2 Rodrigoknows (Evin Roman…Victor Trujillo…2-1)
#3 Rachel’s Coach (Kevin Radke…Isidro Tamayo…9-5)
#4 Strength of Autism (Alexander Chavez…Isidro Tamayo…15-1)
#5 Saxon Saga (William Antongeorgi III…Ed Moger Jr…15-1)
#6 Idaho Once (Santos Rivera…Victor Trujillo…5-1)
#7 Talk About Autism (Cristobal Herrera…Sammy Calvario…4-1)
TROJAN CLUBHOUSE REMAINS ADMIRABLE EVEN WITHOUT WIN STREAK INTACT, RETURNS ON SATURDAY IN SECOND LEVEL ALLOWANCE
A 7-race win streak for 5-year-old mare Trojan Clubhouse was brought to an end on March 18. That day, she stalked the pace, took the lead in upper stretch and eventually was passed late in the game by first place finisher Tiz an Edventure, a stakes winner who was considered at the time to be the top filly and mare router in Northern California. Per multiple sources, she has been retired to start a new career as a broodmare.
“She rated a little bit last time and ran a really good race,” said trainer Reid France on Trojan Clubhouse. “I was pleased with the effort. When we claimed her [in her second lifetime race], she ran a couple of dull races after and wasn’t quite right. We gave her six months and that really helped her, and it’s been quite the ride ever since.”
Trojan Clubhouse seeks to begin a new win streak this Saturday at Golden Gate in Race 8, a second level allowance at the one mile and a sixteenth distance. The daughter of Clubhouse Ride has won all three prior starts at 8.5 furlongs and scored once before at the second level condition last year too, fending off all challengers for a gutsy head victory.
In her most recent start, Trojan Clubhouse employed tactics we had not seen her practice since her win streak began: she stalked the pace for the first half of the race. Although she did not win, all signs indicate she brought her ‘A game’. With her versatility in mind, jockey Evin Roman has options. On the other hand, she breaks from the inside post, meaning Roman will need to make good decisions to work out a good trip with other speed drawn to her outside.
Three rivals Trojan Clubhouse faces on Saturday have front running ability to make things interesting. Shezaghost, a hard knocker that has hit the board in her last two starts at this level, does her best work on the front end. Recent gate to wire first level allowance winner Work to Live has visited the winners circle on three separate occasions in her career, all in which she went to the lead. Undisturbed, a stablemate to Work to Live (both conditioned by Steve Sherman), set the pace in her last start but weakened down the stretch and hit the wire fifth.
“I do think we have options,” said France. “If she breaks well and is on the lead, that would probably be Plan A. Plan B is to rate, but I wouldn’t have a problem with it if she did. She’s an easy mare to ride. She’s a sweetheart in the barn. She’ll do whatever you ask her to.”
Trainer Manny Badilla, who has conditioned many high-quality fillies and mares over the years, sends out a duo in the 8th race on Saturday. Madeira Wine went off as the longest shot in the race (13-1) on March 18 and settled for third behind Tiz an Edventure and Trojan Clubhouse. Great Britain bred Signorina Merisi won back-to-back races to kick off her North American racing career but failed to fire in February at this level while going off at low odds of 3-5. She looks to rebound after freshening up a month and a half.
Completing the field is Aloha Kitten, a first level allowance winner on turf at Golden Gate last September. Stabled in Southern California under the supervision of Craig Dollase, the 6-year-old mare has finished as the runner up in her last three starts against allowance company. While two of those efforts were at her home court at Santa Anita, the third run came locally at Golden Gate, where she finished behind none other than Trojan Clubhouse.
Like Friday, the first of nine races on Saturday is set to kick off at 1:45 PM.
Race 8 on Saturday (Second level allowance at one mile and a sixteenth for fillies and mares 4-years-old and upward)
#1 Trojan Clubhouse (Jockey Evin Roman…Trainer Reid France…morning line odds of 9-5)
#2 Aloha Kitten (Armando Ayuso…Craig Dollase…5-1)
#3 Work to Live (William Antongeorgi III…Steve Sherman…5-2)
#4 Shezaghost (Santos Rivera…Manny Badilla…8-1)
#5 Madeira Wine (Irving Orozco…Manny Badilla…15-1)
#6 Signorina Merisi (Assael Espinoza…Manny Badilla…4-1)
#7 Undisturbed (Alexander Chavez…Steve Sherman…12-1)
CLAIMS REPORT
Below is a list of claims from last year:
Friday
Race 2: Miss Ever Ready (New trainer D. Wayne Baker…new owner Richard Barton)
Saturday
Race 1: The Sandy Surprise (Isidro Tamayo..Miguel Chavez)
Race 2: Speed Grazy (Jonathan Wong…MJVET Stables, Hon Cheung Kum and Hsui Mei Tsai)
Race 5: Mendham Mill (Manny Badilla…Jerry Jamgotchian)
Race 9: Enjoy It Strait (Owner/Trainer Mark Glatt)
Sunday
Race 3: Alexander’s Dream (Isidro Tamayo…Taboada Racing Stables LLC)
Race 5: Magic Tiger (Ed Moger Jr…Terry McFarlane and Bill Meikle)
FINISH LINES: 3-year-old California bred gelding Clovisconnection competes at Santa Anita on Saturday in Race 7: the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred or sired 3-year-olds at six and one-half furlongs. The Judy and William Hedrick homebred is listed at 6-1 on Jon White’s morning line. GGF rider Kevin Radke makes the trip south to navigate for trainer Blaine Wright…In other news, Radke will be represented for the remainder of the meet by agent Brent Harmon…We wish the best of luck to jockey Yarmarie Correa, who moved back east after a brief stint at Golden Gate…After a two-win day last Sunday, veteran pilot Frank Alvarado is 39 wins away from career victory 4,000…$8,716 is carried over into the Golden Pick Six Jackpot carryover on Friday…9 races are on the Sunday program, with first post set at 1:15 PM.