A VICTORY FOR LAGATHA IN SATURDAY’S BEAR FAN STAKES WOULD RESULT IN EMOTIONAL WINNERS CIRCLE
In early October, longtime Bay Area trainer John F. Martin passed away after a lengthy illness at the age of 63. This Saturday, family, friends, and members of the racing community will band together, reminisce, and celebrate the life of John Martin at the “Remember John Martin” party on the third floor Players Patio.
Troy and Maritza Onorato, two of Martin’s longtime loyal clients who race under the name Hat Trick Racing, are the pair behind the implementation of the “Remember John Martin” party. They also campaign Lagatha in the signature race of the day: the $75,000 Bear Fan Stakes for filly and mare sprinters at six furlongs on the Tapeta. Lagatha is trained by Martin’s longtime assistant Reid France, who took over the racing operation after Martin fell ill. Troy Onorato is hopeful the post-position draw will be an indication that luck, destiny, and good karma could be on Lagatha’s side come Saturday.
“John’s nickname was ‘Mickey,’” explained Onorato. “John played baseball as a kid, and he hit a lot of home runs. People referred to him as ‘Mickey’ like Mickey Mantle. That nickname carried on from childhood all the way to the end of his life. Lagatha drew post #7. Mickey Mantle’s number was #7. Hopefully, it’s a good omen.”
Lagatha, who has had good success in allowance conditions at Golden Gate over the past year or so, makes her second start off a five-month layoff in the Bear Fan. Entered for a $25,000 claiming tag just two weeks ago off said vacation, the 5-year-old daughter of Surf Cat shot to the lead and never looked back, hitting the wire over five lengths clear of second place finisher Gayle’s Evening while geared down in the final 100 yards.
“We knew the Bear Fan was lurking out there and we were looking for a race to prep for it,” said Onorato on Lagatha’s recent win. “It helped that her last start was at five furlongs. If she struggled, we wouldn’t have entered her in the Bear Fan. She finished the race well, galloped out strong, and had plenty left in the tank. She came out of the race with a lot of energy.
Reid [France] and his whole staff have done a great job at getting her mind in a good place and focused on racing,” continued Onorato. “She can be very temperamental. Hopefully she will be on her best behavior this Saturday.”
Contention runs deep in the 2022 Bear Fan. The top two finishers in a November 6 first-level allowance race-Luxury Liner and Sheza Girly Girl-figure to get support in the wagering. Southern California shipper Big Summer recently scored back-to-back state-bred allowance wins for trainer Carla Gaines and attracts Southern California based jockey Joe Bravo to ride. All Dialed In comes off a third-place finish in the Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar last month and face slightly easier company in the Bear Fan for trainer Sean McCarthy. Tam’s Little Angel was a better than looked second behind Kentucky-bred The Pharaoh’s Girl in an open allowance, and three-time stakes placed mare this year Carolina Mia wheels back in two weeks after a fourth-place effort against salty turf sprinters at Del Mar. Chancery Way is a 3-year-old filly facing older while coming off a five-month break. That said, she sports an unblemished, 3 for 3 lifetime record. Southern California invader Exactly Wendy, hard-knocker Hot Rageous and longshot Tip Top Gal round out the field.
11 races are covered on the Saturday card. First post time is earlier than usual: 11:50 AM. 106 horses made the Saturday overnight, equating to 9.6 horses per race.
Race 10 on Saturday: The $75,000 Bear Fan Stakes (California-bred or sired fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward
#1 Tip Top Gal (Jockey Hugo Herrera…Trainer Quentin B. Miller…Morning line odds of 30-1)
#2 Exactly Wendy (William Antongeorgi III…Leandro Mora…30-1)
#3 Hot Rageous (Irving Orozco…Isidro Tamayo…8-1)
#4 Sheza Girly Girl (Frank Alvarado…Jonathan Wong…10-1)
#5 Big Summer (Joe Bravo…Carla Gaines…7-2)
#6 Chancery Way (Kevin Radke…Jamey Thomas…10-1)
#7 Lagatha (Brayan Pena…Reid France…5-2)
#8 All Dialed In (Armando Ayuso…Sean McCarthy…10-1)
#9 Luxury Liner (Santos Rivera…Steve Miyadi…10-1)
#10 Carolina Mia (Assael Espinoza…Felix Rondan…6-1)
#11 Tam’s Little Angel (Catalino Martinez…Steve Specht…8-1)
MANDATORY PAYOUTS ON CLOSING DAY SUNDAY
Golden Gate Fields offers mandatory payouts this Sunday, the last live race day of the 2022 Fall Meet. Mandatory payouts are in play for the Golden Pick Six, both the Early and Late Pick 5 bets, and the last race on Sunday in which the Rolling High Five wager is offered.
Golden Gate’s 20-cent minimum Golden Pick Six is comprised of the last six races every day. On Sunday, the sequence goes as Races 7 through 12. As a result of a sole ticket hitting six of six winners last Sunday, there is no jackpot carryover heading into this Friday’s race program. If there fails to be a single ticket jackpot winner on Friday and Saturday, there will be a small carryover by this Sunday’s mandatory payout sequence.
The Sunday Pick Six sequence
- Race 7: Claiming sprint (12 entrants, 1 also eligible)
- Race 8: Starter allowance route (10 entrants, 4 also eligibles)
- Race 9: $20,000 claiming sprint (11 entrants)
- Race 10: Allowance route (10 entrants)
- Race 11: Miss America Stakes (11 entrants)
- Race 12: Maiden Special Weight (12 entrants, 2 also eligibles)
The Early Pick 5 and Late Pick 5 wagers involve the first five and last five races, respectfully. The Early Pick 5 is a low 14% takeout bet. Both bets are 50-cent minimum wagers.
The Early Pick 5 sequence
- Race 1: Claiming sprint (8 entrants)
- Race 2: Allowance sprint for 2-year-old fillies (7 entrants)
- Race 3: Maiden claiming sprint (9 entrants)
- Race 4: Starter Optional Claimer (10 entrants)
- Race 5: Claiming sprint (11 entrants)
The Late Pick 5 sequence
- Race 8: Starter allowance route (10 entrants, 4 also eligibles)
- Race 9: $20,000 claiming sprint (11 entrants)
- Race 10: Allowance route (10 entrants)
- Race 11: Miss America Stakes (11 entrants)
- Race 12: Maiden Special Weight (12 entrants, 2 also eligibles)
The $1 minimum Rolling High Five wager challenges players to correctly tab the first five finishers in a race where there are seven or more starters. The mandatory payout for the Rolling High Five on Sunday comes in the nightcap, Race 12, a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up at 6 furlongs. A full field is entered to compete.
Early first post on Sunday of 11:20 AM. After Sunday’s live race card, Golden Gate takes two weeks off before returning the day after Christmas, Monday December 26, for Opening Day of the Winter/Spring meet that runs through mid-June.
BADILLA WITH A PAIR OF MEANINGFUL MISSES IN CLOSING DAY MISS AMERICA STAKES
If we could translate the 2022 Miss America Stakes field into a game of blackjack, trainer Manny Badilla would have a solid chance to get the 21. He saddles a duo of contenders in the marquee race on Closing Day Sunday: the $50,000 Miss America Stakes for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward at one mile and a sixteenth. Both Badilla trainees are stakes winners and have run well on dual surfaces. The latter is especially important; off and on wet weather has hit the Bay Area in the last week and a half, and the Miss America-originally scheduled for turf-will be run on the Tapeta main track.
Two-time stakes winner Natural Colour could very well go off favored for Badilla and owners Ron Charles and Samuel Gordon. The Great Britain bred was victorious in the Luther Burbank Handicap and Golden Gate Turf Distaff earlier this year and has stamped herself as the top filly and mare router in Northern California. Although Natural Colour has never competed on the Golden Gate Tapeta, she hit the board in a pair of handicap races over synthetic surfaces earlier in her career in Europe. Leading up to the 2022 Miss America, Natural Colour posts a pair of bullet workouts.
“She’s working lights out,” said Badilla. “She works over the Tapeta like she’ll take to it in the afternoon just fine.”
Meanwhile, it’s the swan song for hard-knocking 6-year-old grey mare Northwest Factor in the Miss America. From a 36-race career, Northwest Factor has won 11 starts and placed second or third in 13 other afternoon appearances.
“After this race, we’ll have her relax for a couple weeks, and then it’s off to be a broodmare,” said Badilla. “She’s going to be a great mom.”
Beginning her career at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington, Northwest Factor won the Angie C. Stakes sprinting on dirt as a 2-year-old in 2018 and returned to defeat males in the Gottstein Futurity at 8.5 furlongs a couple months later. She eventually made her way to Northern California in 2020 and was claimed for $25,000 by Badilla and owner Debra Medlock. Since joining the Badilla barn, Northwest Factor won five allowance races and placed in three stakes races.
“She’s just awesome,” said Badilla. “She tries and tries and tries. We’re going to miss her back at the barn when she retires.”
The Kentucky-bred by The Factor has had more success over Tapeta than turf, with all five Golden Gate victories coming over the main track. She will need to turn the tables on Natural Colour though; in two starts in which she faced her stablemate, Northwest Factor was third across the wire.
“She can run well on the turf but she’s more consistent on the Tapeta,” said Badilla. “She’s going to go out there and try. That’s what she does.”
Among the main contenders is Southern California invader Sugar Fix, a stakes placed racer over the Tapeta at Gulfstream in June for trainer Bob Hess Jr. She handily defeated a strong second level allowance group at Kentucky Downs in September and has since run third in the Swingtime Stakes at Santa Anita. Multiple stakes placed Clockstrikestwelve seeks to earn her first stakes gold medal in the Miss America. Tiz an Edventure has won five of her last six starts and looks to continue her winning ways. Cowboys Daughter, who herself was on a four-race win streak last year before taking a vacation, looks to rebound after an off-the-board finish in her first start off the long break. Allowance winning fillies La Reine’s Legacy, La Vikina, and Shezaghost step up in class as does projected massive longshot Taranta. Strike At Dawn exits an off-the-board effort against stakes company at Turf Paradise and rounds out the field.
Early first post on Sunday of 11:20 AM. 130 horses are entered on a 12-race program, which equals 10.8 horse per race.
Race 11: The $50,000 Miss America Stakes (Fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at one mile and a sixteenth on Tapeta)
#1 Strike At Dawn (Jockey Julien Couton…Trainer Blaine Wright)
#2 Cowboys Daughter (Catalino Martinez…Reid France)
#3 Clockstrikestwelve (Brayan Pena…Jonathan Wong)
#4 Natural Colour (Assael Espinoza…Manny Badilla)
#5 La Vikina (William Antongeorgi III…Isidro Tamayo)
#6 Shezaghost (Santos Rivera…Sammy Calvario)
#7 Sugar Fix (Armando Ayuso…Bob Hess Jr.)
#8 Tiz an Edventure (Frank Alvarado…Jack Steiner)
#9 Taranta (Hugo Herrera…Simon Hobson)
#10 Northwest Factor (Irving Orozco…Manny Badilla)
#11 La Reine’s Legacy (Kevin Radke…Blaine Wright)
CLAIMS REPORT
Below is a list of claims from last week:
Friday
Race 1: Tropicana Girl (New trainer Tim Bellasis…new owner[s] Bellasis, O’Gorman and Tschanz)
Race 4: Roaring Tiger (Reid France…Hat Trick Racing)
Race 6: Mybluebell (D. Wayne Baker…Richard Barton)
Race 7: Sproston (D. Wayne Baker…Kevin Birdsall)
Saturday
Race 4: Focus First (Owner/Trainer Jim Gilmour)
Sunday
Race 1: True Comfort (Owner/Trainer Andrew Nguyen)
Race 5: Coastarando (Blaine Wright…Wright Racing Stable and August)
Race 7: Lightinthedarkness (D. Wayne Baker…Baker, Porlaris, and Santoro)
FINISH LINES: Along with the pair of stakes races, high quality racing is spread throughout the weekend. Race 3 on Saturday is a third level allowance for routers. The entrants include Bulldog Handicap winner A Man’s Man, stakes placed American Farmer, 3-year-olds Crazy Dreams and Midnight Mammoth, the Monty Meier trained Harmon, and Irish-bred Black Caspian…Race 2 on Sunday-an allowance for 2-year-old fillies-attracts the speedy Electric Lettuce, Golden Gate Debutante third place finisher Rousing Jewel, allowance winner Majestic Oops, and four others…A duo of 2-year-old maiden special weight races (Race 8 on Saturday and Race 6 on Sunday) both overfilled and will likely keep full fields come post time…Leading Southern California trainer Phil D’Amato campaigns Shut Up Michael in Race 9 on Saturday: a first level allowance for sprinters. Shut Up Michael is one of four rides on the day for jockey Joe Bravo…An overflowed field in the nightcap on Saturday includes allowance winners Momma Mocca and Derrygoolin…A full field is subscribed for Race 10 on Sunday: an allowance at one mile and a sixteenth. The race attracted stakes placed Royal ‘n Rando, the classy Kings River Knight, rapidly improving House of Lords, and Southern California shippers Derecho Dandy and Lost in Space among others…Late Thursday morning, jockey agent Brent Harmon announced on his Facebook page a new addition to the Golden Gate jockey colony coming soon: Alexander Chavez. The Panamanian born rider recently finished third in the jockey standings at the 2022 Thistledown race meet in North Randall, Ohio…Speaking of jockeys, William Antongeorgi (25 wins) sits atop the standings. Kevin Radke (23), and Assael Espinoza (20) are right behind battling for top jockey with 3 more live race days to go at the current fall meeting…In the trainer division, defending champion Jonathan Wong (16 wins) holds a slender lead over Isidro Tamayo (13) and Steve Sherman (12)…Golden Gate Fields would like to wish all horseplayers, fans, horsemen, backstretch personnel, front side staff and their families a happy holiday season. See you the day after Christmas!