NORTHWEST FACTOR GETS BACK TO OLD WAYS IN FRIDAY FEATURE
5-year-old mare Northwest Factor has done it all. In 25 lifetime starts, the Kentucky-bred daughter of The Factor has raced over three different surfaces-dirt, turf and Tapeta-and has competed at distances ranging from five furlongs to one mile and a sixteenth. Northwest Factor is a two-time stake winner, and sports lifetime earnings of $236,827.
In Friday’s seventh race, a second level allowance for fillies and mares, Northwest Factor gets back to a ballgame we haven’t seen her play in a while: sprinting. Her last one-turn race, in December of 2019, resulted in a fourth-place finish against stakes company at Turf Paradise.
As a 2-year-old at Emerald Downs in 2018, Northwest Factor won the Angie C Stakes sprinting five and one-half furlongs. She also won two sprint races against allowance foes in 2019 while racing exclusively in Arizona that fall. Trainer Manny Badilla is hoping Northwest Factor can still be effective sprinting as an older mare when she travels five and one-half panels in Friday’s featured seventh race.
“She hasn’t run in four months,” said Badilla. “None of the route races for her were filling so we’re going to sprint her. She either races or sits in the barn…and she’s ready to run.”
Northwest Factor, since being claimed by Badilla and owner Debra Medlock for $25,000 in July of last year, has won four allowance races and earned over $86,000. Badilla has learned that Northwest Factor thrives on the Golden Gate main-track Tapeta, with 4 wins from 6 lifetime starts over the surface. This is her first try sprinting on Tapeta.
“She’s [sprinted] before,” said Badilla. “I just want [jockey] Irving [Orozco] to be smart. We can’t be too far behind early.”
Northwest Factor drew post 4 of 6 for Friday’s afternoon appearance. First post each live racing day this week is 1:45 PM PT.
Race 7 on Friday (Second level allowance for fillies and mares at 5 and one-half furlongs)
#1 Tip Top Gal (Jockey Frank Alvarado, trainer Quentin B. Miller, morning line odds 7-2)
#2 I’m a Rockette (Santos Rivera, Bill Delia, 8-1)
#3 Draw Me (Pedro Terrero, Terri Eaton, 8-1)
#4 Northwest Factor (Irving Orozco, Manny Badilla, 9-5)
#5 Day Plan (Evin Roman, Jonathan Wong, 3-1)
#6 Warm Summer (Catalino Martinez, O.J. Jauregui, 4-1)
WIN STREAK ON THE LINE FOR SWIFT AS I AM
California-bred Swift as I Am looks to keep a win-streak intact on Saturday, when the 3-year-old gelding headlines a field of six in Race 8, an allowance for 3-year-old sprinters.
A son of Danza, Swift as I Am easily beat a starter allowance field three starts ago. He returned with back-to-back victories against first level allowance foes, with his most recent win resulting in a career high Beyer speed figure (87). Armando Ayuso was aboard for both allowance victories and retains the mount on Saturday.
“He’s training good,” said Wong. “He’ll be coming from off the pace.”
Jonathan also saddles Exhalting, who suffered a neck loss on August 15, his first start since rejoining Wong’s barn in early August. Wong trained Exhalting when he won three consecutive races as a 2-year-old last fall. After the trio of wins, Exhalting was moved to the barn of Doug O’Neill. While under O’Neill’s care, Exhalting put up three poor efforts, and was moved back to Team Wong’s camp at Golden Gate.
“Exhalting is also training well,” said Wong. “He’s going to be up on the pace. He might be a little better at five furlongs on the turf, but both of my horses are doing good. They give us two live chances to win.”
Trainer Victor Trujillo looks to play spoiler with his two Race 8 contenders, Phantom Drop and Cool Mountain Lad. Phantom Drop defeated Exhalting and Cool Mountain Lad at big odds (16-1) over turf last time out and will need to duplicate that effort while moving back to Tapeta, a surface he has already won twice over. Cool Mountain Lad has never finished worse than third in four lifetime starts and is undefeated on Tapeta (2 for 2). Handr’sdream, who ran fourth in the August 15th race won by Phantom Drop, and longshot Space Odessey complete the field.
Race 8 on Saturday (Allowance for 3-year-olds, five and one-half furlongs)
#1 Phantom Drop (Pedro Terrero, Victor Trujillo, 10-1)
#2 Space Odessey (Frank Alvarado, Tirso Rivera, 8-1)
#3 Swift as I Am (Armando Ayuso, Jonathan Wong, 1-1)
#4 Exhalting (Catalino Martinez, Jonathan Wong, 3-1)
#5 Handr’sdream (Isidro Tamayo, Francisco Monroy, 5-1)
#6 Cool Mountain Lad (Victor Trujillo, Brayan Pena, 6-1)
TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLIES TAKE CENTER STAGE IN CO-FEATURE ON SUNDAY
Race 8 on Sunday, a first level allowance for 2-year-old fillies, attracted six entries looking to tally their first victory against winners.
The likely favorite is Code Ribbon, making her third career start for trainer Jacqui Navarre. The daughter of Desert Code was purchased for $4,000 by owner Michael Pollowitz and is already off to a great start as a racehorse, with an easy maiden special weight win at Pleasanton and a runner up finish-only losing by a head-to the well-regarded filly The Arcadian Way. Frank Alvarado was aboard Code Ribbon in both lifetime starts and is slated to ride back on Sunday.
Two other runners, Miss Union and Light Up, exit the race in which The Arcadian Way won. Miss Union, who draws the rail for Sunday’s afternoon appearance, broke her maiden by open lengths for a claiming tag and returned to run third behind The Arcadian Way and Code Ribbon. Light Up, a winner on debut in a maiden special weight at Pleasanton, was bet down to 5-2 at post time in her most recent start and wound up fourth behind The Arcadian Way, Code Ribbon, and Miss Union.
One Southern California shipper makes the trip North for Saturday’s eighth race. Loveherheart, trained by Andrew Lerner, scored a runaway victory against maiden special weight rivals at Santa Anita but has since run off-the-board in a pair of starts against stakes company. Lion’s Lair, trained by Ed Moger Jr., broke her maiden at Pleasanton and exits the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar, where the daughter of Stanford finished seventh of nine.
Derrygoolin, a recent California-bred maiden special weight winner, completes the field. She faces winners for the first time and is one of two entrants for trainer Isidro Tamayo, who is also represented by Miss Union.
Race 8 on Sunday (Allowance for 2-year-old fillies)
#1 Miss Union (Santos Rivera, Isidro Tamayo, 6-1)
#2 Loveherheart (Evin Roman, Andrew Lerner, 5-2)
#3 Code Ribbon (Frank Alvarado, Jacqui Navarre, 8-5)
#4 Light Up (Pedro Terrero, Felix Rondan, 6-1)
#5 Derrygoolin (Francisco Monroy, Isidro Tamayo, 15-1)
#6 Lion’s Lair (Armando Ayuso, Ed Moger Jr., 3-1)
CLAIMS REPORT
Friday
Race 4: Foster Boi (new trainer Guillermo Preciado…new owner Salvador Nunez-Ruiz)
Race 5: Lagatha (owner/trainer Steve Sherman)
Saturday
Race 4: Sunrise Journey (Emilio Guerrero…Boardshorts Stables LLC)
Race 5: U S Deputy (Jonathan Wong…MJVET Stables)
Race 6: Rocktilyoudrop (Isidro Tamayo…John Tipton)
Sunday
Race 1: Fire Diamonds (Marcelino Trujillo…Floriberta Trujillo)
Race 4: Mahi Mahi (Blaine Wright…Blaine Wright Racing Stable, Casa Loma Stable & Jim Strelo)
Race 5: Dubronsky (Owner/Trainer Robert Lucas)
Race 6: Rev Ree (Steve Sherman…Stewball Stable, Joan Richter and Sherman)
FINISH LINES: With three more weeks to go at the current summer meet, the race for top jockey is contentious. Pedro Terrero leads all riders in wins with 11, with Evin Roman and Armando Ayuso ride behind with 10 wins apiece. Catalino Martinez and Assael Espinoza both enter this week with 9 wins…In the trainer standings, Jonathan Wong sits atop the standings with 11 victories, five more than Isidro Tamayo…On Friday, Golden Gate Fields offers a Golden Pick Six jackpot carryover of $7,751 and a Rolling Super High Five carryover of $2,788.