TIZ FAKE NEWS RETURNS IN FRIDAY FEATURE
Race 7 on Friday, a second level allowance for filly and mare sprinters, features the return of Tiz Fake News. The daughter of Tiznow, who hasn’t been seen since competing in the Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita last March, sports a steady series of works leading up to her 2021 debut and will be ridden by Evin Roman for the first time.
“This is a good starting spot for her,” said Tiz Fake News’s trainer, Jonathan Wong. “I wish I had a couple more works into her [off the layoff], but this race came up in the [condition] book and this is where she fits. She’s grown physically [from age 3 to 4] and she’s training really well. She’s a nice filly. When she broke her maiden, she went 21 and change, so she has speed and I think she’ll be up on the pace.”
Trainer Blaine Wright saddles a pair in Diamonds R and Coco Bee, who drew posts 5 and 6 respectively. Coco Bee, who has not raced since an off the board finish in the Camilla Urso Stakes last May, sport two bullet workouts leading up to this run. In late 2019 and early 2020, Coco Bee won three straight allowance races on the main track Tapeta.
“I thought she’d really like the turf, but she never handled it at any point [in her last start],” said Wright. “She couldn’t be training better, runs well fresh and obviously like the Tapeta. It’s good to get her back up and running again. She’s a nice mare.”
Diamonds R, who exits stakes company at Emerald Downs in Washington state, races for the first time in three months. Throughout her 21-race career, she has competed exclusively at Emerald under the care of Pacific Northwest trainer Tom Wenzel. After Emerald’s season ended in October, Diamonds R was transferred to the barn of Blaine Wright, who is slated to condition the 6-year-old mare throughout the winter.
“The owners wanted to try her [in California]. I’ve gotten to know her over the last couple months,” said Wright. “She’s training super over this track. The distance of this race might be a little bit short for her, but I wanted to start her out sprinting off the layoff and go from there.”
The morning line favorite is Gotham Desire, a daughter of Gotham City who has finished as the runner up in her last two starts at this level. The Ed. Moger Jr. trainee is a versatile mare that has shown the ability to run her “A” race no matter how the pace scenario unfolds and wherever she is placed in the race. Her last win came three starts ago when she dead heated for the victory in an allowance race against similar company to what she’ll face on Friday.
Stakes winner Princess Vivian also makes the field. The Sergio Ledezma trained mare is lightly raced, with just 11 starts to her name, but sports an ultra-consistent 4-1-4 record. Most recently, the daughter of Uh Oh Bango ran third on October 30 as the favorite behind the talented Praise and Honor and Gotham Desire.
Draw Me, who finished fourth in the aforementioned October 30 allowance event, rounds out the field. Terri Eaton trains and Hugo Herrera rides the California-bred filly by Last Draw, who makes her 4-year-old debut in the Friday feature.
LYMEBIRD BACK HOME AND READY TO GET BACK TO ROUTING
Looking at the past performances of 8-year-old gelding Lymebird, it’s pretty clear what he thrives at: routing on Tapeta.
“We didn’t get too many opportunities to route him on the Tapeta last year,” said Lymebird’s trainer, Angelo Tekos Jr. “The stoppages we had due to COVID-19 was a factor. A couple times races just weren’t filling.”
Nonetheless, the Tekos stable star was still able to run “long” on Tapeta twice in 2020, and both efforts resulted in better than looked runner up finishes. In one of those starts, he finished second behind stakes caliber racer Navy Armed Guard, who broke the track record that day. In his other start, he ran second again, this time to multiple 2020 stakes winner Camino Del Paraiso.
Since a poor performance at Santa Anita three weeks ago on turf, Lymebird has worked two easy half mile drills leading up to this Saturday’s main event at Golden Gate, Race 7, a second level allowance at one mile. Lymebird drew post 2 of 6 and picks up the services of jockey Catalino Martinez.
“He should be fit and ready to roll,” said Tekos. “In his last start, the owner wanted to take a shot at Santa Anita and we saw it as getting a run into him before this race. We’re excited to run him on Saturday. if he puts his best foot forward, we definitely have a shot to win.”
Other main contenders in Race 7 on Saturday: stakes placed gelding Our Silver Oak, Southern California shipper King of Speed and Robert Dupret Derby winner American Farmer. Stretch-out sprinter Wine and Whisky and Jammers Justice will likely go off at a price and complete the group of a half dozen entrants.
CLAIMS REPORT
Below are the list of claimed horses and their new connections from last week:
January 22
Race 2: Playing Through (New trainer Isidro Tamayo…new owner Johnny Taboada)
Race 2: Tanners Pride (Jonathan Wong…MJVET Stables and Johnny Taboada)
Race 2: Trump Um (Frank Lucarelli…Bill Meikle)
Race 3: Extractor (Jesus Ramos…Candelario Barragan and Jose Cruz Ramos)
Race 3: Hold Me Close (Sammy Calvario…Johnny and Marcel Taboada)
Race 4: Kate Boss (Reid France…Hat Trick Racing)
Race 5: She’s So Pretty (Jonathan Wong…Madden Racing, MJVET Stables and Cynthia Kahuanui)
Race 6: Miss Indefatigable (Jonathan Wong…Madden Racing and Cynthia Kahuanui)
Race 8: Tom’s Surprise (Jonathan Wong…Kam Racing Stables and Brent Malmstrom)
January 23
Race 2: Malibu Cat (Owner/Trainer Tim McCanna)
Race 7: Ziarah (Owner/Trainer Tim McCanna)
January 24
Race 3: Agent Zero (Jonathan Wong…Hon Cheung Kum and Hsiu Mei Tsai)
Race 6: Coolcross (Monty Meier…Browne Cattle Co. and William Branch)
FINISH LINES: Notable workers last week who are on the comeback trail after taking time off: The well-regarded Jeffnjohn’sthundr (3F in 38.20 for trainer Jeff Bonde), multiple stakes winner Time for Gold (4F in 50.60 seconds for trainer Frank Lucarelli), and stakes winner Top Harbor (5F in 1:02.00 seconds for trainer Tim McCanna)…Per Gary Dougherty of “Racing Stats and Info” on Twitter, jockey William Antongeorgi III made his 1,003rd trip to the Golden Gate Fields winners circle on Sunday when guiding Shot Of A Lifetime to victory in Race 7… Jockey Francisco Duran is back in the Bay Area after a quick stint at Turf Paradise in Arizona and will represent himself…Happy birthday to trainer Steve Sherman, who celebrates his birthday on Thursday…$15,029 is carried over in the Golden Pick Six jackpot wager heading into Thursday’s card.