FIRST “BABY RACES” OF THE YEAR SHOW OFF GOOD PEDIGREES AND TOP HUMAN CONNECTIONS
During the second half of every year, racewatchers across the country view 2-year-old races in hopes of tabbing the next future star. At Golden Gate Fields this Thursday and Friday, a pair of “baby races” kick off the freshmen racing action in Northern California.
Thursday’s second race, a 4-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight on Tapeta, features a quintette of 2-year-old fillies. Pedigree analysts will have a field day studying this group of contenders.
The rail runner is Showem Grace, a $60,000 sale purchase making her career debut for the Walther Solis barn. Solis, a Southern California trainer, has pumped a steady series of morning drills into the daughter of Grace Upon Grace. A full sibling to Showem Grace, Show it N Moe It, was a 526k earner and a multiple stake winner. She also hit the board in ten other stakes races. Showem Grace’s dam was a stakes placed filly herself and has produced 3 other winners.
Leading trainer Jonathan Wong saddles a pair of contenders in Embrace Autism and Beautyinthebeast. Embrace Autism, the 6-5 morning line favorite, is out of a Grade 3 placed sprinter who has produced 4 winners from 4 winning foals. Beautyinthebeast, listed at 7-2 on the morning line, is the first foal of an unraced dam. Sire Dads Caps amassed a seven-figure bankroll in winning multiple Grade I sprint races.
Trainer Steve Specht campaigns Lady’s Sermon for owner/breeder Larry and Marianne Williams. The dam of Lady’s Sermon, Lady Railrider, was a 600k earner who won 5 stakes races and hit the board in 9 others. As a broodmare, she has produced 5 winners from all 5 foals, with 3 of the siblings to Lady’s Sermon either stakes winners or stakes placed.
Greetings, the final runner in the race, is by multiple Grade I winner Bluegrass Cat and out of a 3-time winning mare. Her only other foal is winless. Dan Franko trains and go-to pilot Cristobal Herrera has the call.
Race 2 on Thursday (4 and a half furlongs for 2-year-old fillies)
#1 Showem Grace (Jockey William Antongeorgi III…Walther Solis)
#2 Greetings (Cristobal Herrera…Dan Franko)
#3 Lady’s Sermon (Frank Alvarado…Steve Specht)
#4 Beautyinthebeast (Brayan Pena…Jonathan Wong)
#5 Embrace Autism (Evin Roman…Jonathan Wong)
In Friday’s fourth race, three colts, two geldings and one filly contest 4.5 panels.
The morning line favorite, Mr. T’s Thirsty, has been working at San Luis Rey training center under the care of Walther Solis. He sports a bullet gate work in March and a snappy 46 and change half mile drill on April 30. The son of $1.9 million earner and GI Travers winner Stay Thirsty is out of the 7-time winner Pebble Beach Baby, who was a minor stakes winner herself and earned 218k in prize winnings. Her only other foal was a winner at 2.
Jonathan Wong campaigns the only filly in the race, Autism Innocence, and dark bay or brown colt Heaven Shines. Both runners are sired by Grade 2 winner and first-crop stallion Stanford. Autism Innocence, 2-1 on the morning line, is out of the Grade 2 placed mare Kathleen Rose. This is her first foal to make it to the races. Heaven Shines, owned and bred by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, is out of stakes placed mare Light Up the Sky, whose three other foals have all visited the winner’s circle.
Trainer Ellen Jackson always has success with young horses. She saddles a pair of contenders in Proof of Reality and River’s Behest. Proof of Reality, by Grade I winning sprinter Idiot Proof, is out of stakes placed 397k earner Real Paranoide. As a broodmare, Real Paranoide has produced 3 winners, all who were sprinters. River’s Behest is the first foal out of a 2-time sprint winning mare. Sire Many Rivers has had much success at Golden Gate over the years and puts out plenty of babies who take to the Tapeta main track well.
U S Deputy, the final entrant in the race, is a longshot on the morning line. His dam was a 3-time sprint winner and her only foal to win, Fireitup, won a 2-year-old race at Golden Gate Fields last year. Julien Couton has the mount for trainer Dan Franko.
Race 4 on Friday (4 and a half furlongs for 2-year-olds)
#1 U S Deputy (Julien Couton…Dan Franko)
#2 Autism Innocence (Evin Roman…Jonathan Wong)
#3 River’s Behest (Francisco Duran…Ellen Jackson)
#4 Mr. T’s Thirsty (William Antongeorgi III…Walther Solis)
#5 Proof of Reality (Cristobal Herrera…Ellen Jackson)
#6 Heaven Shines (Kyle Frey…Jonathan Wong)
ROMBAUER TUNING UP FOR PREAKNESS
2021 El Camino Real Derby winner Rombauer continued his preparation for the Preakness Stakes with a sharp workout last Friday at Santa Anita, completing five furlongs in a sharp 59.20 seconds. It was the second fastest of 24 drills at the distance that morning.
In the El Camino Real Derby, Rombauer was ridden by Kyle Frey. Since the Golden Gate victory, he has raced once; a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Bluegrass behind Kentucky Derby fourth place finisher Essential Quality. Rombauer earned an automatic, all-expenses paid berth into the Preakness with the El Camino Real Derby win. The El Camino Real Derby has granted the winner-as long as they are Triple Crown nominated-a free berth into the Preakness Stakes.
“He’s done everything and made a nice little progression from 2 to 3,” trainer Michael McCarthy told the Maryland Jockey Club media team on Monday. “He’s put on a little weight. He’s a horse that takes pretty good care of himself, so he’s been pretty easy that way.”
Rombauer’s preferred running style is to sit off a fast pace and make one-run in the final quarter mile or so. With Concert Tour, Caddo River and Medina Spirit all likely to enter the Preakness, it appears he will get a solid tempo to close into.
The Preakness, run next Saturday, May 15 at Pimilico, is a $1,000,000 race for 3-year-olds at one mile and three-sixteenths (9.5 furlongs).
CLAIMS REPORT
Below is a list of claims from last week:
Thursday
Race 2: Trojan Clubhouse (New trainer Reid France…new owner(s) Goat Racing Stables & France)
Race 5: Will Dancer (Owner/Trainer D. Wayne Baker)
Friday
Race 8: Sharmel (Frank Lucarelli…Richard Bachand)
Saturday
Race 4: Jungle Boy (Quinn Howey…Leon Scott)
Race 9: Forefathers Fury (Dan Markle…Sue and Tim Spooner)
Sunday
Race 9: Peggy Slew (Brendan Galvin…Richard Hall)
FINISH LINES: Jockey Kyle Frey holds a 5-win lead in the jockey standings, with 82 wins at the current Winter/Spring meet. Evin Roman (77 wins) and Irving Orozco (50) are the two closest pursuers…Jonathan Wong has pulled away in the trainer standings, with 51 wins from 187 starters. Isidro Tamayo (29 wins), Steve Sherman (23) and Tim McCanna (23) all chase in second and (adjoined) third…$28,652 is carried over into the Golden Pick Six jackpot wager on Thursday…PLEASE NOTE: first post on Thursday is 1:20 PM while Friday’s first race is scheduled to go off at approximately 1:45 PM.