WINDY CITY RED PRE-ENTERED IN BREEDERS CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT FOR WONG
2-year-old colt Windy City Red, who broke his maiden at Golden Gate Fields on September 5, is bound for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at five and a half furlongs on Friday, November 6. The Florida-bred son of Chitu is trained by Northern California’s leading trainer, Jonathan Wong. According to Wong, Windy City Red has always been well thought of.
“At the OBS Ocala sale in April, [bloodstock agent] Nick Hines told me, ‘Jonathan, there’s a Chitu colt you’ve gotta buy,'” said Wong. “We bid up to $54,000 for him and were lucky enough to get him. Ever since he started training, it was pretty apparent he had talent. He’s always trained like a good horse.”
Windy City Red followed up his maiden win at Golden Gate with a better-than-looked third place finish in the Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita on September 26-a race known as the West Coast prep race for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
“I was really happy with the way he ran in the Speakeasy,” said Wong. “He only lost by about a half-length and galloped out great. Jose Valdivia Jr. [the jockey] said that [Windy City Red] is still learning but once he figures things out, he’s going to be a really nice racehorse.”
There was a combination of factors that Wong determined were good reasons for Windy City Red to travel to the Breeders Cup.
“The winner of the Speakeasy [Amanzi Yimpilo] for [trainer] Wesley Ward is a good filly that’s a major contender in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. We were right there with her,” said Wong. “Our horse is training great and the owners are super excited to have a chance to run in the Breeders Cup. Two of the owners of this horse have never owned a horse before…this is their first horse. It should be a fun experience.”
Wong noted that Windy City Red, based at Santa Anita, will have one more workout on Thursday morning before shipping to the host of the 2020 Breeders Cup, Keeneland Racecourse in Kentucky, on November 1.
“His last work before the race is this Thursday at Santa Anita,” said Wong.
24 two-year-olds pre-entered into the Juvenile Turf Sprint, with Windy City Red listed as the 17th horse on the list. The maximum number of starters for the Juvenile Turf Sprint is 14, which means Windy City Red will need three defections to draw into the main body of the field. That said, the chances of him getting into the race are very high, as four contenders in the Juvenile Turf Sprint have “first preference” in other Breeders Cup races. If all four of those horses decide to run in their respectable first preference races, which is highly likely, then Windy City Red would make it into the main body of the Juvenile Turf Sprint Field.
The pre-entry process for the Breeders Cup is essentially a “stakes nominations” process. Official post positions for all the Breeders Cup races will be drawn on Monday, November 2.
IT’S SOUTHERN VS. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IN THE PIKE PLACE DANCER ON SATURDAY
A mix of Northern California locals and Southern California invaders make for an interesting edition of the Pike Place Dancer Stakes this Saturday afternoon at Golden Gate Fields. The Pike Place Dancer, the first of 10 stakes races at the current Fall meet, is a one-mile turf event for 2-year-old fillies. The Pike Place Dancer goes as the eighth of nine races.
The two headliners: Southern California trained Consternation and local filly I’m So Anna. Consternation, purchased out of her career debut in Ireland by her current connections, comes off a seventh-place finish in the Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita earlier this month. The winner of the Surfer Girl, Madone, is a major contender in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf next week. Two starts ago, Consternation broke her maiden at Santa Anita. Julien Couton rides for trainer Paddy Gallagher, who has been training the daughter of Acclamation at his Santa Anita home base.
I’m So Anna, a California-bred by speedy sprinter Fast Anna, showed she could be effective going a route of ground in her most recent afternoon appearance on October 11. That day, she stalked the pace before losing by a half-length to Southern California shipper and stakes placed colt Tacoflavoredkisses. That effort gave trainer Steve Sherman confidence that his star 2-year-old would fit in the Pike Place Dancer.
“I thought she ran great the other day,” said Sherman. “The colt that beat her is a nice horse and the race set her up well for the Pike Place Dancer.”
Mischief Free, racing in her own backyard for Team Wong, hit the board in her first two career starts sprinting and tries a route of ground for the first time while also making her turf debut. She is by one of the hottest sires in North America, Into Mischief.
“I’ve always thought she would enjoy added distance,” said Wong. “She seems like a mile/mile and a sixteenth type. Obviously, we want to win, but if she can hit the board and earn some black type, that would be great.”
Sweetest Angel, a Candy Ride filly from trainer George Papaprodromou’s stable at Santa Anita, finished fourth in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Fillies Stakes last August before finishing third in her most recent afternoon appearance, a maiden special weight going two-turns at “The Great Race Place.” Although another maiden in the race, she has shown the ability to be competitive against this group.
Recent maiden winner Miss Glorious easily defeated next out winner Back Slider in an October 3 maiden special weight on October 3 and makes her first start against winners in the Pike Place Dancer. Another Southern California-trained filly, Risen Lady, broke her maiden by open lengths against high-level maiden claiming company for trainer Michael McCarthy at Golden Gate and returns to the Bay Area in search of a stakes win. She is one of two fillies in this race that have already won routing two turns on the turf, the other entrant being Consternation.
Momma Mocca is out of a broodmare who has produced a couple of stakes caliber turf routers. Momma Mocca hit the wire first in a maiden race two starts ago but was disqualified that day for interference to another rival. Alas, she remains a maiden heading into the Pike Place Dancer.
New Ways to Dream rounds out the field. The daughter of Midshipman rallied down the lane to run fourth in a well-regarded maiden race two weeks ago. She has breeding to suggest she will enjoy two turns and adds blinkers for trainer Brendan Galvin.
Race 8 on Saturday: the $75,000 Pike Place Dancer Stakes for 2-year-old fillies
One mile on turf (approximate post time: 4:45 PM PT)
#1 Consternation (Jockey Julien Couton, Trainer Paddy Gallagher
#2 I’m So Anna (Frank Alvarado, Steve Sherman)
#3 Mischief Free (Kyle Frey, Jonathan Wong)
#4 Risen Lady (Erick Lopez, Michael McCarthy)
#5 Momma Mocca (Francisco Monroy, Reina Gonzalez)
#6 Sweetest Angel (Evin Roman, George Papaprodromou)
#7 Miss Glorious (William Antongeorgi III, Andrew Lerner)
#8 New Ways to Dream (Irving Orozco, Brendan Galvin)
NO LONGER SILENT TRIES STAKES COMPANY AFTER TRACK RECORDING PERFORMANCE
Top Northern California sprinter No Longer Silent starts in Sunday’s $75,000 El Dorado Shooter Stakes for California-bred or California-sired 3-year-olds and upward. No Longer silent raised eyebrows and dropped jaws in his last start on September 26 when breaking the track record sprinting five and a half furlongs, stopping the clock in 1:01.93 seconds while earning a career high 93 Beyer speed figure for his effort.
“He’s doing great,” said No Longer Silent’s trainer, Jonathan Wong. “He’s really matured physically and mentally since we gave him some time off from December to July. We haven’t trained him too hard because he put up such a big effort in his last start. We’re just keeping him happy and fit at this point. I’m very pleased with how he’s coming into Sunday’s race.”
The El Dorado Shooter, a six-furlong race on Tapeta, was previously known as the Harris Farm Stakes and is now named after the lightning quick sprinter trained by Cliff DeLima in the early 2000’s. El Dorado Shooter earned $558,242 through his six-year career and won eight Northern California stakes races, including the Grade 3 Bay Meadows Breeders Cup Sprint in 2003.
CLAIMS REPORT
Below are a list of claims from last week.
Thursday
Race 1: Rest Easy Two Four (New trainer Dan Markle…New owner Peerenboom-Bowyer Racing Stable LLC)
Race 5: Honeymoonz Over (Blaine Wright…Seamist Racing, Dallas & Michelle Becker & Wright)
Friday
Race 4: Miss You Mom (Reid France…Francis Lagattuta and Reid France)
Saturday
Race 10: Arno’s Mane Man (D. Wayne Baker…Baker, Bergounous, Decamilla and Hansen)
Race 10: Potente Alba (Isidro Tamayo…Johnny Taboada)
Sunday
No Claims
FINISH LINES: Race 6 on Sunday completed the superfecta in numerical order: #1 Exhalting hit the wire first, #2 Doc Adams ran second, #3 Le Majestic finished third and #4 My Father Footstep checked in fourth…Recent Golden Gate Fields allowance winner Tacoflavoredkisses, a 2-year-old colt trained by Simon Callaghan, is up for sale on Wanamakers, a new thoroughbred auction website for racehorses of all ages. Bidding on Tacoflavoredkisses goes live from 8 AM to 5 PM on Thursday, November 5. To view his catalog page and more info, visit Wanamakers.com…Juan Hernandez continues to ride well in Southern California; the 28-year-old journeyman finished second in the Santa Anita Fall Meet jockey standings with 23 wins, four victories shy of leading rider Flavien Prat. Ricky Gonzalez cracked the top five placings, too, finishing fifth in the Santa Anita standings with 10 wins…Jockey Amadeo Perez, a mainstay at Hastings Racecourse in Canada, makes his 2020 Golden Gate Fields debut in Race 5 on Friday aboard Doghouse for trainer Sammy Calvario…$19,862 is carried over into the Golden Pick Six jackpot wager…Race 3 on Friday is Leg E (the final race) of the Stronach 5 wager this week… Happy birthday to trainer Jeff Bonde and racing official Tammy Lynn Mcduffie-Morris, both who celebrate this week.