Here is the March 28th- March 31st weekly recap for Golden Gate Fields.
Thursday:
(Race 5: 1 1/16m 3yo F ALW/OC40k n1x) Blue Diva had previously run 2nd at this level in an Off-The-Turf event back in October. After that, connections wanted to use her conditions and put her in 3 Starter Allowance races– she crossed the wire 1st 2 times (but got disqualified and placed 6th in 1 of them) and had a close 3rd. Those seemed to give her a lot of confidence and showed that she was progressing. The daughter of Bluegrass Cat sat patiently early under Abel Cedillo. Once she swung to the outside at the top of the stretch, she unleashed a furious rally and drew off to a strong 3 length win. Trainer Steve Sherman has done a great job with her so far and she will have options moving forward once the turf course opens up again. Creative Romance ran a strong 2nd in her first career route. And the favorite Oh My Oh finished 3rd. The final time was 1:46.19.
(Race 6: 6f 3yo MSW) It took him 9 starts, but Alleva was finally able to get the job done and claim his first victory. The 3yo colt by Goldencents had run some competitive races down south and was the one to beat on paper. He broke alertly from the 2 hole and never looked back. Abel Cedillo kept him on a comfortable lead the whole way and saved enough in the tank for the stretch drive. He went on to score by 3 lengths for trainer Doug O’Neill. This is definitely a versatile horse, as he has hit the board in sprints, routes, and on dirt, turf, and synthetics. Running a nice 2nd was the debut runner Koa– he was a 725k 2yo in training purchase for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. 3rd place went to the late-running Dub Town. The final time for this sprint was 1:11.18.
Jockeys: Abel Cedillo and Silvio Amador both scored 2 wins on the 7-race card.
Trainers: All 7 races were won by different trainers.
Full Results/Charts for Thursday: http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/GG032819USA.pdf
Friday:
(Race 6: 1m 3yo ALW/OC4ok n1x) The stylish debut winner Visitant was taking a big step-up in class and routing for the first time today. He was facing a tough field of 7 and was sent off as the 7/2 2nd choice. Prior to his debut win, trainer William Morey said in an interview on TVG that he can’t wait for Visitant to go long, and that he has a really big stride. As the gates opened, Visitant was not super keen to go on with it, and sat patiently under William Antongeorgi. The son of Ghostzapper sat in 5th on the backstretch. He was under a hard ride to get going on the turn, but once he was asked, he responded. Visitant showed a strong kick in the lane to grab the lead at the 1/16th pole and went on to win by 1 length. He is improving nicely and I would imagine he will continue to progress through his conditions. The other Morey trainee in the race was Our Silver Oak, and he had a very rough trip. The blinkers came off for this run, and he made a huge eye-catching move up the rail. However, the hole closed up and forced him to steady hard. Our Silver Oak to settle for a hard-luck 3rd today. 2nd place went to the late running Rey Coliman. The final time for this race was 1:38.60.
(Race 7: 1m 3yoUp F&M ALW n1x) Renny’s Lady was coming off a distant 6th place effort last time out, but was able to turn the tables today against Gettin Sideways. The daughter of Excelebration was outrun early and found herself sitting in last in this field of 6. She began to make some progress on the turn and unleashed a strong kick to get up on the wire by a neck– it was a perfectly timed ride by Irving Orozco. I sound like a broken record typing this, but yes, trainer Manuel Badilla won a nice race with yet another European import. The favorite Gettin Sideways was narrowly defeated in 2nd. Pace-setting Miss Super Saint was able to hold on for 3rd. The final time for this race was 1:38.04.
Jockeys: It was a competitive day, as all 8 races on the program were won by different jockeys.
Trainers: Just like the jockeys, all 8 races were won by different trainers.
Full Results/Charts for Friday: http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/GG032919USA.pdf
Saturday:
(Race 6: 1m 3yoUp ALW/OC62k n2x) Coming out of a solid 2nd behind local talent Mugaritz, Choo Choo was looking to get back to his winning ways. The public saw his strong form lines, and bet him down from a 9/2ml to 2/1. The son of English Channel sat a stalking trip on the inside under Irving Orozco. Orozco was able to shift him out from the rail at the top of the stretch and ran on strongly to score by 2 1/2 lengths. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee now has 2 wins and a 2nd from 4 starts over the tapeta, and has definitely seemed to have regained his form since shipping back up from Southern California. There are going to be some options for him on the main track and turf moving forward. Respect the Hustle and More Power to Him ran 2nd and 3rd respectively. The final time for the mile was 1:37.93.
(Race 7: 6f 3yo F CA MSW) The first time starter Queen Helene was able to get the job done against a solid state-bred maiden field. The 3yo daughter of Unionize was coming into the race off of a best of 75 5f bullet in 1:00.00. Also, trainer Jamey Thomas is very capable with first-time-starters and can get them cranked up. She would be sent off as the 7/2 3rd choice. Alejandro Gomez got her in a nice stalking position on the outside and was able to get her to relax a bit. Once asked on the turn, she responded very well, and went on to win by an easy 1 3/4 lengths going away. While there is not a ton of pedigree on the top side, there is some stamina on the dam side. Plus, she is a half to few decent runners. 2nd went to Check Out, and 3rd went to Rebalation. The final time was 1:10.36.
Jockeys: Irving Orozco, William Antongeorgi, and Frank Alvarado all won a pair of races on Saturday’s program.
Trainers: Victor Trujillo took races 2 and 4 on the card.
Full Results/Charts for Saturday: http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/GG033019USA.pdf
Sunday:
(Race 6: 6f 3yoUp CLM 25k) The 6th race today was filled with a lot of hard-knocking older horses. It was a very competitive 25k claimer. There was quite a bit of pace on paper, and it played out that way (1/4 in 22.22, 1/2 in 45.30). Midnight Destiny sat in last and rallied on very strongly to win by 1/2 a length. This was another first off the claim win for leading trainer Jonathan Wong. The 7yo gelding now has 12 wins from 50 starts. Finishing well for 2nd was Awesome Silver, and Speed Saver rallied on for 3rd. The final time was 1:09.72.
(Race 7: 6f 3yoUp MSW) Exhortation was making his 2nd career start today and he was coming off of a 6 month layoff. He did not show much at all in the debut run, but maybe something went amiss, which would explain the layoff. The 4yo Lucky Pulpit colt sat patiently on the inside and was well off the early lead that was set by Klay Nation. Silvio Amador made a strong move on the tun in-hand and just needed to point Exhortation in the right direction in the stretch. He swallowed up ground quickly and went on to romp by 5 lengths for trainer Gloria Haley. Today’s performance was very strong and he looks like a horse with some potential. 2nd went to Union Leader, and 3rd went to Dynamic Duo. The final time was 1:10.48.
(Race 10: 6f 3yo CAL MSW) It was great to see Leadville finally enter the winner’s circle. He was coming off a nice 2nd place effort and was making his 2nd start of the year today. In his prior 7 starts he had 2 2nds and 2 3rds, including a stakes-placing. Today, he was able to rally on the outside in the stretch and grind away to hold off the late closers. There was a lot of bumping in the stretch between Leadville and Our Bold Prince, but the stewards would ultimately rule no change. Leadville is trained by Felix Rondan and was ridden by Catalino Martinez. Starring John Wain finished 2nd, and Our Bold Prince was a troubled 3rd. The final time was 1:11.10.
Jockeys: Irving Orozco, Catalino Martinez, William Antongeorgi, and Cristobal Herrera all had strong 2 win days.
- Cedillo *85* 2. Hernandez *63* 3. Martinez *47*
Trainers: Victor Trujillo kept things rolling, as he won races 4 and 8.
- Wong *58* 2. Hollendorfer *23* 3. Trujillo *21*
Live racing resumes Thursday with a 7-race card. First post is at 12:45pm. It looks like turf racing is scheduled to return on April 12th. The next condition book can be found here http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=CB-GG-20190412-20190428D
Full Results/Charts for Sunday: http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/GG033119USA.pdf
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