Once Gold Rush Weekend was announced, it immediately put a smile on my face, as I knew top class racing was coming to Golden Gate Fields for a huge stakes-filled weekend. I was fortunate enough to attend the races on Saturday, and it did not disappoint. A big crowd was on hand, and racing fans from all over made their way to Golden Gate Fields. 25 races was a lot for 2 days, but it gave horse players many different options to wager on. All of the stakes action was a great change of pace, because we had been so accustomed to just seeing 1 stake on the previous big days. Horse players showed the move to this “stacked” weekend was a good one, as a total of $12, 606,831 was handled over the 2 days. I am excited to hear that Gold Rush Weekend is going to return next year, and it is only going to get better!
After watching the replays from Saturday, it became pretty apparent that the main track was favoring speed and the rail. Also, the turf course seemed to favor the inside. It is going to be interesting to see how these horses run back. Definitely something to note.
Sold It came into the 75k California Oaks as the big favorite for trainer Doug O’Neill, and at short odds, she did not disappoint. Rafael Bejarano gave her an aggressive ride and it fit her perfectly. He sent this daughter of The Factor to the lead and never looked back. Coming into the race it looked like the distance could be in question, but this time, she showed plenty of finish in the lane. Runner-up went to Creative Romance, who sat second for most of the race but could just never cut into Sold It’s margin. Long shot Karsavina rallied on for 3rd. The final time was 1:44.78 for the 1 1/16m California Oaks. Sold It earned a 74 Beyer Speed Figure for her win.
The 75k Golden Poppy Stakes was dominated by the 2 favorites. Making her first start in North America, Simply Breathless was able to get the job done. This daughter of Bated Breathe had strong European form, and her numbers keep continuing to improve– it makes her a very intriguing horse to watch going forward. She sat on the inside in 4th, and then shifted out 3 wide in the stretch and kicked on strongly to get up for the win. She moved over the turf course beautifully and responded well when asked. She won by 1 length over Zaffinah. It was a ways back to long shot Tizno’s Dilemma in 3rd. The final time was 1:43.48 for 1 1/16m race. Simply Breathless is trained by Neil Drysdale and ridden by Flavien Prat. She earned an 86 Beyer Speed figure for her win.
The next stake is named after one of the best sprinters from this century, and a Northern California legend. The Lost in the Fog Stakes was run at 6f on the main track and contained the top sprinters in Northern California. Even-money favorite Anyportinastorm lived up to the hype by winning stylishly for trainer Blaine Wright. The son of City Zip rated off the pace perfectly on the outside under Juan Hernandez. He showed another gear in the stretch to win by 3 1/2 lengths going away. To me, this was the most impressive performance from Gold Rush Weekend (especially considering the bias). Long shot Algenon was on the lead early and held for 2nd. 3rd went to Sequentially who closed from the back of the pack. The final time was a swift 1:08.80. Anyportinastorm earned a career-high 94 Beyer Speed Figure.
The 100k California Derby had a lot of familiar faces. The favorite Kingly was ultimately able to hold on gamely in the stretch to get his first stakes win. The Bob Baffert trained son of Tapit sat in second behind pace-setting Erlich, and was able to take over the lead in the stretch– he kept going on the rail. I can definitely see him maturing, as he appeared to be much more professional in this race. Also, not to go unnoticed, this marked the 3rd win in the last 4 California Derbies for jockey Mario Gutierrez. Visitant closed valiantly in the stretch, but just couldn’t find enough to get past Kingly. He showed he could hang at this level and he is going to be an interesting horse to follow over the summer as he is still lightly-raced. More Ice stayed on well on the inside to get up for 3rd. The final time was a fast 142.73. Kingly earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for his win.
The Gold Rush Weekend headliner was the G3 250k San Francisco Mile, and it was won by SoCal invader Blitzkrieg. He sat a beautiful trip behind the leader under Rafael Bejarano, and they were able to open up a sizable lead in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. This son of War Front has proven to be quite the claim! He was claimed for 25k 3 starts ago by Doug O’Neill, and he parlayed his win that day into 3 straight wins for the new connections. Assistant trainer Leandro Mora said the addition of a shadow roll has helped focus the 4yo gelding (per DRF.com) Also, he was very relaxed in the paddock, and I am not sure if the prior connections put ear plugs in, but those seemed to have calmed him down too (you can see them in the picture below). Blitzkrieg is a great story, and it is going to be interesting to see if he can continue his hot streak. The favorite River Boyne rallied on the outside strongly for 2nd, but he just wasn’t able to find his best stride till late– the turf course definitely wasn’t playing to his favor. Long shot Choo Choo ran huge for 3rd at 44/1. The final time was 1:35.56 and Blitzkrieg earned a career-high 99 Beyer Speed Figure.
Rounding out the stakes action of Saturday was the Camilla Urso Stakes. This 5f turf dash was for fillies and mares 4yo and up. The favorite S Y Sky had shown speed in the past and had run well sprinting on the dirt and sprinting down the hill at Santa Anita. However, she had never run 5f on the grass before. She would put all doubt to rest, as she was able to win by a comfortable 3 1/2 lengths. Flavien Prat rated her beautifully behind the pace, and when he pushed the button to go, she accelerated effortlessly. Trainer Phil D’Amato did a great job getting her ready for today’s effort. Ima Happy Cat ran well in her turf debut for 2nd, and 44/1 long shot Claudia Mae closed in for 3rd. The speedy 2nd choice was Go On Mary, but she unfortunately lost all chance at the start as she could not get away from the gate quickly. The final time was 56.48 and S Y Sky earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.
Moving onto Sunday, the first of 2 stakes was the Campanile for 3yo calbred fillies. They were going a mile on the grass, and it attracted a field of 10. Kitty Boom Boom got an aggressive ride from Geovanni Franco and pounced on the lead early from sitting in the 2nd position. The daughter of Tizbud basically put this field away at the top of the stretch and she cruised to an easy 4 length victory. Trainer Richard Baltas did a great job having this lightly raced filly ready in just her 4th lifetime start. Hollywood Hills rallied on strongly to get up for 2nd, while Apache Princess got 3rd. The final time was 1:36.81.
The stakes finale on Gold Rush Weekend was the Silky Sullivan Stakes. 10 calbred colts and geldings lined up for this mile race on the turf. This year’s Silky Sullivan was a thriller, as it ended with 3 horses on the wire! Irish Heatwave got a comfortable trip under Irving Orozco sitting in 2nd, and then moved up the rail to take the lead towards the top of the stretch. The favorite was Lieutenant Dan, and he showed some late energy by charging towards the wire late in his turf debut. Northern California hopeful Our Silver Oak was under some urging on the turn and seemed to be losing a lot of ground from a stalking position. Then, all of a sudden, he was able to find another gear and closed with a lot of determination on the outside. In the end, Irish Heatwave’s number was posted in first– he got a great bob on the line. Our Silver Oak and Lieutenant Dan ran 2nd and 3rd respectively. Irish Heatwave is by Unusual Heat, and is trained by Keith Desormeaux. The final time was 1:36.60.
Jockeys:
- Cedillo *96* 2. Hernandez *83* 3. Martinez *56*
Trainers:
- Wong *70* 2. Hollendorfer *29* 3. Trujillo *25*
Live racing resumes Thursday with a 7-race card. First post is at 12:45pm.
NorCal Horse Racing News 