The 100k G3 All American has been a Memorial Day Monday staple at Golden Gate Fields over the last few years, and this year’s addition looked very competitive on paper (6 of the 8 horses were 10/1 or lower). As the gates opened, Many Roses was sent hard for the lead and he assumed his usual pace-setting roll. Fractions of 23.43 and 47.48 were set, and the real running did not begin till the field hit the far turn. Gabo’s Macondo took over the lead from 2nd under a comfortable hold, while Grecian Fire was making a move from 3rd on the rail. William Antongeorgi wheeled the 5yo son of Unusual Heat out to the 3 path in the stretch, and once he was asked, he took off from the others– it was a fantastic ground-saving trip. Builder rallied on strongly from the back for 2nd, but was no match for the winner. Sprint Stakes winner Touched by Autism stayed on for 3rd after a 3 to 4 wide trip from the 8-post. SoCal shipper Red King rounded out the superfecta after not taking particularly well to the tapeta surface. The final time for the 1m G3 was 1:36.49. Grecian Fire is a 5yo gelding by Unusual Heat out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Maddie’s Odyssey. He is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and owned by KMN Racing LLC. Also, he is a 1/2 brother to 3yo stakes winner Sneaking Out (Both Grecian Fire and Sneaking Out have a 2yo 1/2 sister by Fast Anna that has been working out at Golden Gate Fields– her name is Been Studying Her).
The versatility of Grecian Fire gives him plenty of options going forward. Not only does he hold wins over dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces, but he also is a calbred. I could see him going down south to Del Mar again this summer, but if not, there are some options on the fair circuit. I would imagine we will see a few of the runners in this race pop up in both the Oak Tree Sprint at Pleasanton, and the Joseph T. Grace Handicap at Santa Rosa.
The winter/spring meet has flown by, and we are now approaching the final 2 weeks. There are usually strong cards at the end of the meet, so I am looking forward to the racing. The final stakes race of the meet is the 50k Albany Stakes on June 8th.
Jockeys:
- Cedillo *120* 2. Hernandez *102* T-3. Antongeorgi, Martinez *68*
Trainers:
- Wong *82* 2. Hollendorfer *38* 3. Martin *33*
The blog is going back to its usual schedule, so look out for the weekly recaps.
Live racing resumes Friday with an 8-race card. First post is 12:45pm.
NorCal Horse Racing News 