I was there on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields for the anticipated debut of A.P. Pharoah. I believe he was the 1st Northern California runner from Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The hype and buzz on A.P. Pharoah was strong as the public sent him off as the 1/2 favorite in this 1m turf race. He had 3 bullet 6f workouts on the form coming into this race and was also the stablemate to Breeders Cup Juvenile runner-up Anneau d’Or, who his trainer Blaine Wright ran in a similar maiden race just a few months back. He broke ok and it was clear that Juan Hernandez wanted to put him into the race early. Unfortunately for him, Malakai Moxie hooked him from when they rounded the first turn and there was a duel up the entire backstretch. Those 2 would duke it out the whole way, and into the stretch it looked for a second like A.P. Pharoah would pull away. However, he ended up getting tired in the last 1/16th and faded to 4th. The hot fractions of 23.19 and 47.85 along with a duel up front really set things up– the horses that sat 2nd to last and last ended up finishing 1-2 respectively. Being in a speed duel, especially on the inside of one, is tough to overcome and forces you to expend a lot of energy. I think he would have had every shot to win if he switched posts with Malakai Moxie because he would have been able to relax just outside the speed. A.P Pharoah should have gained plenty of experience from this start and should benefit him in the future. I am by no means saying he is going to be as good as American Pharaoh, but it is something to note that even he did not win on his debut.
In the paddock prior to the race, I got to take a look at him, and wow was I impressed. He is a big/strong colt and looked like he had a long stride to him. You could tell that he had a lot of class to him. There was a brief moment where he acted up a little and kicked the paddock stall, but he is still just a 2yo and will mature as he gets more experience. American Pharoah progeny have had a lot of success on turf thus far, but it didn’t seem to me like turf was a surface that he particularly cared for. The dam side (A.P. Indy) of the pedigree seems all dirt and long distances. Also, A.P. Pharoah is a half brother to G1 winner Moreno, and the 2nd dam was a Queens Plate winner. It seemed that distance was more of an importance than surface for this debut run. I think there is a lot of upside with him and hopefully there is a 2-turn spot for him at the end of next month.
Here are 2 horses from last week to add to the ‘Horses to Watch’ list
‘Horses to Watch’ highlights horses that should be followed for potential wagering options in the future. Virtual stables or stable mail are good tools to help you follow along.
Miss Ryleigh (Nov 22: Race 3) Broke a tad slow from the 2 post and was outpaced early. She found herself in last and had to be a good 8-lengths behind the leaders. While she did get a setup, she did run on very strongly late to just get up for 2nd. Finished 1 3/4 lengths behind a really nice 2yo filly in Dynasty of Her Own. We’ve seen trainer William Delia have success with Boat Trip progeny already as Bettor Trip Nick won the Golden Nugget Stakes.
Egyptian Goddess (Nov 23: Race 4) Stumbled out of the gate and horse to her inside veered out a bit from the start, so was forced to drop back to last. Was 7 plus lengths behind a loose even-money favorite that set fractions of 23.19 and 48.57. Rallied on well in the stretch to grab 3rd and galloped out well. Seems like she’s progressed well at 2 -turns, it is just her form has been muddied up a bit. If she can break cleanly and get into the race earlier she will have every chance next time out.
Update:
- Strong group of 9 2yo fillies line up in Friday’s 50k Golden Gate Debutante. Preview will be up tomorrow or Thursday.
- Mugaritz headlines a group of 18 nominations for Saturday’s G3 Berkeley Handicap. Field will be drawn Wednesday and a preview will be up Thursday or Friday.
- Graded Stakes Winner and Golden Gate Fields track record holder, Keeper ofthe Stars runs in the G3 Red Carpet Handicap on Saturday at Del Mar for trainer Jonathan Wong. She is coming off 3 consecutive bullet workouts.
- On 11/23, Breeders Cup Juvenile runner-up Anneau d’Or worked 5f in 1:00.20 in preparation for the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity on December 7th.
- Jockey Juan Hernandez had an impressive 8-win weekend– he took down 5 races on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. He currently holds a 13-win lead in the jockey standings.
- Jonathan Wong holds a 4-win lead over Isidro Tamayo in the trainer standings.
- Nominations for the 75k Gold Rush Stakes close on Thursday (Nov. 28th)
- Racing resumes Thursday with an 8-race Thanksgiving Day program. 1st post is 11:15am https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=ONSC-GG-20191128D
- Entries for Friday’s card. Headlined by the 50k Golden Gate Debutante https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=ONSC-GG-20191129D
NorCal Horse Racing News 