It was a rainy afternoon at Golden Gate Fields throughout their 8-race card. Since there is a lot of rain this time of year, it was announced today that the turf course will be given a break until late March.

When trainer Jonathan Wong claims a horse, they’re usually going to be tough to beat next out (Wong is a strong 27% first off the claim)– this was the case today as Dano’s Dream took race 6. Claimed for 25k last time out, he moved up in class and won against 32k open claimers going 1 1/16m on the tapeta. Jockey Abel Cedillo gave him a great ride from post 1, as he was able to wheel him into a clear spot on the outside. Once in the stretch, he dug down very gamely to take the race over Secreto Primero. Finishing well on the rail for 3rd was Squidward. Dano’s Dream took a nice step forward off his last run, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to trend forward with his new barn.

Race 5 on the card was the final leg of the Stronach 5 wager, and it was taken by the Tim McCanna trained Gray Gem. The winning combination was 4/1/5,7,10/3/6 and it paid $3864.50 for $1.

Jockeys: Abel Cedillo grabbed 2 wins on the card to vault into a share of 1st in the jockey standings.

T-1. Cedillo, Hernandez *17* T-3. Alvarado, Gomez, Amador, Orozco *6*

Trainers: Jonathan Wong jumped into a share of the lead for the training title after winning today’s 6th.

T-1. Wong, Wright *7* T-3. Delia, Hollendorfer *6*

Live racing resumes tomorrow with a 9-race program. First post is at 12:45pm.

Today’ s 7-race card felt like a 10 race card, as there were multiple fog delays throughout the day. Luckily the patience of everyone payed off and they were able to fit the whole card in.

Midwest training powerhouse, Larry Rivelli, has stationed a barn of 17 horses on the west coast at Golden Gate Fields for the Winter/Spring meet. Rivelli has been the leading trainer at Arlington Park for many years, and his success over that synthetic track makes the move to Golden Gate Fields a bit easier. Also, his top rider Jose Valdivia Jr came into town to ride both of his entries on the card. They’ve teamed up to win over 35% of their last 139 mounts together.

It would not take long for Rivelli to find the winner’s circle at Golden Gate, as he won with his first entry of the meet. Dom the Bomb was the 7/5 favorite in a 5.5f $4000 Starter Allowance, and took them all the way to win. Then, 30 minutes later, Rivelli and Valdivia Jr combined for another win. They took a 6f open allowance race that had some quality runners in it. Win machine, Richiesinthehouse, went to the lead and took some pressure from Sunset Dragunn– he would eventually put him away and go on to take a 2 1/2 length length victory. This son of Sydney’s Candy returned off a 4 month layoff to win his 8th race in 11 starts. Runner up in the race was stakes winner Touched by Autism– he ran a nice race after not having the most comfortable trip from the rail. 3rd place went to the late running Rye. He could be a horse to look for next time going 2-turns. This seemed like a spot to get a race under him– he had a very strong gallop out after the wire too.

Jockeys: Valdivia jumped into the standings with 2 wins, and he is slated to ride more horses for Rivelli over the weekend. Not sure if he will be getting enough mounts to contend for the riding title, or if he will even be riding full time at Golden Gate this meet, but he is definitely a talented rider to keep an eye on. Abel Cedillo won the nightcap, which pulls him within 1 of the leader, Juan Hernandez.

1. Hernandez *16* 2. Cedillo *15* T-3. Gomez, Amador, Orozco *6*

Trainers: Rivelli started the meet off strong with 2 wins. Blaine Wright jumped into the outride lead after taking the opener with longshot Pattyville.

1. Wright *7* T-2. Wong, Delia, Hollendorfer *6*

Racing resumes tomorrow with a 8-race card. 1st post is 12:45pm.

‘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.

There are only 3 horses on this week’s ‘Horses to Watch’. Last week only had 3 race days and there was a lot of rain throughout the weekend. One thing to take note of is that it looked like the inside played strongly on Sunday’s card.

Park Hill Diamond (Jan 4th: Race 7)- Closed into a loose leader from well back in a 5f turf sprint. Speed was also very strong on the turf as the rails were out 20 feet. We probably won’t be able to see him in a turf sprint anytime soon, but he is definitely one to pay attention to at this level next time. Can route, but best ability seems to be sprinting.

Babe Didrikson (Jan 5th: Race 9)- Broke slow from the gate and fell very far back. It is very tough to overcome a slow break from the inside at Golden Gate Fields sprinting, especially with a large field– they come in quickly from the outside. She was towards the rear of the field and didn’t have a ton of room till late on the turn. The pace was slow up front and it was going to be difficult to make up ground. She made a nice sustained run in the stretch and had a huge gallop out. She has broken slow in both starts, but has some talent. Her runs in the stretch and her pedigree suggest she will appreciate added ground. Has some ability, just needs to get away from the gate cleanly. Won’t be a maiden for much longer at this level.

Double Tiger (Jan 6th: Race 7)- Sat a good 5 lengths off the lead, and was about 4-5 wide on the backstretch and turn. In the stretch, he was beginning to run on pretty well in the 6 path, until the horses on his inside came out on him, forcing him to check hard. It was a rough trip running into a strong headwind in the driving rain. The inside also seemed to be playing very strong on Sunday. He was up against it considering the trip and an apparent inside bias. He has shown some ability in prior runs. Should have a good shot to win next time. 

Today’s card at Golden Gate Fields was filled with heavy rain and strong winds. All turf races were put on the main track, and I’d imagine we won’t be seeing turf racing for a while as there is a lot more rain in the forecast. Race 7 on the card was a Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-old Cal-breds going 6f. As the gates opened, the William Morey trainee In Cahoots broke like a rocket and shot to the lead. He led them around the turn and jockey Abel Cedillo had plenty left in the tank for the stretch run– they went on to win by a comfortable 2 lengths. There were a lot of horses wandering in the stretch, as they were running into a strong headwind. He won at odds of 7/1 and ran the 6f in 1:11.53. In Cahoots is by Tizbud, and is a home-bred for owner Ron Watchorn.

Golden Gate Debutante winner Tomlin made her Graded Stakes debut in the G2 Santa Ynez at Santa Anita. She was coming into the race in good form and ran a very nice 3rd behind multiple G1 winner Bellafina. This daughter of Distorted Humor continues to progress nicely for trainer Steve Specht. She is now 6:3-0-2 with earnings of $95,820.

While there were only 3 race days this week, there will still be a ‘Horses to Watch’ dropping on Wednesday. The feedback from the first one was very good and I look forward to continuing this weekly series.

Jockeys: Silvio Amador had a huge day as he bagged 3 winners– all aboard nice prices. He brought home horses at odds of (Race 4) 7/1, (Race 5) 11/1, and (Race 9) 12/1. Alejandro Gomez also had a good day taking 2 races.

1. Hernandez *16* 2. Cedillo *14* T-3. Gomez, Amador, Orozco *6*

Trainers: Like yesterday, all 9 races today were won by different trainers. After winning today’s 3rd race, Jonathan Wong hopped into a share of the lead– there is now a 4-way tie atop the trainer standings.

T-1. Wong, Wright, Delia, Hollendorfer *6*

There continues to be rain in the forecast throughout most of next week. Racing resumes on Thursday with a 7-race card– 1st post is set for 12:45pm.

Race 8 on the card was scheduled to be a 5f turf sprint, but with rain in the forecast, it had to be moved to the main track. This was a 5f 2nd condition 62k optional claimer for older fillies and mares. Vronilla Parfait got a nice trip on the inside sitting off of the pace– once jockey Frank Alvarado saw an opening, she exploded home. Trainer Sergio Ledezma has this 6yo daughter of Vronsky in the best form of her career, as she won this race coming off of a 2nd in the Bear Fan Stakes. Pace-setter Spring Heat was able to hold on in the stretch for 2nd. Shasta Star rallied home late to hit the board and gave Ledezma 2 of the top 3 finishers.

Some notable results on the card: 3 year old filly, Gorgeous in Grey, took them all the way in race 4 (Starter Allowance) for trainer Ed Moger. Uber Star was able to win Race 6 on the class drop for William Morey and leading jockey Juan Hernandez. In race 9, Oh My Oh got up in time to win a Cal-bred Maiden Special Weight for trainer Quinn Howey.

Jockeys: 4 jockeys were able to win 2 races each on this 9 race program– they were Juan Hernandez, Abel Cedillo, Frank Alvarado and Kevin Orozco.

1. Hernandez *16* 2. Cedillo *13* 3. Orozco *6*

Trainers: The trainer results from today were the exact opposite of the jockeys’, as all 9 races were won by different trainers. After winning race 2, Jerry Hollendorfer jumped into a three-way-tie atop the trainer standings.

T-1. Wright, Delia, Hollendorfer *6*

Racing resumes tomorrow with a 9 race Dollar Day card– first post is at 12:45pm.

Back on the ‘Winter/Spring Meet Preview’ we pointed out that Anothertwistafate was a horse to keep an eye on– and after Friday’s allowance win, he looks to have a big future. He was sent from the gate by jockey Juan Hernandez and never looked back as he covered the mile in 1:38.57 over the main track. While he does not seem to be a need-the-lead type, his high cruising speed is a very dangerous weapon. Today’s field was not the greatest, but Anothertwistafate did it easily and galloped out past the wire like a freight train. This son of Scat Daddy adds to the depth of the Blaine Wright barn, as he also trains graded stakes winning stablemate, Alert Bay. The El Camino Real Derby on February 16th is a very logical next spot for him.

Anothertwistafate was sold for $360,000 at the OBS June sale to owner Peter Redekop. While he did have a nice sales work, his pedigree really jumped off the page. His sire, the late Scat Daddy, has been one of the top sires in the US and has had progeny run well on all 3 surfaces. While his dam never broke her maiden in 4 career starts, she is a 1/2 sister to multiple G1 winner and 2003 French Oaks winner, Nebraska Tornado. There is a lot of stamina on the bottom half of the pedigree and judging off how he galloped out today, the longer distances should be to his advantage. His pedigree suggests he will really love the grass, but he should have no problem with any surface as long as it over a route of ground.

Also there were a few notables on today’s card. In race 3, Bay Muzik took them all the way in a 5f turf Allowance– the Ari Herbertson trainee has now won 3 races in a row. Shadrack, who ran a good 2nd to Anothertwistafate in his last race, was able to break his maiden over the turf course in race 5.

Jockeys: Juan Hernandez was able to expand his lead in the standings by 1. All 8 races today were won by different jockeys.

1. Hernandez *14* 2. Cedillo *11* T-3. 6-WAY TIE *4*

Trainers: Blaine Wright was able to climb into a share of the lead with William Delia. Like the jockeys, all 8 races today were won by different trainers.

1. Wright, Delia *6* T-3. Wong, Hollendorfer *5*

Racing resumes tomorrow with a 9 race card starting at 12:45pm.

‘Horses to Watch’ will be highlighting 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.

Mayor Cobb (Dec 28: Race 7) While he did fail as the 3/5 favorite, he still had a big excuse and is one to look out for next time. He got boxed in throughout the backstretch and fell a good 6-7 lengths behind a glacial pace of 50.66 for the 1/2 and 1:15.25 for 3/4s. He leveled off very nicely in the stretch after finding room to run– his final 2f were clocked in 23.66 seconds.

The Code Is Gray (Dec 28: Race 9) After showing nothing in the career debut at Fresno, The Code Is Gray was gelded and came back to run a huge 2nd at odds of 115/1. He missed the break and was very green on the backstretch before making a huge move on the turn. He had no room to run until just before the 1/8th poll and finished up well. Definitely has some ability at the maiden claiming level and is clearly progressing. It appears the move to make him a gelding was a smart one, he just needs to get his head on straight to show his potential.

Sarni (Dec 30: Race 9) He ran a very nice debut and showed some promise for trainer Jose Bautista. Sarni broke alertly and showed some speed early. He sat just off a speed duel in the 3rd position, made his move on the turn to grab the lead in the stretch, and got ran down to lose by 1/2 a length. While he has shown ability to run well sprinting on tapeta, he is going to really excel on the turf. His pedigree suggests that he is going to love the lawn. His sire Gio Ponti was a G1 winner on grass, and his dam was a 2-time winner on grass. Also, he is a half brother to stakes winning turf router, Tortosa. Unfortunately I don’t think the condition book is going to very generous to him over the next 2-3 months as the turf course is going to get a break, but he has shown enough talent to win on the main track. Sarni could follow his brother’s footsteps if he were to win the Alcatraz stakes at the end of the meet.

Boot Scootin Kid (Jan 1: Race 6) Dropped back to last and sat on the rail until the turn, where she made an eye-catching move. Unfortunately she had absolutely no room to run from the 3/8th pole to the wire. If she can get a clear trip at this level next time, she will have a huge shot to win.

Palermo Style (Jan 1: Race 7) Palermo Style had quite the interesting race. He got away from the gate a bit slow and was a bit outpaced on the backstretch. He made a nice move on the turn under a hold and unfortunately ran into trouble in the stretch– he was boxed in and had to check at the 1/8th pole. Once he found room, he finished up nicely for 5th. Palermo Style has the pedigree to improve with stretching out to 2-turns. His Kentucky Derby winning sire Animal Kingdom was a great synthetic horse (won G1 Dubai World Cup, G3 Spiral) and turf horse (2nd in Breeders Cup Mile). His dam was a stakes winner routing on the synthetic, and she ran 3rd in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. There is definitely ability here and 2 turns could allow him to sit a more comfortable trip. Definitely one to look out for next time sprinting and especially going long.

Golden Gate Fields started 2019 with a competitive 10 race card. The feature was Race 9 and it was an Allowance on the turf at 1 1/16m for 4 year olds and up. It was won wire-to-wire by the William Morey trainee, Southern Thunder. There did not appear to be much speed on paper, so jockey Franklin Ceballos decided to send. He got a clear lead, and the others behind figured Southern Thunder would come back to them because of his price– that was the worst thing they could have done. Ceballos who is new to the Golden Gate Fields jockey colony (after having arrived from Southern California), rattled off an opening half mile in 48.28. He saved a lot in the tank for the stretch and kicked home to win comfortably at odds of 15/1. This 5yo son of Southern Image is now 4 for 16 lifetime with earnings of $87,446. 2nd place went to Buckstopper Kit, who found a bit of trouble on the turn before running on solidly. 3rd place went to Aigle who stalked the pace and hugged the rail throughout.

A few horses today had some rough trips, and they will be highlighted on the ‘Week 1 Horses to Watch List’. The Horses to Watch lists are going to cover horses that should be added to your virtual stable for next time they run. The first list will be dropping on Thursday.

Jockeys: Juan Hernandez capped off an incredible opening week with 3 more wins on today’s program– he now has 13 wins from 38 starts. Also jockey Catalino Martinez had a strong showing today with 2 wins from 5 mounts.

1. Hernandez *13* 2. Cedillo *11* T-3. Ocasio, Martinez *4*

Trainers: Jerry Hollendorfer won the opener and the nightcap to move into a share of 2nd in the trainer standings. William Delia has jumped into the outright lead after taking race 4 on the card.

1. Delia *6* T-2. Wong, Wright, Hollendorfer *5*

Live racing resumes on Friday with a solid 8 race card and a first post of 12:45pm. Impressive maiden winner Anothertwistafate returns in a 2-turn allowance. Also, stakes winners Respect the Hustle and Annie’s Candy square off in a challenging turf sprint.

Last seen running 5th in the G3 Spiral Stakes, Mugaritz was able to make a successful return as he won a competitive 50k Starter Allowance on the turf. It was his first start in 9 months, and his first ever try on turf. Ever since joining the Jonathan Wong barn, Mugaritz has turned into a completely different horse. Climbing his way up through the ranks, he has gone from a maiden claiming win, to running in Kentucky Derby preps. His 2018 campaign included an Allowance win, a stakes placing in the California Derby, a 4th in the El Camino Real Derby, and a 5th in the G3 Spiral Stakes. Coming off the long break, this son of Dialed In had posted a steady tab of fast 5f and 6f drills. Today he sat a trip on the inside behind the leader and slid through an opening up the rail under Abel Cedillo. He looked loaded the whole way and was able to dig in gamely to get the win. Today showed that he doesn’t need the lead to be successful and can run on grass. There will be a lot of spots for him to run in 2019 and he is going to be a cool horse to follow.

In the final race of the day and the final race of 2018 at Golden Gate Fields, jockey Frank Alvarado was able to get career win 3500. He has been riding at a top level on the NorCal circuit for many years, and it was great to see him hit this milestone. He won the 9th race aboard longshot Sweetly Spoken.

Jockeys: Abel Cedillo had another big day as he took 3 wins to grab a share of first in the jockey standings. Also, Luis Ocasio had 2 wins to jump into 3rd place.

T-1. Hernandez, Cedillo *10* 3. Ocasio *4*

Trainers: Along with having the exacta in race 8, Jonathan Wong also won race 4 with a track record setting performance by Unusually Green. Delia and Wright kept their hot hands going and each took 1 race on today’s card.

T-1. Wright, Delia *5* 3. Wong *4*

There will be live racing tomorrow on New Years– the 10 race card will begin at 12:45pm.

Jockey Abel Cedillo claimed his 1,000th win in today’s 1st race aboard Be Thoughtful. 2018 has been Cedillo’s best year to date, with a career high in wins, win percentage, and in-the-money percentage. Also, this was a banner year for him, as he earned a career high in purse money– totaling over 3.3 million dollars. Cedillo also added titles with wins at Golden Gate Fields’ winter/spring meet, Santa Rosa, and Fresno. He is riding with a lot of confidence right now, and it will be exciting to see how he does in the 2019 season.

Race 8 on the card (1 1/16m on Turf Allowance n1x) was the feature and it was won by the Irish bred, Qafilah. She pressed the pace throughout and was able to dig down in the stretch to win it on the line. The winning jockey and trainer combo was William Antongeorgi and Manuel Badilla.

Jockeys: It was great to see William Antongeorgi pick up 2 wins today after having fallen off his mount in race 2 yesterday. Also, Juan Hernandez kept his hot streak rolling as he snagged 2 more wins. After today’s 4th race victory, Frank Alvarado now stands 1 win away from 3500 wins– it’s another jockey milestone to look out for.

1. Hernandez *9* 2. Cedillo *7* T-3. Antongeorgi, Amador *3*

Trainers: All 9 races today were won by different trainers, which goes to show how deep the competition on the backside is. It is still very early, but William Delia has now climbed into a share of first in the trainer standings.

1. Wright *4* 2. Delia *4* T-3. Hollendorfer, McLean, Trujillo *3*

Live racing continues tomorrow with a special 9 race New Year’s Eve card starting at 12:45pm. There will also be a New Year’s card of live racing on Tuesday.