Friday, November 28 2008

PASS THE HEAT EXPECTED TO BRING THE HEAT

ALBANY---Pass the Heat is expected to bring the heat in the $75,000 Forty Niner Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Friday.

The Forty Niner, the featured eighth race on a nine-race program that begins at 12:45 p.m., is a 1 1/16 mile contest for three year olds and up. Pass the Heat is an 8 to 5 morning line favorite in a field of six.

Pass the Heat is a five year old gelding who has won half of his 18 career starts and three of his last four races. Trained by William J. Morey, Jr., and owned by the Joseph P. Morey, Jr. Revocable Trust, Pass the Heat has earned $321,499.

Thursday, November 27 2008

EARLY POST TIME AT GGF FOR THANKSGIVING DAY PROGRAM

ALBANY -- Golden Gate Fields is opening all admission gates at 9:30 a.m. Thursday for its special Thanksgiving Day racing program.

Post time for the eight-race card is 11:15 a.m. The early starting time will allow the program to be completed by approximately 2:50 p.m., giving fans plenty of time to get home for their Thanksgiving feast.

Golden Gate Fields will present nine races Friday. Post time is 12:45 p.m. and the main event is the Forty Niner Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile contest for 3-year-olds and up. Post time for the Forty Niner, the eighth race on the card, is 4:15 p.m.

Wednesday, November 26 2008

EARLY POST TIME THANKSGIVING DAY, FORTY NINER STAKES FRIDAY

ALBANY -- A holiday week of racing at Golden Gate Fields features Pick Six carryovers on Wednesday, an early post time on Thanksgiving Day, the $75,000 Forty Niner Stakes on Friday, and $1 specials on Sunday.

Post time Wednesday is 12:45 p.m. and there is a carryover of $14,823 in the Golden Gate Fields Pick Six, which will be held on races three through eight. Fans can also play, via simulcast wagering, the Pick Six at Hollywood Park, where there is a carryover $128,073. Hollywood Park's Pick Six will also be held on races three through eight.

Monday, November 24 2008

BAZE FINISHES WEEK WITH HAT TRICK

ALBANY -- Leading jockey Russell Baze, capitalizing on some live mounts, rode three winners Sunday at Golden Gate Fields.

Baze, who tops the jockey standings with 76 victories at the fall meeting, scored his hat trick with three favorites. The Hall of Famer won the first race with Bold Reward ($4.60), the third with Luck Be a Lily ($6.40) and the fourth with Out of Seattle ($4.80).

Sunday, November 23 2008

SIREN LURE ENDS VICTORY DROUGHT WITH TRIUMPH IN SAUSALITO STAKES

ALBANY -- Siren Lure snapped a 12-race losing streak Saturday when he charged powerfully down the stretch to score a 1 1/4-length victory over 2-to-5 favorite Indyanne in the $75,000 Sausalito Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.

The victory was Siren Lure's first since Aug. 20, 2006, when he captured the Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup Handicap at Del Mar.

Saturday, November 22 2008

YACHT SPOTTER, IN MY GLORY SCORE FRONT-RUNNING UPSETS

ALBANY -- Yacht Spotter and In My Glory both used front-running tactics to score upsets in the co-feature races at Golden Gate Fields Friday.

Yacht Spotter defeated Grade 1 stakes-winners Artiste Royal and Matto Mondo in the third race, a 1 1/16-mile allowance test on the turf for 3-year-olds and up. Ridden by Alex Bisono, Yacht Spotter held off 3-to-5 favorite Artiste Royal down the stretch to score by 1 1/4 lengths while Matto Mondo checked in another length back in third.

Friday, November 21 2008

CLASSY STAKES RUNNERS FEATURED FRIDAY AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS

ALBANY -- Looking over the Golden Gate Fields races in Friday's Daily Racing Form would lead one to think they had mistakenly picked up a Saturday edition of the horse racing newspaper. That's because Friday's third and seventh races are stakes-caliber events worthy of spots on a weekend card.

The third race features Artiste Royal, a multiple Grade 1 stakes-winner from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale. Idle since winning the $300,000 Charlie Whittingham Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 7, Artiste Royal will face six opponents in a $39,000 allowance race that will be run at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Thursday, November 20 2008

BAZE RIDES THREE WINNERS, LEDEZMA HAS TRAINING DOUBLE

ALBANY -- Leading jockey Russell Baze won three races and trainer Sergio Ledezma saddled two winners Wednesday at Golden Gate Fields.

Baze, who tops the jockey standings with 69 victories at the fall meeting, guided the Ledezma-trained La Misteriosa ($5.40) to a two-length score in the first race. Baze came right back to take the second race with Tip Toe Topper ($5.60) and then completed his hat trick with a win aboard Go With Gusto ($11.80) in the fifth.

Wednesday, November 19 2008

TOP HORSES SCHEDULED TO RUN AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS

ALBANY -- Several talented horses will be in action this week at Golden Gate Fields when the track presents racing Wednesday through Sunday. Post time each day is 12:45 p.m.

Irish-bred Artiste Royal, a multiple Grade I stakes winner, is scheduled to run in the third race Friday. Trained by Neil Drysdale, Artiste Royal will face six rivals in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the Lakeside Turf Course.

Artiste Royal will be making his first start since winning the Grade 1 Charlie Whittingham Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 7. A consistent 7-year-old ridgling, Artiste Royal has finished in the money in 18 of his 25 career starts while earning $773,990.

Monday, November 17 2008

EXERCISE RIDER DIES IN BARN AREA ACCIDENT

ALBANY -- Veteran exercise rider Ignacio Ramirez sustained fatal injuries Sunday morning when the horse he was aboard flipped over and fell on him in the barn area at Golden Gate Fields.

Ramirez, 58, had just left the barn and was heading to the racetrack for a workout when the filly he was riding became spooked by something and flipped over suddenly. The filly, a thoroughbred racehorse, was not injured.

Sunday, November 16 2008

RUNNING RICH NOTCHES THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS

ALBANY -- Running Rich recorded his third straight impressive victory at the 2008 fall meeting when he ran away to a four-length score in the $39,240 allowance feature at Golden Gate Fields Saturday.

Ridden by Roberto Gonzalez and trained by Kent Molinaro, Running Rich came from just off the pace to win the one-mile allowance test for 3-year-olds and up in 1:36.26. Sydney Again took second by two lengths over Gabriel's Hill

Saturday, November 15 2008

AUTISM AWARENESS RETURNS SATURDAY AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS

ALBANY -- Autism Awareness, who scored a shocking upset in the El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows last March, makes his return to the races Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.

Autism Awareness, a colt named to bring attention to the complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others, won the El Camino Real Derby at odds of 62-to-1. Autism Awareness paid $126.00 to win and garnered the attention of national turf writers, who wrote of the colt and his cause.