Lily Poo will stretch out in distance in the $75K California Oaks (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Golden Gate Fields Press Box/Edited
BERKELEY, Calif.— Along with the Grade 3 $250,000 San Francisco Mile and $100,000 California Derby, a quartet of $75,000 stake races attracts competitive fields and quality to spice up Gold Rush Weekend Saturday, April 29 at Golden Gate Fields.
The first of six stakes on the Gold Rush Weekend Saturday program is Race 6, the $75,000 California Oaks for 3-year-olds fillies at one mile and a sixteenth on the Tapeta. Four local horses, led by multiple allowance winner Smiling Lady, face off against the lone Southern California shipper in the race: Lilly Poo. Lilly Poo, who broke her maiden at Del Mar in the fall for trainer Michael McCarthy, was outrun in a first-level allowance at Santa Anita on March 27 and races at a route of ground for the first time in the ‘Oaks. California-bred Smiling Lady is a need-the-lead type who figures to be close to the pace while Bourbon Glaze, the well-bred Delusively, and Mastery Kat complete the field.
Race 6: The $75,000 California Oaks (For 3-year-old fillies at one mile and a sixteenth on Tapeta):
#1 Smiling Lady (Jockey Armando Ayuso…Trainer Andy Mathis…122 pounds)
#2 Delusively (Alejandro Gomez…Jose Bautista…122)
#3 Bourbon Glaze (William Antongeorgi III…Blaine Wright …122)
#4 Mastery Kat (Brayan Pena…Jamey Thomas…122)
#5 Lilly Poo (Umberto Rispoli…Michael McCarthy …122)
The start of the Golden Pick Six is Race 7, the $75,000 Camilla Urso Stakes for fillies and mares 3 years old and upward at five furlongs on turf. The gritty Alice Marble sports an impressive 7 for 15-lifetime record and enters the Camilla Urso fresh off a pair of state-bred turf sprint stake victories at Santa Anita. Umberto Rispoli and Phil D’Amato team up with the Nick Alexander homebred by Grazen. Among the list of other main contenders is recent Santa Anita second-level allowance winner Xmas Surprise, Golden Gate stakes winner Chancery Way, and Always Seeking, a local sprinter who seeks her sixth consecutive win. Eight fillies and mares are entered in the Camilla Urso.
Race 7: The $75,000 Camilla Urso (For fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up at five furlongs on turf)
#1 Always Seeking (William Antongeorgi III…Jack Steiner…123)
#2 Slack Tide (Irving Orozco…Blaine Wright…123)
#3 Carolina Mia (Armando Ayuso…Felix Rondan…123)
#4 Alice Marble (Umberto Rispoli…Phil D’Amato…123)
#5 Lexington Humor (Brayan Pena…O.J. Jauregui…123)
#6 Secrets Told (Drayden Van Dyke…Andy Mathis…123)
#7 Chancery Way (Evin Roman…Jamey Thomas…123)
#8 Xmas Surprise (Assael Espinoza…Leonard Powell…123)
The $75,000 Lost in the Fog for 3-year-olds and upward on Tapeta goes as Race 8 and is the start of the 50-Cent Late Pick 5, which will have a guaranteed pool of $150,000 on Saturday. Three-time stakes winner Top Harbor exits a hard-fought allowance victory in preparation for the Lost in the Fog and will be cranked up for his best come Saturday. The Tim McCanna trainee won the Oakland Stakes at Golden Gate over the fall and was victorious in the El Dorado Shooter Stakes as a 3-year-old in 2021. At 2, he won the Everett Nevin Stakes sprinting on dirt. Other top players in the 2023 Lost in the Fog are recent second-level allowance winner My Summer Dream, supplemental entrant and McCann’s Mojave Stakes runner-up finisher Crazy Dreams, and recent Santa Anita winner Lovesick Blues. Eight sprinters are scheduled to tackle the Lost in the Fog six-furlong distance.
Race 8: The $75,000 Lost in the Fog (For 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs on Tapeta)
#1 Cool Mountain Lad (Jockey Brayan Pena…Trainer Victor Trujillo…123 pounds)
#2 Top Harbor (Frank Alvarado…Tim McCanna…123)
#3 Lovesick Blues (Umberto Rispoli…Steve Miyadi …123)
#4 Unraptured (Assael Espinoza…Tim McCanna…123)
#5 My Summer Dream (Armando Ayuso…O.J. Jauregui…123)
#6 Creative Peak (Evin Roman…Sammy Calvario…123)
#7 Crazy Dreams (Irving Orozco…Isidro Tamayo …123)
#8 Larry’s Legend (Santos Rivera…Sammy Calvario…123)
Rounding out the four $75,000 stake events is Race 9: the Golden Poppy for fillies and mares 3 years old and upward at one mile and a sixteenth on turf. 10 are entered in what appears as a wide-open affair. Rose Maddox has shown versatility on turf and Tapeta. Her lone career start at Golden Gate resulted in a gold medal finish in the Moscow Burning Stakes this past January. Anthony’s Cleopatra won the California Oaks last year and gets back to routing after two sprint races off a layoff. Ascendency and Signorina Merisi are “up and comers” who sport improving patterns while Buyback was second by a nose in this race last year to Avenue de France, who went on to win the Grade 2 John C. Mabee at Del Mar over the summer. South American Group 2 winner Australia Mia and Northern California stakes victor Tam’s Little Angel are additional notables. The Golden Poppy kicks off the 50-Cent Late Pick Four, which will have a $200,000 guaranteed pool on Saturday.
Race 9: The $75,000 Golden Poppy (For fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up at one mile and a sixteenth on turf)
#1 Rose Maddox (Jockey Santos Rivera…Trainer Steve Miyadi…123 pounds)
#2 Nadette (Armando Ayuso…Neil Drysdale…123)
#3 Signorinamerisi (Assael Espinoza…Manny Badilla…123)
#4 Buyback (Evin Roman…Blaine Wright…123)
#5 Tam’s Little Angel (Catalino Martinez…Steve Specht…123)
#6 Ever Smart (Neil Drysdale…William Antongeorgi III …123)
#7 Australia Mia (Umberto Rispoli…Michael McCarthy…123)
#8 Anthony’s Cleopatra (Frank Alvarado…Tim McCanna…123)
#9 Clockstrikestwelve (Brayan Pena…Jonathan Wong…123)
#10 Ascendancy (Irving Orozco…O.J. Jauregui…123)
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First post is 1:15 PM on Saturday. For more information on all things Gold Rush Weekend and Golden Gate, please visit goldengatefields.com.
