SATURDAY AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS
Saturday April 30th will be a big day of racing at Golden Gate Fields for Harris Farms and their clients. A total of 16 horses on the card are associated with the farm, and many will be favorites in their races. We look forward to what promises to be a beautiful day by the bay.
The 4th race marks the first appearance by Harris Farms graduates. Artimisia was foaled, raised, and started in the program for owner/breeder Mark Devereaux and looks for her second consecutive win at GGF. John Martin trains this daughter of Artie Schiller out of Trapunto and Frank Alvarado is back in the saddle at 4/1 on the morning line. Winning Fashion was also foaled and raised at Harris Farms, and the In Excess mare out of Vogue Queen is the morning line favorite at 2/1. Bred by Sky Chase Farm and TNIP LLC, Winning Fashion is owned by trainer Mike Pender and ran second at long odds April 1st at Santa Anita for a $16,000 claiming tag. She drops in Saturday for $5,000, but she ran poorly in her only career start over Golden Gate’s synthetic surface in November.
The 5th race is an $8000 claiming event for 3 year old fillies going 6 furlongs. While longshot Siduri is sired by Harris resident stallion Lucky Pulpit, we will all be cheering for morning line favorite Mesquite Dancer. By Lucky Pulpit out of Mesquite, this filly is a half sister to multiple stakes winner Velvet Mesquite. Bred by Harris Farms, Mesquite Dancer was sold as a yearling and was claimed out of a second place finish in her last start April 16th by owner Gregory Vartanian and trainer John Martin.
Race number 6 is a claiming event going six furlongs and features two horses that are graduates of the Harris Farms. Merle is a son of Papa Clem out of Arousing and is bred and owned by Harris and Valpredo. Merle broke his maiden at GGF January 8th and has a second and a third in his last two races. Trained by Debbie Winick and ridden again by Catalino Lopez, Merle is 12/1. Badasmywifeletsmeb is the favorite at 5/2 and is also a product of the Harris program. By Unusual Heat out of Silber, this 6 year old gelding ran 2nd April 1st at Santa Anita and is making his first start at GGF for new trainer Steve Sherman after 26 starts in Southern California.
The 7th race is a maiden allowance for Cal-Bred fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the turf, and 5 of the 8 entrants have Harris connections. Easy Song is a 3 year old daughter of Thorn Song out of multiple stakes producer Zoelu, bred by Harris Farms and owned by Harris Farms and Burt and Jane Bacharach. Trained by Carla Gaines, Easy Song will be ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith in her second career start at 3/1. Doris Johnson is a 5 year old daughter of Lucky J.H. out of multiple stakes winner Super Tuesday and was bred by Harris farms and Sheila Williams. Trained for Harris Farms by Sean McCarthy, Doris Johnson has a second place finish in 6 starts and will be ridden at 7/2 by Tyler Baze. Unusual Sky, Hotsy Dotsy, and Lethal Legacy are all sired by Harris resident stallion Unusual Heat, and the latter two were also foaled and raised at the farm. Hotsy Dotsy is out of Dotsy Jean and is trained by Scott Hansen for owners and breeders AJM Racing and Josh and Jason Litt. Lethal Legacy is the last foal out of multiple stakes winner Lethal Leta and a full sister to California champion Lethal Heat. Bred by Madeline Auerbach and Barry Abrams, she races for her breeders in partnership with Bardy Farms and will be making her first start at GGF for new trainer Tim Yakteen at 15/1.
The Feature race is the Grade III $100,000 San Francisco Mile on turf. Two of the contestants drew their first breath in the Harris Farms foaling barn. Tamarando and Unusually Green are both longshots, and both are owned by their breeders, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams. Tamarando is by Bertrando out of Tamarack Bay, and was voted the California champion 2 year old in 2013 over California Chrome. Tamarando has since been disappointing, and has not won since the El Camino Real in February of 2014. He most recently ran third in an allowance race at GGF April 9th. Unusually Green is by Unusual Heat out of Lady Evergreen and is making his second stakes start. He did not hit the board in the January 30th Cal Cup Turf Classic, and has run first and fourth in GGF allowance races since.
Race number 9 is another Cal-Bred maiden allowance going 1 1/16 miles on turf. Country Road is owned by breeder Don Valpredo and was started in the Harris training barn. By Thorn Song out of Plush, Country Road has 2 thirds in 2 starts for trainer Neil Drysdale and is the deserving favorite at 8/5. Air Nashoba was foaled, raised, and started at Harris Farms for owner/breeder Warren Williamson. By Birdstone out of Nashoba’s Excess, he is trained by Natalie Houle and will be ridden again by Hugo Herrera, whom he dumped at the starting gate in his last out April 3rd. Cee the Preacher is a son of Harris resident and leading California sire Lucky Pulpit, out of Cee Stone.
Please join us if you can at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday for this exciting day of racing. If you can’t make it to the track, please watch on TVG or online what promises to be a good day for California racing and the Harris Farms program. Best of racing luck for all involved and come back safe.