Despite late-race dramatics, Mama's Gold pairs up 103 Beyers
?q=100)
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York-bred Mama’s Gold won an open-company second-level allowance race by four lengths on Thursday, earning the same 103 Beyer Speed Figure he did winning the $250,000 Empire Classic on Oct. 27. Both races were run at 1 1/8 miles.
The victory did not come without some late drama as, nearing the finish line, Mama’s Gold saw what may have been a racing program on the track and leapt over it, nearly unseating jockey Romero Maragh, who lost his irons but remained on the horse for the win. Though Maragh took off his last mount on Thursday’s card, he was back in action on Friday.
“My stomach was in my throat,” said trainer Jimmy Ferraro, who added that Mama’s Gold came out of the race fine.
Ferraro was originally thinking of wheeling Mama’s Gold back in the $100,000 Alex Robb Stakes for New York-breds on Dec. 28. But with the horse having run so fast for a second straight race, Ferraro will opt to wait and look for a potential open-company stakes run at 1 1/8 miles.
“We might need some more time now,” Ferraro said. “I guess you’d have to start thinking about open-company stakes.”
:: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets.
The next major stakes race at 1 1/8 miles is the $3 million Pegasus at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25. Ferraro said he hadn’t thought about that race, but may look into it.
Mama’s Gold has run four times for Ferraro, winning twice. In addition to his two wins at 1 1/8 miles, Mama’s Gold finished a good second in an allowance at that distance in September following a seven-month layoff.
Ferraro said he changed up Mama’s Gold’s daily training routine shortly after he got him.
“When he galloped by himself, he was full tilt all the time,” Ferraro said. “When I started galloping him in company he always seemed to relax. Most of them, it’s the other way around.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.