Dover Dere wins Gold Rush Stakes

ALBANY, Calif. - Dover Dere ($8.20) controlled the pace and was unchallenged score a wire-to-wire victory in the $54,800 Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.

Breaking alertly under jockey Iggy Puglisi, Dover Dere established a comfortable two-length margin around the first turn in the one-mile race for 2-year-olds. Booming Along sat behind him, creeping within a length down the backstretch but never got any closer before Dover Dere opened into the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:36.55. Krovitz finished well to finish third, three-quarters of a length behind Booming Along.

Dover Dere ducked in and almost hit the rail, but Puglisi snatched him up and continued on for the victory.

"He's usually chasing another horse and has a target to run at," said Puglisi, who rode the colt three times in Southern California before moving his tack to Northern California. "I don't know what he saw. I had to grab him enough to slow his momentum, but fortunately no one was close enough to take advantage."

Trained by Doug O'Neill, who sent Skipaslew to Northern California to win the Gold Rush last year, Dover Dere earned $28,300 for his second victory in six starts to increase his career earning to $88,618.