Favorites Luscious Lonna, G. G. Ryder deliver at Golden Gates Fields

It was business as usual with no surprises in Golden Gate Fields’s weekend stakes.

Luscious Lonna repeated Saturday in the $59,450 Golden Poppy Stakes. She went off as the even-money favorite when morning-line favorite Halo Dolly scratched.

The odds-on G. G. Ryder, sitting nicely behind Latitudefortytwo, took command in the stretch Sunday to win the $75,000 Alcatraz Stakes.

Trainer Nick Sloan has seen Luscious Lonna, a $6,250 claim in March 2011, turn into not only his first stakes runner but also his first stakes winner. Both Golden Poppy victories have come in wire-to-wire fashion, on a yielding turf course in 2013 and a firm course this year.

Both victories were accomplished pretty easily, although Sloan conceded that the scratch of Halo Dolly, who was third in 2013, was probably a reason the winning effort seemed easy.

“Halo Dolly would have been right off her,” he said. The multiple stakes winner likely would have presented more of a challenge in the stretch than stalker Spring Bloom, who ran well but was hanging in the lane.

“Nothing’s easy, but it seemed easy,” said Sloan, who had not been to the winner’s circle with Luscious Lonna since last year’s Golden Poppy. “I thought the field was tough anyway. It was really cool to see her be back to her form.”

Luscious Lonna ran very even quarters of 23.78 seconds, 24.54, 24.46, and 24.59, with Spring Bloom a length behind her. As Spring Bloom faded in the lane, Koby Jo, the longest shot on the board, came on for second without mounting a serious challenge.

“I was glad to see her run through those fractions,” Sloan said. “They were a full second or two faster than last year. I think 1:12 [for six furlongs] is about her ceiling. I was kind of concerned because she’s been running 1:13, 1:14.”

Jockey Juan Hernandez was impressed after riding the winner for the first time.

“She’s very easy to ride because she does whatever you ask her to do,” he said.

Sloan may not be thinking three-peat yet, but he did joke, “I’m hoping they change the name of one of the Cal-bred stakes down south to Golden Poppy.”

Luscious Lonna, owned by Sloan, Jon Harris, and Bonnie Marshall, came out of the race fine.

“The most beautiful thing about her is she’s really sound,” Sloan said. “She’s so light-framed. She’s like a little deer. She doesn’t generate any heat anyplace.”

Halo Dolly, who had finished ahead of Luscious Lonna in their two meetings since last year’s Golden Poppy, would have only needed to finish third to become a millionaire, but her trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer, is more concerned about the 6-year-old Popular mare’s health than her bankroll.

She was coming off a third-place finish April 26 in the Fran’s Valentine Stakes at Santa Anita Park, and Hollendorfer said, “We just decided that we were probably bringing her back a little too soon.”

Hollendorfer made it to the winner’s circle Sunday with G. G. Ryder.

In a race that looked as if it would have a contentious pace, G. G. Ryder was content to sit second behind Latitudefortytwo’s honest fractions and proved superior in the lane, winning the one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds by 1 3/4 lengths over Pazmeifucan, who was the longest shot on the board coming off a maiden win.

G. G. Ryder joins an ever-growing list of private purchases by Hollendorfer to become stakes winners. The most notable is Shared Belief. Privately purchased after winning his debut at Golden Gate Fields last fall, he is the reigning Eclipse Award winner in the 2-year-old male category.

Halo Dolly also was a private purchase after breaking her maiden in her third career start.

Summer Hit, who came within a neck of sweeping Golden Gate’s three graded stakes last year, also was a private purchase. He was claimed in a shake after winning his debut. Hollendorfer, who had not put in a claim for him, promptly bought him from Candelario Villamar, who had won the shake.

G. G. Ryder was purchased after his second career start, when he ran second in a $32,000 maiden claimer Dec. 27 at Golden Gate Fields. He has five wins and a third in six starts for Hollendorfer.

“An agent presented it to me that the horse was for sale,” Hollendorfer said of the Chhaya Dance colt. “He was a good-looking horse that ran well here, and he was a Cal-bred, which made it a little more appealing. When you buy horses, you hope you don’t pay too much. I don’t remember what we gave for him, but I was hoping it wasn’t too much. He likes the turf. He could end up being a valuable horse, especially if he can run at Del Mar. They have big purses for Cal-breds.”

There’s also the $100,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes for Cal-bred 3-year-olds June 8 at Golden Gate Fields.

Despite his success with private purchases, Hollendorfer said not every purchase pans out.

“You never hear about the other ones,” he said.

Jerkens at Del Mar

“Nine years really went fast,” said David Jerkens, who assumed his new position as Del Mar’s racing secretary Monday.

Jerkens said the people he worked with as Golden Gate’s racing secretary, their guidance, and his learning experiences were what he would remember most from his time at Golden Gate.

Jerkens said he reflects on things he could have done better or differently, but he’s proud of improving field size last year, adding to and balancing the stakes schedule, and leaving Golden Gate better from purse and budget standpoints.

Preakness schedule

Golden Gate Fields will open at 9 a.m. Pacific on Saturday, with the first race scheduled for 11:45 for Preakness Day.

With trainer Art Sherman and jockey Victor Espinoza’s Northern California roots, there is heightened local interest as California Chrome seeks to add the Preakness crown to his Kentucky Derby laurels.

Those purchasing Turf Club admission will receive a free betting voucher.