G. G. Ryder gets out the broom for Berkeley
It is already a milestone week for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who became the third trainer to reach 7,000 wins on Thursday.
He’ll be shooting for another milestone on Sunday, when G. G. Ryder attempts to win the Grade 3, $100,000 Berkeley Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.
If G. G. Ryder wins, he’ll be the first runner to sweep all three of the graded stakes races for older runners at Golden Gate Fields – the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile, the Grade 3 All American, and the Berkeley.
The Berkeley, a 1 1/16-mile race on the Tapeta main track, drew nine 3-year-olds and up.
A horse has won two of the three graded races in each of the last three years, but none has come into the Berkeley with a chance for a sweep. The San Francisco Mile on turf and the All American on the main track are in the spring.
Last year, Pepper Crown won the San Francisco Mile and Berkeley but was fifth in the All American. In 2013, Summer Hit ran second in the San Francisco Mile and then won the All American and Berkeley. In 2012, Hudson Landing won the San Francisco Mile, finished second in the Berkeley, which was run in the spring, and won the All American, run in the fall.
G. G. Ryder is running at his favorite track, where he has six wins and has hit the board in all 10 of his starts. G. G. Ryder set the pace in his last three starts – seconds to Alert Bay in the Rolling Green and an allowance race here sandwiched around a victory in the Bull Dog at Fresno. But with the speedy Big Cazanova in the Berkeley, G. G. Ryder might get his preferred stalking trip. G. G. Ryder stalked the pace from two or three lengths back in his wins in the San Francisco Mile and the All American.
Alert Bay is not in the field, but G. G. Ryder will face a pair of longtime rivals in stablemate Outside Nashville and Pepper Crown. Both have won stakes here. Another contender is Silentio, whose last win came exactly two years ago but has run in graded stakes in every start since then.
BERKELEY HANDICAP (Race 6)
Key contenders
G. G. Ryder (Last 3 Beyers: 95-91-95)
◗ Six of his 11 victories have come on a synthetic track, although he has won stakes on synthetic, dirt, and turf.
Outside Nashville (Last 3 Beyers: 91-89-93)
◗ He has finished behind G. G. Ryder in four of their five meetings this year, including seconds to him in the Bull Dog and the All American.
◗ He has a late kick to complement his stablemate’s speed.
Silentio (Last 3 Beyers: 93-92-77)
◗ He enters off a sixth in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile on turf at Santa Anita. Alert Bay won that race, with Berkeley entrant Big Cazanova second.
◗ His last win came in the Grade 2 Citation on turf at Hollywood Park in 2013.
◗ He’s made 16 of his 17 starts on turf, with his only start on a synthetic track a third in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien at seven furlongs, a distance probably shorter than ideal for him.