Gloriously Golden gets Bonde's call

ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Jeff Bonde nominated three 2-year-old fillies to Saturday's Corte Madera Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. When it came time to enter in the $55,000-added one-mile race, however, he signed up only Gloriously Golden, an impressive winner in her past two sprints.

Staying in the barn are the undefeated stakes winner Fertile and Excessive Prayer.

Gloriously Golden faces eight rivals, including the entry of Runaway Ab and Past You.

Gloriously Golden has made nine starts, more than any of her other rivals, but it took her some time to understand what racing was all about.

"She's big and earlier in the year wasn't putting it together," Bonde said. "She was a little flighty but no problem to be around."

She has three wins, a second, and two thirds in her nine starts, all of them sprinting. Her last two starts were dazzling.

On Oct. 24 at Bay Meadows, she won a 5 1/2-furlong starter allowance race by 10 lengths. She came back in a six-furlong allowance race Nov. 14 at Golden Gate Fields and won by eight. "She's a lot more professional now," Bonde said.

She won both sprints wire-to-wire, taking advantage of a pronounced speed bias in her race at Golden Gate Fields.

Bonde has given her two seven-furlong works since she raced and seems confident that she will do more than just set the early pace and fade. "She worked long very well," he said.

Bonde said that he would try to keep Excessive Prayer, who won for the first time in the Courtship Stakes at Bay Meadows, in sprints because he believes she is better sprinting.

Fertile, who wrenched a knee after winning the May 19 Nursery Stakes at Hollywood Park, is probably the best filly of the three, but Bonde said he wanted to give her a sprint before trying her in a route.

Three of Gloriously Golden's rivals will be making their two-turn debuts as well, and three others have only one start around two turns.

Perfect Woman, who also has early speed, drew the rail, just inside Gloriously Golden for her route debut. Unforgettable R N was third in the $100,000 Moccasin Stakes at seven furlongs at Hollywood Park in her longest race. Runaway Ab was sixth in the Moccasin in her second start.

Redmond graduated at this distance in her second start.

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