Golden Gate Fields: Golden Nugget kicks off road to El Camino Real Derby

The first in a series of stakes races at Golden Gate Fields leading to next year’s Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby, the $50,000-added Golden Nugget drew seven entrants, including one filly, Miss Success. The six-furlong stakes for 2-year-olds will be run Saturday over the Tapeta main track.

Derby dreams float in the heads of owners and trainers of 2-year-olds at this time of year. Races such as the Golden Nugget can nourish or dash those dreams.

The field has only one runner with stakes experience, Andallthatitmeans.

A Cause to Believe gelding, Andallthatitmeans graduated in the British Columbia Cup Nursery by 10 1/4 lengths before winning the $100,000 Jack Diamond Futurity, both at Hastings. His only off-the-board appearance came in his only route try.

The field also includes Exit Stage Left, a $100,000 purchase making his racing debut for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Four runners each come off a victory: I See Back, Miss Success, Hobbits Hero, and Pete’s Slew. Unusual Americaine won his debut, but was defeated by the Hollendorfer-trained Life Is a Joy in his second start.

The filly Miss Success has come from off the pace in both her races, including a maiden score here Oct. 19.

Pete’s Slew is the only runner in the field besides Andallthatitmeans with two victories, one in a $25,000 maiden claimer at Stockton and the other a starter allowance win here Oct. 10.

Trainer Tim McCanna took a calculated risk running Pete’s Slew for a claiming tag in his debut.

“We wanted him to be eligible for the starter-allowance spot,” McCanna said of Pete’s Slew, a Quadrun Farms homebred by Matty G. “We didn’t think with his breeding many people would be looking at him at that price.”

McCanna says that while Pete’s Slew has “done everything right,” he didn’t think that highly of him when the gelding began training at Emerald Downs this summer.

“He’s filled out and kept improving,” McCanna said.

Its one thing to score a pair of wire-to-wire wins against claimers and starter-allowance types as Pete’s Slew has done. It’s another to do that in stakes competition.

“He’s been on the lead pretty easy both times,” McCanna said.

There’s other speed entered, including I See Back, who scored a nose win at this distance in a $75,000 maiden claimer at Santa Anita, and Hobbits Hero, who led all the way in a $50,000 Santa Anita maiden claimer in his debut.

Pete’s Slew is drawn outside both, and McCanna can envision a stalking trip if the others gun early.

“He’s always worked behind horses,” he said. “He doesn’t need the lead, and I’d like to see him relax.”