Golden Gate Fields: Mahorney looks for win with debuting Expensive Jet

No matter where Expensive Jet finishes in his debut in Thursday’s second race at Golden Gate Fields, trainer Cinda Mahorney will consider the day a success.

Mahorney is the daughter of jockey Bill Mahorney, one of Northern California’s top riders in the B.B. (Before Baze) era. He won more than 2,500 races before his career was cut short by injuries.

Cinda Mahorney, 42, always loved horses and wanted a career at the track, but her father always tried to dissuade her.

“I had a career as a youngster grooming dogs, and whenever I said I wanted to come to the track, my dad pushed me to groom dogs,” she said.

After suffering a stroke several years ago, Bill Mahorney relented and gave his daughter his blessing to follow her dream at the track. It hasn’t been easy.

She still grooms dogs at Shear Magic by Cinda in Pleasanton, Calif., and runs Winning Start Race Farm in Brentwood, where she breaks horses and treats layups as well as doing much of her training.

She has started only a handful of horses, usually for owners who wanted to make a last-ditch effort with a horse. In more than one case, simply getting the horse to the track was a victory for Mahorney.

“When you’re starting out, you don’t get a lot of respect,” Mahorney said. “Because I charge less because I keep horses at my farm, some people think I’m not qualified.”

When Expensive Jet debuts in a 1 1/16-mile maiden turf race Thursday, just getting to the starting gate will have been a win. The 4-year-old Jet West gelding broke a splint bone as a juvenile, apparently while rolling in his stall at Pleasanton.

Mahorney broke Expensive Jet and then brought him back to her farm to help him recover. Ultimately, his original owner gave him to Mahorney, who trains him at her ranch, shipping him to Golden Gate Fields for timed workouts.

“He’s small, about 15 hands, and looks like a Quarter Horse,” Mahorney said of Expensive Jet, who has been nicknamed “Monkey” and has his own Facebook page.

Running in a straight maiden race in a turf route is not a conventional debut, but Mahorney said she put a lot of thought into picking the right spot.

“He just does not grab hold of the track at Golden Gate,” she said. “He’s never shown much speed, but he can go and go and go. The easier pace in a route is not as grueling as in a sprint, so the race could be a little bit easier on him. He gallops three or four miles at the farm, and Steve Herrera, who was a jockey in Peru, tells me he gets better the farther he goes.”

Mahorney hopes to bring her father to the races with her Thursday. He doesn’t get to the track often, but when he does, his daughter notices a big change in him.

“The moment we get to the track, his whole demeanor changes,” she said. “His chest puffs up, and he has so much pride, I can’t get him in his wheelchair. He has to walk to the track.”

Cinda Mahorney hopes he’ll walk to the winner’s circle, too.

Handle improves at fall meet

Golden Gate Fields showed ontrack wagering increases for its 36-day fall meeting.

Average daily wagering ontrack for live races increased 1.54 percent to $141,562 at the meeting, up from $139,417 at the 35-day 2012 meet. With the additional day of racing in 2013, the total for the meet was up 4.44 percent to $5,096,250, compared with $4,879,595 in 2012.

Average daily all-sources handle on Golden Gate’s live races increased 3.33 percent to $1,458,077. The total for the meet was up 6.28 percent at $52,490,754.

The average daily all-sources handle on all races, including out-of-state races, improved 2.80 percent to $2,859,579. The total for the meet was up 5.74 percent to $102,954,838.

Horseplayers chase carryover

Taking advantage of a $44,626 carryover, fans wagered $176,656 in the pick five Jan. 1 at Golden Gate Fields. The 50-cent-minimum wager has only a 14 percent takeout and is attractive for fans who like to spread in races.

With a $50.40 winner in the first leg, followed by payoffs of $13.60, $16.80, and $10.80 before a $5.20 favorite won the final leg, there was plenty of spreading for nine winning tickets that returned $21,255.35 each.

Tom Ludt, the new senior vice president for track owner The Stronach Group who is working on relationships with horsemen and bettors, took note of the response to the carryover and said he is “doing homework right now” on offering some guarantees on exotic wagers.

“We’re trying to do more promotion on carryovers,” he said.

He said he is researching the possible creation of guarantees on certain days to attract horseplayers, adding that such guarantees “give regular players confidence” about betting into exotic pools.