Golden Gate Fields: Positive Response rebounds in Rolling Green Stakes

Coming off a disappointing turf try in the Joseph Grace Handicap at Santa Rosa, Positive Response ($9.80) rebounded Monday to wear down pacesetting favorite Hudson Landing in the stretch and win the $53,600 Rolling Green Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif.

Hudson Landing seemed to be simply jogging early as Positive Response sat behind him. As the field turned for home, Positive Response had no trouble taking the measure of Hudson Landing and holding off the late-running Tribal Tribute.

Positive Response won the 1 1/16-mile turf race by a length in 1:45.06. Tribal Tribute swung wide through the lane and edged Hudson Landing for second by a head. Polytechnicien, making his first start in a year, tried to rally in the lane but had to take up near the sixteenth pole when he had no room to go inside Hudson Landing.

Positive Response broke out at the start, bumping Tribal Tribute, but there was no objection or inquiry.

Winning rider Russell Baze said he asked trainer Billy Morey if he could put Positive Response closer to the pace early.

“I didn’t want to put him on the lead, but I sure didn’t want to get stuck behind horses,” said Baze, who anticipated a two-horse race between Positive Response and Hudson Landing from the quarter pole. “There wasn’t really any legitimate speed in the race. The way I figured it, we were going to go slow, and everybody behind us was going to go slower.”

Morey was happy with the victory.

“It was nice to run down Hudson Landing because he’s a really good horse, and we’ve had a really good rivalry,” he said.

Positive Response, a 5-year-old Pomeroy gelding, earned $30,300 for his fifth stakes victory for owners Saul Gevertz, Roger Newman, Ray Pagano, and Morey. He has earned $385,783, with nine victories in 25 starts.