Gomo back on grass in Juvenile Fillies Turf
DEL MAR, Calif. – Gomo seems capable of competing in any sort of race for 2-year-old fillies.
She beat maidens on turf June 25 at Santa Anita and returned to finish second in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt Aug. 12 at Del Mar. For Labor Day weekend, Gomo was entered Saturday in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante and Monday in the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile.
Trainer Doug O’Neill opted for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, an easier spot.
The Juvenile Fillies Turf is one of two minor stakes Monday, the final day of the Del Mar summer meeting. The Los Alamitos September meeting begins Thursday. Also on Monday, Big Macher, the winner of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes here in July 2014, starts for the first time since March in the $80,000 Pirate’s Bounty Stakes.
JUVENILE FILLIES TURF
Gomo, who races for Paul and Zillah Reddam, has drawn the rail in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, her fourth start. She was second in her debut June 4 at Santa Anita. In her maiden-race win on turf, Gomo led throughout and pulled clear to win by 5 3/4 lengths at 2-5. It was not a strong field, O’Neill admitted.
“You couldn’t have picked a worse group of horses that she beat,” O’Neill said. “She beat them convincingly.”
In the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Gomo is the only stakes-placed filly in the field. There are three others in the field who have won on turf – Imflatoutsweet, a maiden-race winner here Aug. 13, as well as Jakaby Jade and Optimism and Hope, who won maiden races on turf in Europe earlier this summer.
Imflatoutsweet could be a contender for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 30 if she performs well Monday.
“If you do well, you can go in that direction,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “She’s got size, length, and a nice stride.”
Imflatoutsweet won a one-mile race by 2 1/2 lengths over Suttons Sweet, who is one of four maidens in the Juvenile Fillies Turf field.
Jakaby Jade, now trained by O’Neill, overcame a poor start to win a five-furlong maiden race at Lingfield, England, by four lengths July 25 in her second start. Optimism and Hope won a maiden race at a mile on turf July 3 at tiny Bellewstown, Ireland, in her second start.
PIRATE’S BOUNTY
Big Macher was fifth in the $2 million Golden Shaheen for sprinters March 28 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai and had an eventful spring and summer. After resuming training in California in April, Big Macher spent part of May with trainer Wesley Ward in Chicago. There was talk of sending Big Macher to England for a sprint at Royal Ascot in June, but the idea was abandoned when the 5-year-old gelding did not work well on turf.
Back in California, Big Macher was sidelined earlier this summer with a splint-bone injury, trainer Richard Baltas said.
“I backed off for 45 days,” Baltas said.
In recent weeks, Baltas has been encouraged by Big Macher’s workouts, particularly a five-furlong exercise in 58.40 seconds Aug. 23, the fastest of 77 recorded works at the distance. Big Macher worked a half-mile in 48.80 on Aug. 30 under jockey Rafael Bejarano.
“He’s shown he’s right back,” Baltas said. “I worked him out of the gate, and Bejarano was basically galloping him.”
A former maiden claimer, Big Macher won four stakes in 2014, the most prestigious being the Bing Crosby here.
For the Pirate’s Bounty, Big Macher drew outside in post 12 in a field that includes Spirit Rules, the winner of the California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita in January; Wine Police, a multiple stakes winner in New Mexico in 2014; and Why Two, who won the Turf Paradise Derby in February but has not raced since finishing sixth of seven in the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby in March.
Trained by Mike Machowsky, Why Two has worked quickly in recent weeks, notably going five furlongs in 59 seconds flat Wednesday, the fastest of 23 works at the distance.