Good Lovin ships south to try turf as Sherman tests local waters

ARCADIA, Calif. – Never worse than second in three starts at Fresno and Golden Gate Fields, Good Lovin will have his Southern California debut in an allowance race for California-bred 3-year-olds at six furlongs on turf on Monday at Santa Anita.

The colt’s presence at a southern track could be part of a trend for trainer Steve Sherman as the year progresses.

Sherman, 60, said Friday that he is planning to have a sizeable group of horses at Del Mar this summer to assess how his stable rates against the southern circuit. In coming months, he may have more runners at Santa Anita when opportunities arise, he said.

Sherman is based at Golden Gate Fields, which is scheduled to be permanently closed in June. The Northern California circuit will continue at county fair venues from mid-June to early September and again in October, but a racing calendar beyond that has not been finalized.

“I think this summer I’ll try to give Del Mar a shot,” Sherman said Friday. “I’ve gone down there and messed around.

“I’d like to see how I stack up and see if we belong down there. I want to give it a good try. We’ve got a decent barn right now from top to bottom.”

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Sherman won 69 races in 2023, the most since 2014, when he won 75. Sherman is off to a good start in January, having won with three of his first eight runners through Thursday.

Good Lovin, who races for Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, won his debut at the Big Fresno Fair by eight lengths in a maiden race in October and was later second in two starts on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields – in the Golden Nugget Stakes at six furlongs on Nov. 11, and a nose loss in an allowance race at 5 1/2 furlongs on Dec. 2.

The most recent loss stung Sherman after he watched Good Lovin drift to the inside in the final furlong toward eventual winner Tiger in My Tank.

“He laid on that horse a little bit,” Sherman said.

Good Lovin, who is by Stanford, will be ridden by Flavien Prat and is likely to show speed. Sherman said Good Lovin is not “one-dimensional.”

“I’m hoping he takes to the turf course,” Sherman said. “He tries all the time. He gives it all he has.

“He’s got pretty good speed, so he should put himself in a good position.”

The field in Monday’s allowance race has several quick runners.

The expected field includes the filly Someone Like You, who led throughout a maiden race at five furlongs on turf Dec. 1 at Del Mar, beating Quick Kate, who returned to win her next start Dec. 30 at Santa Anita. Safa, the third-place finisher on Dec. 1, won a maiden race for statebred fillies by nine lengths on Jan. 6 at Santa Anita.

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Other notable runners are Beer Money and Immelmann, who won maiden races at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar in November after setting the pace.

They have had different results in subsequent races. Beer Money was a game second by a head in a starter allowance at Los Alamitos in December. Immelmann set the pace in the Gold Rush Stakes at a mile on the synthetic track on Dec. 2 at Golden Gate Fields before fading to finish last of six.

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