How far can Jimmy O carry speed?

POMONA, Calif. - Handicappers will have no difficulty identifying the pacesetter Thursday in the $50,000 Gateway to Glory Stakes at Fairplex Park. Finding the likely winner is a different story altogether.

A modest field of 2-year-olds race 1 1/16 miles in the Gateway to Glory, and Jimmy O will set the pace. The question is, how far? Jimmy O benefited from a pronounced speed bias Sept. 17 when he won gate to wire in the Beau Brummel Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs. The Fairplex racetrack has evened out since then, and for Jimmy O to win the Gateway to Glory, he will need to do it without help.

A front-runner by Stormy Atlantic, Jimmy O has won 2 of 6 for trainer David LaCroix. Matt Garcia will ride the pacesetting Jimmy O, who will have seven rivals.

Pine for Java ran poorly as the second choice in the Beau Brummel, failing to produce any rally whatsoever. He finished fifth, beat nearly 10 lengths. If the Sept. 17 speed bias flattered front-runners, it also compromised late-runners such as Pine for Java. He goes long for the first time, and off his runner-up finish to Vindication on Aug. 22 at Del Mar, Pine for Java is a perfect fit under Tyler Baze.

Other entrants are Manhattan Express, Aye Chihuahua, Charmer Baron, Kissin Paster, Hair Jordan, and Slab Granite.

Bob's Lady rallies to win Marian

Late-runner Bob's Lady exploited a fast pace to score a $13 upset in Monday's $50,000 CTBA Marian Stakes. Jockey Iggy Puglisi rated Bob's Lady well off the contested pace in the 1 1/16- mile race for Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies, and she wore down Excessive Angi to win by a half-length in 1:45.54. It was seven lengths back to third-place Surprisingly. Shalini, the 5-2 favorite, finished a flat fourth.

Bob's Lady is trained by John Sadler and owned by her breeder, John Barr. Bob's Lady will run next in a California Cup race on Nov. 2.

* An 8,000-acre wildfire two miles northwest of Fairplex Park has not affected racing. The fire began Sunday in nearby foothills and was only 5 percent contained as of midday Tuesday. Smoke blocked the sun, casting a pall over the racetrack and surrounding areas, but was not considered a risk to racehorses. However, some 70 riding horses from stables in the fire-endangered foothills were evacuated and stabled temporarily at Fairplex.

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