Magic Spot among tough invaders for Golden Gate stakes

Southern California shippers make up most of the fields for the two stakes Sunday at Golden Gate Fields. The $100,000 Campanile is for 3-year-old California-bred fillies, and the $100,000 Silky Sullivan is for 3-year-old California-breds. Both will be run at one mile on turf.

The five-runner Campanile attracted four Southern California runners, topped by the speedy Magic Spot, as well as the locally based Global Rule, who is owned, bred, and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.

The Silky Sullivan’s field of eight rematches the first three finishers in the $250,000 Snow Chief at Santa Anita – Awesome Return, Patriots Rule, and Alert Bay – who will have local turf stakes winner G. G. Ryder waiting for them.

Hector Palma co-owns and trains Magic Spot, who has led every step of the way in her three turf starts, winning maiden and optional-claiming races for statebreds and an open optional claimer, all at Santa Anita.

“This filly has been good,” Palma said of Magic Spot, a daughter of Papa Clem whom he owns with BG Stables, which also bred her.

Golden Gate’s turf course is lusher and deeper than the one she’s been running on at Santa Anita, but the course can still play kindly to speed. Perhaps of greater concern is that Magic Spot returns from her open optional-claiming win after only two weeks.

“She’s in great shape,” Palma said. “We’ve just kept her galloping long. Everything’s good. She looks good. If she were tired, we wouldn’t go to San Francisco.”

Trainer Mike Puype brings Chati’s On Top back to Golden Gate Fields off a second-place finish in a Santa Anita turf sprint. Chati’s On Top won a maiden sprint on the Golden Gate Tapeta in January.

Puype said he might have a better chance of beating Magic Spot at Golden Gate than on her home course.

“If there’s a time to beat her, it could come when switching courses, but she’s still the filly to beat,” he said.

And just waiting for the invaders is Global Rule, who won a maiden race in her only turf race.

Despite the presence of several tough shippers, G. G. Ryder could be favored in the Silky Sullivan based on his local victory in the Alcatraz and his 2-for-2 record over the course.

But G. G. Ryder will have to beat a sharp horse in the Puype-trained Awesome Return, who has two wins, a second, and a third in four turf starts. He used a late run to win the Snow Chief at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on April 26.

“Speed was dominant [at Santa Anita] for months,” Puype said. “If you can make up ground down here, he should like the course at Golden Gate.”

Patriots Rule made up ground late when second to Awesome Return in the Snow Chief but might want longer than the mile of the Silky Sullivan. Alert Bay, the third-place finisher in the Snow Chief, won the Echo Eddie Stakes on the main track at Santa Anita and beat G. G. Ryder on the main track here.

Eddie’s First stretches out off a track-record maiden win on Santa Anita’s downhill turf course. He sped the distance of about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:10.73 and earned a 100 Beyer.

Pathway to Yes has won two straight in turf sprints at Santa Anita. The Mad Hungarian rounds out the field.