Palo Alto Baby wins Golden State Juvenile Fillies; Cupid Cowboy takes Golden State Juvenile

ARCADIA, Calif. - Palo Alto Baby and Cupid Cowboy delivered surprise results in seven-furlong stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Palo Alto Baby ($19.80) stalked 2-5 favorite Ember Royale to early stretch before drawing away to win the $178,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies by 3 1/2 lengths in her first start in a stakes.

Earlier in the day, Cupid Cowboy ($58.20) won the Golden State Juvenile for colts and geldings.

Palo Alto Baby, who was ridden by Midwest-based Emmanuel Esquivel, in his first day of riding at Santa Anita, was timed in 1:24.07.

Esquivel was instructed by trainer Peter Miller not to engage the speedy Ember Royale, if possible. Palo Alto Baby raced with 2-5 favorite Ember Royale early and trailed by a half-length at the end of the backstretch before Esquivel urged her into contention.

“I had a lot of horse,” Esquivel said. “She broke on top.

“I was loaded the whole way. She took a breather on the turn. I let her get comfortable.”

Tashie, the third-longest shot in the field at 70-1, closed from fourth in the final furlong to finish second, a neck in front of 6-1 Free Closer.

The $1 Palo Alto Baby-Tashie exacta paid $470.10.

Daytona Diamond finished fourth, followed by Ember Royale, Lihue Princess, Manee, Beautiful Dawn, Stay Bossy, Strident Miss and Ms Grainger Danger.

Ember Royale trailed Palo Alto Baby by a length with a furlong remaining and faded to lose by about 4 1/4 lengths. Trained by Jeff Bonde, Ember Royale was favored after winning a maiden race for statebred fillies by 17 1/2 lengths in her first start on Sept. 26.

“It’s disappointing,” Bonde said. “We’ll see how she comes out of it.”

Palo Alto Baby races for owner and breeder Robert Traynor. By Stanford, Palo Alto Baby is unbeaten in two starts. She won a $50,000 claiming race for statebred maiden fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs by 9 1/4 lengths at Del Mar on Aug.20.

Palo Alto Baby has earned $129,000.

Esquivel won the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Keeneland on Friday aboard Real Goodbar. He is riding at Churchill Downs and Horseshoe Indianapolis in coming days.

Golden State Juvenile

Cupid Cowboy gave trainer Edwin Alvarez his first stakes win, and jockey Abel Lezcano his first stakes win in more than three years, with a shock victory in the $176,500 Golden State Juvenile.

Cupid Cowboy closed from fifth of eight to win by a length over 39-1 Believer. The $1 Cupid Cowboy-Believer exacta paid $558.20. Golden Club (9-2) finished third, beaten 2 3/4 lengths.

Early Encore, the 1-5 favorite on the strength of a win in the I’m Smokin Stakes for statebreds at six furlongs at Del Mar on Sept. 7, stalked the pace on the inside before fading to finish sixth by 6 1/4 lengths.

“My horse was never comfortable inside and I couldn’t get him out of there,” jockey Armando Ayuso said of Early Encore.

Early Encore was a massive favorite in the show pool, drawing $144,047 of the $162,149 bet in the pool. With Early Encore out of the first three, the $2 show payoffs were massive. Cupid Cowboy paid $25.60 to show. Believer paid $76.20, while Golden Club paid $16.60.

Cupid Cowboy ran seven furlongs in 1:25.06.

“When we turned for home and I asked him, my horse switched leads and took off,” Lezcano said.

Cupid Cowboy, a colt by Stay Thirsty, races for the partnership of Victor Flores, Terry Lovingier, and John Moroney. Lovingier bred Cupid Cowboy, who has won 2 of 7 starts and earned $195,900. Cupid Cowboy was a well-beaten third in the I’m Smokin Stakes in his stakes debut.

Alvarez, 49, began training in 2020 shortly after the death of Gary Sherlock. Alvarez was a longtime assistant to Sherlock.

Cupid Cowboy gave Lezcano his first stakes win since W W Candy won the Work All Week Handicap at Hawthorne in July 2023.

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