Scrofa wins Work the Crowd Handicap

ALBANY, Calif. - Scrofa ($11.20), who won her previous start despite a six-wide trip, turned a ground-saving trip into a stakes victory in the $100,000 at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday.

With pacesetter Marty's Zee racing very wide off the rail, jockey Omar Figueroa Jr. kept Scrofa to the inside while maintaining a good stalking position.

"[Trainer Paul Aguirre] told me to ride the same as when I won with her [at Fairplex], just save some ground," Figueroa said. "It was very nice. I waited for the speed, then came through on the inside."

Figueroa made his move approaching the second turn of the one-mile turf race. He met no resistance from Marty's Zee, who packed Our Mango four wide. He was unchallenged the rest of the way, defeating favored Shalini by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:37.82 over a course labeled good.

"I had a chance to go out, but I waited there in good position all the way," Figueroa said. "I asked her a bit into the turn, but she was strong all the way. I still had more left."

Aguirre has seen Scrofa win four of five starts since claiming for $62,500. The 3-year-old filly earned $50,600 for her first stakes victory and now has career earnings of $172,120 with five wins in 17 starts.

"It was a dream trip," Aguirre said. "The only time she didn't run good was when we asked her to run 1 1/4 miles at Cal Cup, and she bled that day."