Stoic Luna has more than paid her way since she was claimed for $32,000 at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton on June 24. Since then, Stoic Luna has won two of three starts and earned $33,360 for owner Melvin Simonovich and trainer Jack Steiner. A 5-year-old mare, Stoic Luna could provide a greater payday with a win in Saturday’s $50,000 Golden Gate Fields Turf Distaff at 1 1/16 miles. “We claimed her at the right time,” Steiner said. “When you claim a horse for that kind of money on this circuit, you hope for the best. It’s worked out.” The Turf Distaff is the second of two stakes at the Golden Gate Fields late summer and early autumn meeting that ends on Oct. 2. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Stoic Luna is already a winner at the meeting, in an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on turf on Aug. 27. She closed from fifth in a field of six to win by a neck over Medeira Wine, who is part of the Turf Distaff field. “She’s got a good stalking ability,” Steiner said. Since the win, Stoic Luna has worked once, going a half-mile on the synthetic main track in 51.80. Steiner insists the time is not a reflection of Stoic Luna’s workout. “It’s more that we start out easy and we finish up strong down the lane,” he said. “She had a great gallop-out.” Stoic Luna, who will be ridden by Evin Roman, will start from the inside in a field of six. Stoic Luna will be in pursuit of expected pacesetter Madeira Wine, one of three runners in the field trained by Manny Badilla. Even though Stoic Luna has won her last two starts, Steiner is taking a slightly guarded approach. “It’s a pretty wide-open race,” he said. Badilla also starts the closer Momma Mocca, who won an allowance race on turf at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa in her last start on Aug. 13, and Naughty Nadine, who was last of nine in a $40,000 claimer at Del Mar on Aug. 18, but had sharper form at Golden Gate Fields in the spring. Madeira Wine has won four times in the last year by leading throughout. The wins have come on dirt, synthetic, and turf tracks. The other runners are Clockstrikestwelve and Assignation, who were third and fourth behind Stoic Luna on Aug. 27. Assignation, who was beaten by 1 1/4 lengths that day, tends to run as a stalker, and could have first run on Stoic Luna in early stretch of the Turf Distaff. Holding off Stoic Luna in the final sixteenth may be difficult. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.