Top Harbor takes narrow El Dorado Shooter triumph
Three-year-old Top Harbor ($7.60), second against older in a pair of earlier sprint stakes, won a narrow photo over In Our A in Sunday's $75,000 El Dorado Shooter in what was likely the race of the year at Golden Gate Fields.
Television viewers and commentators as well as winning trainer Tim McCanna all thought In Our A, who came into the race with a career record of five wins and four seconds in nine starts, was the winner.
“I thought I got beat,” said McCanna, who said he was watching 20 feet from the wire, “but my wife (who was closer to the wire) said he won. I was surprised.”
“It was as close as you can get unless it was a dead heat,” said In Our A's trainer Ellen Jackson.
As expected, favored War Games took the lead in the field of five. In Our A's rider Pedro Terrero, who won Saturday's Pike Place Dancer aboard Vaping Angel, initiated an early challenge, but War Games, under Francisco Duran, beat back the early challenge.
Top Harbor, meanwhile was last at the first call.
“That's his best race,” McCanna said. “He kinda compromised his chances at Fresno (in the Harris Farm Stakes) by sitting too close. When I saw the 22.17, I knew he had a chance.”
War Games led to the stretch with fractions of 45.31 for the half and 57.24 for five furlongs, but he was getting pressure from the inside by Top Harbor, whose rider Frank Alvarado took advantage of an open lane along the rail, and outside by In Our A, both of whom went by him and continued their unrelenting duel to the finish line.
Winning time was 1:09.46 with In Our A 1 1/2 lengths in front of War Games at the finish.
As a 3-year-old, Top Harbor got a two-pound weight break and also drew the rail, which might have made a difference McCanna allowed, but both runners basically got ideal trips.
Jackson said Terrero second-guessed himself for going outside War Games when he made his move, but she was fine with the decision.
Top Harbor earned $45,000 for his second stakes victory. The Gordy Jarnig, Kenny Marshall and Eric M. Schweiger homebred has career earnings of $187,774 with four wins, three seconds and a third in 11 career starts. He won the Everett Nevin at Pleasanton last year as a 2-year-old and ran second in both the Oak Tree Sprint at Pleasanton and Harris Farm at Fresno this year.
Top Harbor and In Our A will likely meet in the Oakland, a $50,000 sprint stakes scheduled Nov. 20.