Wild Jewels refuses to give up, takes Gold Rush Stakes

Wild Jewels did not have the most attractive win in Saturday’s $75,450 Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields, or by any means the quickest, but the determined manner of his effort was enough to prevail by a half-length in the one-mile race for 2-year-olds.

In his debut around two turns, Wild Jewels stalked a slow pace set by 13-1 Immelmann, took the lead with a quarter-mile remaining and overcame an erratic stretch run to win narrowly.

Ridden by Catalino Martinez, Wild Jewels was passed briefly by 5-1 Classy City in the stretch, and fought back to catch that rival.

Classy City finished a length in front of 7-2 Sushi Sticks, the only filly in a field of six.

Wild Jewels ($2.80) ran a mile on the synthetic track in 1:39.90 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 67. Wild Jewels tracked Immelmann through an early pace of 24.30 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.65 for a half-mile.

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Drum Bunny finished fourth, followed by It Aint Over and Immelmann.

Wild Jewels races for owners and breeders Larry and Marianne Williams and trainer Steve Specht. A California-bred by Tamarando, Wild Jewels has won 4 of 6 starts and earned $148,810.

The Gold Rush Stakes was the second consecutive stakes win by Wild Jewels, who won the Golden Nugget Stakes at six furlongs at Golden Gate Fields on Nov. 11.

Earlier this year, Wild Jewels was second to the filly Dreamfyre in the Everett Nevin Stakes at the Alameda County Fair at Pleasanton in July, and fifth of eight in the Graduation Stakes for statebreds at Del Mar in August, the only time he has finished worse than second.

Dreamfyre later won two Grade 3 stakes for fillies.

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