Through nine decades, Golden Gate Fields has had a rich history as an integral part of Northern California racing. Here’s a glance at some of the most historic days in advance of the track’s closure on Sunday.
Feb. 1, 1941 – A delayed 33-day meeting begins with a program run on a muddy track. A week later, the second Saturday program turns out to be the final day of the season before it is canceled because of an unsafe surface. All 40 races were run on an off track.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As impressive as it was for trainer D. Wayne Lukas to win the Preakness Stakes at age 88, exercise rider Danny Ramsey may have him beat.
At age 74, Ramsey still gets on five to seven horses every morning, something he has done since coming to the United States in 1970 following a five-year riding career in his native Nassau, Bahamas. For the last few weeks, Ramsey has been the regular exercise rider for Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna.
The Louisiana Racing Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted unanimously to rescind two rules that would have significantly relaxed the regulations governing the administration of clenbuterol, a bronchial dilator that has been widely abused in racing, and a potent corticosteroid that is typically injected into sore joints.
It’s a major change on the spring schedule: The Belmont Stakes will be contested Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, at a distance of 1 1/4 miles. The massive renovation of Belmont Park necessitates the move for the next two years; the configuration of Saratoga’s 1 1/8-mile track necessitates the distance shift from the traditional 1 1/2 miles.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Not by design, The Wine Steward has shown up fashionably late to the Triple Crown party that ends Saturday with the $2 million Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. His connections hope it’s not too late for him to make an impression in the 3-year-old division.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Flavien Prat received a stay from Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, allowing him to ride at Saratoga from Friday through Sunday despite receiving a suspension for those days for a riding infraction at Santa Anita on May 27.
In a ruling issued Friday, Santa Anita stewards Grant Baker, Luis Jauregui, and Kim Sawyer cited Prat for causing interference shortly after the start of the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Chad Brown pair of Program Trading and I’m Very Busy take on the Charlie Appleby-trained duo of Measured Time and Nations Pride in the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan Stakes in the race immediately preceding Saturday’s $2 million Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.
The New York Racing Association drew the fields and assigned post positions for 12 of the 14 races to be run Saturday. The draws for the Belmont Stakes itself and the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap were to be drawn on Monday afternoon at an event in downtown Saratoga Springs.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The last time Happy Jack started in a Grade 1, he finished sixth of eight at 17-1 in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters at Saratoga in August 2022.
Nearly two years later, Happy Jack is likely to start in another Grade 1 in the $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs at Del Mar on July 27. The winner of the Bing Crosby Stakes receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
This time, Happy Jack will command a higher measure of respect from bettors.
SARATOGA
Weather: Clear
Track: Fast
Temperature: 54
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The final piece of the Belmont Stakes workout puzzle fell into place nicely around 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning over the Oklahoma training track. Wood Memorial winner RESILIENCE solidified his spot in the lineup with a very solid half-mile breeze in 47.88 seconds that delighted a gathering of about two-dozen spectators, none more so than his Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
