Eulices Gomez, 22, guided Neiman the Saint to a three-length victory in Saturday's first race at Bay Meadows, winning aboard the first mount of his career.
A Los Angeles native, Gomez has been galloping horses for three years, including runners for trainer Keith Craigmyle, who saddled Neiman the Saint ($6.40) in the $16,000 claimer for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.
Catlaunch ($6.60) controlled the pace throughout and scored a 2 3/4-length victory over defending champion Count on My Word in Saturday's $50,000 Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial Handicap for Ohio-breds at Beulah Park.
Jockey Ivan Gonzalez rated Catlaunch through a half-mile in 48.68 seconds and the 122-pound starting highweight had plenty left in the tank through the stretch while stopping the timer in 1:51.30 for the 1 1/8 miles over a fast track. Count on My Word rallied from next to last in the eight-horse field to finish second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of Go Johnny Go.
Gin Rummy King proved as tenacious as he is talented, holding on gamely in the face of several challenges to post a well deserved one-length decision over Dry Martini in the $45,000 Gizmo's Fortune Stakes at Calder.
Gin Rummy King, a bit rank in the early going, dragged jockey Manoel Cruz to the lead after the opening half-mile of the 1 1/16-mile Gizmo's Fortune. A son of Double Honor, Gin Rummy King then repulsed bids from 6-5 favorite Big Lover and Guapeton before withstanding a final surge from Dry Martini.
Smart Growth, bet from 4-1 on the morning line to 7-5 favorite, rallied from last in a field of six to win the $54,000 Stymie by 3 1/2 lengths Saturday at Delaware Park.
Smart Growth circled rivals on the far turn, took the lead a furlong out, and won going away.
Confucius Say, the 5-2 third choice, stalked the early pace, grabbed the lead with three furlongs left, and had no answer for Smart Growth while holding second by a half-length over 12-1 Diamond David. Second choice Angelic Aura was well-placed early but faded in the drive, finishing fifth.
Somethinaboutlaura ($2.80) performed exactly as expected, scoring an easy victory in the $68,763 Autumn Leaves Handicap at Bay Meadows.
The 4-year-old filly rated nicely behind Breeze Along despite being eased a little wide into the first turn by Penny Ante. She moved up on the backstretch, went by Breeze Along on the second turn, and was in control through the stretch. She defeated Royal Kleven by four lengths in the 1o1/16-mile race on a fast track, timed in 1:41.90.
"That's just the way it was supposed to go," winning jockey Russell Baze said after his 9,516th victory.
Midway on the far turn in Saturday's $75,000 Northern Dancer at Laurel, the five-horse race was unfolding basically as expected. The 1-5 favorite Ah Day was tracking the pacesetting Forty Crowns and appeared ready to go by any moment that jockey Mario Pino asked.
Proving his last-out nine-length slop win at Belmont was no fluke, Accountforthegold ($10.60) quickly took command at the start of Saturday's $110,100 , and led past every pole to win by a length over late-rallying 7-5 favorite Carminooch. Organizer, the recent winner of the Empire Classic, finished third, as New York-breds swept the top three positions in the Grade 3 stakes.
Vancouver invader True Metropolitan became the front-runner for this year's Sovereign Award as Canada's champion older horse by winning his fifth consecutive race Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,400 .
As expected, Just Rushing and favored Barracuda Boy dueled up front through fractions of 24.13 seconds, 47.09, and 1:11.84 in the 1 1/16-mile event. True Metropolitan commenced his rally in unison with Edenwold going into the far turn, and made the lead at the quarter pole before drawing off for a four-length victory.
But the Ramseys were in the Churchill winner's circle sporting their familiar grins late Saturday afternoon after watching Precious Kitten, a half-sister to their Eclipse Award winner Kitten's Joy, gamely hold off J'ray in the desperate final yards of the Grade 2, $170,550 at Churchill.
"Boy, it's great to get off the duck," Ken Ramsey said afterward, employing an oft-used saying for having no wins at a race meet.
MIAMI - Saturday's third race may have been a perfect indication of what to expect from the jockeys' race between now and the end of the Tropical at Calder meeting on Jan. 2.
Leading riders Jermaine Bridgmohan and Manoel Cruz hooked up aboard Go Native and 4-5 favorite Valentine Verse from the half-mile pole to the wire in the mile turf race for 2-year-old fillies, with neither giving a quarter until Bridgmohan and Go Native edged to a narrow victory in the closing yards.
