Gelding Sets Own Pace : Horse racing: Forty Niner Days goes to the front and stays there to win $400,000 Golden Gate Handicap.

Leave Forty Niner Days alone, and there is no telling how far he can run.

Allowed to set slow early fractions all by himself Saturday, Forty Niner Days went wire-to-wire and won by a half-length in the $400,000 Golden Gate Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.

“I had plenty of horse left (at the finish),” said Rafael Meza, who rode Forty Niner Days. “With that kind of pace, he can go all day.”

Forty Niner Days took the lead out of the gate, but he was not challenged, elected to slow the pace, running a half-mile in 51 1-5 seconds, and six furlongs in 1:16 4-5, and held off Aksar in the final yards.

“On this kind of pace, we could have gone another time around, and they wouldn’t catch me,” Meza said.

The 4-year-old gelded son of Conquistador Cielo, carrying 115 pounds, ran 1 3-8 miles over a firm turf course in 2:17 1-5, more than four seconds off the track record of 2:13 set by John Henry in 1984. This was the longest race of Forty Niner Day’s career.

Although it was expected that Missionary Ridge would challenge for the early lead, trainer Roger Stein wanted Forty Niner Days in front, where he runs best.

“I told Meza you establish yourself early,” Stein said. “You go as fast as you can as far as you can, or (as it turned out) as slow as you can as far as you can. You take your best shot, win or lose. I wanted him on the lead.”

The winner was never headed before opening up a 3-length lead in midstretch.

The victory, the third in seven starts this year for Forty Niner Days worth $240,000, boosted Forty Niner Days’ lifetime earnings to $487,284. All of that, except for $59,284, has been earned this year.

Forty Niner Days won the San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate on March 23, and the All American Handicap on April 27. In his last start, Forty Niner Days was beaten a neck, losing in the final yards, to Shotiche, in the Rolling Green Handicap on May 25, also at Golden Gate.

Sent off the 9-2 third choice, Forty Niner Days paid $11.60, $7 and $4.80. Aksar, carrying 115, returned $4.20 and $3, and Missionary Ridge, carrying 114, paid $6.60 to show.

Aksar, ridden by Gary Stevens, was second two lengths in front of Missionary Ridge, ridden by Alex Solis, in a field of nine older horses, 3 years old and up.

“I was hoping Missionary Ridge would apply a little pressure (to Forty Niner Days early),” said Stevens. “I couldn’t jeopardize my position and challenge him. ... Believe it or not, I felt like I should have won it. This horse really hunt in the last 50 yards.”

The 2-1 favorite Mashkour, who won the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita in April, raced seventh early, and closed to finish fifth under Chris McCarron, but never threatened Forty Niner Days.

“(Mashkour) has no early speed even when there is no early speed in the race,” McCarron said. “I think Forty Niner Days earned it. Rafael did a good job of slowing the pace down.”

Following the first three across the finish line, in order, were: Pleasant Variety, Mashkour, Hequet, Soft Machine, River Warden, and Mister Riv.

The Grade II race boasted the largest purse ever offered in Northern California thoroughbred racing.