Gonzalez Can Spot a Winner

The first time Roberto Gonzalez saw Ema Bovary on the racetrack, he had no idea who she was. But Gonzalez didn’t have to watch her long to tell that she was a runner.

That was early last year, at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California. “It was a morning when I was working another horse,” Gonzalez recalled. “Then I saw this filly who was just galloping up ahead of us.”

Ema Bovary, with an exercise rider aboard, was moving so effortlessly that Gonzalez was hard-pressed to concentrate on his workout. When he got off his horse, he sought out Larry Ross, who had become Ema Bovary’s trainer when the filly was sold for $65,000 in Chile and brought to the U.S.

“I had never ridden for the guy [Ross],” Gonzalez said. “But I told him that he had a nice filly there and I sure would like to ride her. So that’s how I got the mount.”

Since then, Gonzalez and Ema Bovary have been together for eight races. They’ve won all but one -- a misadventure in her first U.S. start -- and they’ll step into graded company Sunday in the Grade III Las Flores Handicap at Santa Anita.

The Mexican-born Gonzalez, 49, has been riding in the U.S. for almost three decades, and he can personally think of only one other distaffer who ranks with Ema Bovary.

“I rode Gourmet Girl,” Gonzalez said, referring to the mare who won an Eclipse award for best older female in 2001. “But she was better at a distance. This horse is the best female sprinter I’ve ever been on.”

All seven of Ema Bovary’s victories in the U.S. have come at 6 or 6 1/2 furlongs. In the six-furlong Las Flores, the 5-year-old mare will carry high weight of 121 pounds, which is four to seven pounds more than any of her six opponents. The others running in the $100,000 race are Coconut Girl, Sarasota, Buffythecenterfold, Channing Way, Ican’tgoforthat and Annabelly. Ema Bovary drew the No. 2 post.

In her first start for Ross, last February, Ema Bovary broke from the inside post in a field of seven at Golden Gate.

“She took a left-hand turn out of the gate,” Gonzalez said. “I was lucky to stay on. I thought she was going to jump over the rail.”

By the time Gonzalez got Ema Bovary straightened out, she trailed the field, 15 lengths behind the leader. She stayed last, but made up a lot of ground with a late run and was beaten by only 5 1/4 lengths.

Gonzalez was hardly discouraged. His horse came back five weeks later at Golden Gate and ran six furlongs in 1:08 4/5 to start her streak. She has toured the West Coast, winning three races at Golden Gate, two at Emerald Downs near Seattle, one at Hollywood Park and two at Santa Anita. In her last start, at Santa Anita, she finished second, beaten by a nose, in the Kalookan Queen Handicap on Dec. 31, but was moved to first by the stewards after the apparent winner, Royally Chosen, came out and bumped her near the wire.

Gonzalez, the son of a jockey, won his first race in the U.S. at Hollywood Park. He mechanically rattled off the date -- May 2, 1976. He won 46 races at that meet, and was the best apprentice on the grounds. He continued to ride at the other Southern California tracks, but transferred to Northern California -- Golden Gate and Bay Meadows -- in 1977.

“I had trouble getting mounts,” Gonzalez said of his final months in Southern California. “I was getting on a tremendous number of horses in the mornings, but it wasn’t paying off with mounts in the afternoons.”

At Bay Meadows, Gonzalez rode his 3,000th winner in 1998, and now he’s approaching the 4,000-victory mark.

“I think I’ve got about 300 to go,” he said. “I’d like to make the 4,000, and may even keep going. You never know about the future when you’re riding, anything can happen. I’m 100% now. I’m just going to let my body tell me.”

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Seventh Heaven

Ema Bovary, after stumbling in her U.S. debut a year ago, has won seven races in a row, with jockey Roberto Gonzalez. She will race again Sunday at Santa Anita:

*--* Date Trk Distance Time Handicap (purse) Jan. 24, 2004 GG 6 fur 1:08 2/5 Orinda ($63K) Dec. 31, 2003 SA 6 1/2 fur 1:14 4/5 Kalookan Queen ($85K) Nov. 29, 2003 HP 6 fur 1:09 1/5 Non stakes ($51K) Nov. 9, 2003 GG 6 fur 1:08 3/5 Camilla Urso ($61K) May 25, 2003 EmD 6 1/2 fur 1:15 Wash. Legislators ($35K) May 4, 2003 EmD 6 1/2 furlongs 1:14 2/5 Hastings Park ($35K) Mar 23, 2003 GG 6 fur 1:08 4/5 Soviet Problem ($59K)

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GG-Golden Gate. SA-Santa Anita. HP-Hollywood Park. EmD-Emerald Downs.