Gomez Can Pad His Lead

Garrett Gomez is making a mockery of the jockey race at Oak Tree.

Three weeks into the meet and Gomez already has a 12-victory lead on runner-up Patrick Valenzuela. Gomez has ridden 26 winners from 102 mounts.

Trying to pad his advantage, Gomez has mounts in six of the eight races on today’s card, including old pro Full Moon Madness in the sixth.

Now a 10-year-old, Full Moon Madness, a California-bred son of Half A Year, won for the 16th time last month, winning a $12,500 claimer at Fairplex by 2 1/2 lengths as the 11-10 favorite.

Owned by La Canada Stables LLC and trained by Jack Carava, Full Moon Madness, who has earned nearly $1.2 million, has had much success at Santa Anita. He has won five of 15 in Arcadia and will break from the rail today as he steps up to the $20,000 level.

Besides Full Moon Madness, Gomez will also ride Sea Driver in the first, Tommy’s Topper in the third, Tattletale Tonya in the fourth, El Salsero, a new face from Florida, in the fifth and Element K. in the seventh.

Race of the day: Capitola, who has won two in a row and three of her last four, will switch to the grass today in search of her eighth lifetime win in the seventh at Golden Gate Fields. Russell Baze will ride the 4-year-old Maria’s Mon filly for Gene Johnson and trainer Armando Lage in the $32,000 claimer at five furlongs. This is the first of 46 days at Golden Gate.

One for the road: Royal Moro makes his first start for high-percentage trainer Bruce Levine and can win in his New York debut in today’s seventh at Belmont Park. Eibar Coa will ride the 6-year-old gelding for owners Weatherwatch Farm and Roddy Valente in the $50,000 claimer at six furlongs. The gray was claimed for the same amount out of a nose loss at Del Mar on Aug. 18. Levine is winning at a 30% clip in 2005.

Exotically speaking: A pick four using The Missile Came and El Salsero in the fifth, Full Moon Madness and Bear On My Mind in the sixth, Jill’s Sky, Stormin Lucy and Banish The Blues in the seventh and Tina’s Love and La Chola in the eighth.

Winners: (Previous Day/Meet Total): 2/47. Money: (Previous Day/Meet Total): $7.40/$248.40. Total money bet: $278.