Racing! Welcome back to Golden Gate

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we get into the nostalgia business.

One of the more popular things in the newsletter are when we look back at racing in its better days. Not to give away a secret, but horse racing skews older, meaning the words “Hollywood Park” come up in more emails than you might expect.

The New York Racing Assn. put together a series of look backs leading up to next week’s Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Some of them involve our Southern California mainstays. Over the next few weeks I thought we would reprint a couple of them, courtesy of Pat McKenna, media bigshot at NYRA.

They are sold as if they were “in their own words” by the principals, but we all know what that means. Here’s a guess they are more “as told to” Tom Pedulla, the veteran and respected turf writer, who has done work for the Los Angeles Times. But what does it matter? Important people have speech writers.

So, this first one deals with Chris McCarron, a longtime legend in the Southern California jockey’s colony. It also deals with locally based horse Deputy Commander and trainer Wally Dollase.

Here’s Chris (and Tom) and an installment of “In Their Own Words”:

“I was on a golf course in January 1997 when I received news that was hard to hear and even harder to digest. My mother, Helen, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Doctors gave her six months to live.

“Seven months later, my mother was gone. She died on Tuesday of Travers week at our family’s home in Milton, Mass. I was set to ride a top contender, Deputy Commander, in the Travers, a race I had won twice before, when Forty Niner edged Seeking The Gold in 1988 and Corporate Report nipped Hansel in 1991.

“Suddenly, chasing that third win did not seem so important. I was consumed by the loss of my mother and all that she had meant to me, my five brothers and three sisters. Even though the funeral was set for Friday, when I arrived in Massachusetts, I told my siblings that I was going to miss the Travers out of respect for our mother.

“Not long after that, my brothers and sisters talked among themselves and kind of corralled me in the kitchen. They all had the same message. ‘She would want you to fulfill your obligations, so you better go and ride.’

“I told the trainer, Wally Dollase, that I would get there. I arrived in Saratoga Springs on Saturday morning. Initially, it was hard to focus. Thoughts of the funeral were still so fresh. Once I got to the paddock for the Travers, I kind of went on autopilot. I knew Deputy Commander well. I knew how he needed to be ridden. Everything was very clear in my mind. It was a matter of both of us executing.

“Deputy Commander was pretty much a speed horse. He took me to the lead just as I hoped he would. We stayed there until Behrens ranged up and hooked us at the top of the stretch. Deputy Commander and Behrens were essentially matching strides until Behrens poked his head in front with one furlong to go.

“I asked Deputy Commander for more, knowing he was a very game individual. Sure enough, he dug down and found more. We inched ahead of Behrens, who was full of fight himself. Deputy Commander would not be denied. It was a furious stretch run, but I could tell we got there by a nose.

“When we reached the winner’s circle and fans showed their appreciation for Deputy Commander’s gutsy performance with a rousing ovation, the emotions of the week got to me. I broke down in tears. I had felt Helen’s spirit with me the entire day. As much as she meant to me throughout her life, she carried me through that day.

“It was my first truly spiritual experience, and it was overwhelming. Wally and his wife, Cincy, understood what I was going through emotionally. They saw how distraught I was. Even in victory, my sense of loss was so powerful. They could not have been nicer or more understanding.

“I composed myself and returned to the jocks’ room, eager to call my brothers and sisters who were still together in Massachusetts. Naturally, they were ecstatic for me, appreciating all that had gone into winning a Travers I almost did not ride.”

Wow, thanks Chris. Come to think of it, I like these nostalgia pieces too.

Del Mar review

In Wednesday’s feature, a five-furlong turf allowance for fillies and mares worth a total purse of $67,000, Just Grazed Me came off a stalking position to win by a length.

Just Grazed Me, trained by Phil D’Amato and ridden by Giovanni Franco, paid $4.40, $3.00 and $2.20. Storming Lady was second and Gypsy Blue finished third.

Del Mar preview

Remember what I said about Wednesday’s card as being proof they are saving all the good stuff for the weekend? Well, ditto Thursday. There are seven races with a 2 p.m. start. There are three races on the turf. Three races for maidens, three claimers and one allowance/optional claimer.

Sitting in the traditional penultimate race spot, in this case the sixth, you’ve got Cal-bred fillies and mares going a mile on the turf for a purse of $64,000. Shehastheritestuff is the 5-2 favorite for trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Rafael Bejarano. She is four-for-22 lifetime and hasn’t won since July 19, 2017. She was third last out in an allowance.

Sedamar is the second favorite at 3-1 for Shelbe Ruis and Ruben Fuentes. She is one-for-eight lifetime and broke her maiden in November at Del Mar. She was second last out in an allowance.

Here are the field sizes, in order: 7, 6, 6, 8 (2 also eligible), 8, 9, 10.

Bob Ike’s DMR pick of the day

SIXTH RACE: No. 4 Sedamar (3-1)

Not too creative in here as the second choice on the morning line gets the call. The Shelbe Ruis-trained filly comes off a fine runner-up try to similar Cal-bred allowance runners going this one-mile distance on turf. She clearly likes the Del Mar course, should get first jump on main threat Shehastheritestuff and hopefully can hold off that one to the wire.

Wednesday’s result: Connected on the exacta box as favorite Just Grazed Me held off hard-charging Storming Lady to return $11.80 for every $2 wagered.

Bob Ike is a Partner/VP of Horsebills.com (here’s a video) and the proprietor of BobIkePicks.com (full-card picks, 3 Best Plays and betting strategy).

Golden Gate weekend preview

He’s baaaaaaack. After a short vacation, Matt Dinerman, the race caller at Golden Gate, is back with his weekly look at what’s happening up at Golden Gate Fields. Racing returns on Thursday for a short seven-week summer race meeting before a couple of weeks off and then back again. Matt’s boundless enthusiasm can be heard in his calls and seen in his writing, even though I edit out some of it. Editors! Take it away, Matt.

“The Summer meet at Golden Gate Fields is upon us. Live racing resumes at Golden Gate this Thursday with a seven-race program, and we’ll run for the next seven weeks. The turf course is in tip-top shape and the Tapeta is still in fine form leading up to this meet.

“We race Thursday-Sunday with a first post of 1:45 p.m. There is special race card on Labor Day, Sept. 2. That day, the feature race will be the Rolling Green Stakes for 3-year-olds and up on turf.

“Two new riders to the Northern California jockey colony, Heriberto Figueroa and David C. Lopez, are featured on opening week mounts and will be residing in Northern California for the foreseeable future. We wish Heriberto and David the best of luck this meet.

“Before riding in races, 19-year-old Figueroa graduated from the highly regarded Escuela Vocacional Hipica riding school in Puerto Rico, which has taught and mentored a number of American riding sensations including Manny Franco, Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz and John Velazquez. Figueroa spent his apprenticeship on the Southern California circuit, where he was the leading rider at all three Los Alamitos thoroughbred meets last year.

“Lopez, a 29-year-old son of popular East Coast rider Chuck ‘C.C.’ Lopez, is no stranger to California racing. In fact, Lopez went head and head with North America’s all-time winningest jockey Russell Baze in 2015 for the Golden Gate Fields ‘top jockey’ title before racking up the leading apprentice award at the 2016 Santa Anita winter meet, with 26 wins. Lopez suffered two separate serious back injuries in 2017 and 2018, which kept the third-generation jockey from riding in races for more than two years.

“After a challenging recovery, he returned this past May at Arapahoe Park in Colorado and finished the meeting last week with 23 wins. Using Arapahoe as a steppingstone, Lopez is back in the Bay Area and looking for more wins at a track where he has already had plenty of success.

“Race 4at Golden Gate Fields on Friday goes as the fourth leg of the Stronach 5 wager. It’s a maiden $20,000 claimer for fillies going one mile on the turf, looks like a very competitive. I give the nod to No. 7 Oligarchy, who tries grass for the first time but has turf breeding on both sides of the pedigree. There is a mandatory payout on the Stronach 5 this week.

“Oligarchy is my XBTV Friday Daymaker. My Thursday Daymaker is No. 6 Perfect Edition in the first race. We’re going to try to make some money right off the bat with Perfect Edition, a filly who will benefit making her second career start routing Thursday. She weakened late going 11/16 miles in her first career route try and I believe the mile distance will suit her better. She is projected to stalk likely pacesetter No. 2 Coffeeafterdark and get first jump on closers behind her, all whom don’t have much early speed.

“Here’s to a fun meet for all! Back to you, John.”

Looking forward to more reports during the meeting.

Final thought

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Now, the stars of the show, Wednesday’s results and Thursday’s entries.