HorseRacingNation.com NewsWire

Golden Gate Fields taking action after rail accidents

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:59:48 GMT

I don’t often stay all nine races these days when I hit up Golden Gate Fields on the weekends. Usually I will call it a day after 7 or so and head home to relax after a long day.

But on April 14^th I did stay till the end. I wanted to watch a horse in the finale trained by Tim McCanna called Master Game. Jockey Diego Sanchez (above) liked the horse, who was a first time starter he had been working. I spent 30 minutes earlier that day talking to Diego, catching up on life stuff since we hadn’t talked for a bit.

Master Game broke from the two hole in the 6 furlong race and after just a few steps into stride, made a quick left turn, crossing in front of the one horse, finally crashing into the temporary rail that blocks the sprinters from making the gap that leads to the clubhouse turn.

Sanchez went down hard, hitting the rail and falling to a heap as Master Game continued on around the track. As with all accidents, I went over to the track doctors office to await Diego’s return. It did not happen. After what seemed like an eternity on the backside, Sanchez was transported dire

Golden Gate and Morey Care about After Care

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:49:08 GMT

The topic of after care is a hot topic of discussion these days in the horse racing industry.

Thoroughbred horses go through so much during their racing career, they deserve a good life after. But these days, race horses do find their way to auctions which can lead to kill pens in Canada or Mexico.

Do they just slip through the cracks ? Are they used by people for money that just don’t give a damn? Or is it just a bunch of sad circumstances that land them there?

Probably all of the above. So what can be done? Well, there are organizations that help with this. Canter and Neigh Savers, to name a couple, work directly with trainers to get their horses adopted or placed in a safe place. Yes, sometimes it takes some money and definitely takes quite a bit of planning, but the flip-side can be devastating.

Golden Gate Fields recently found themselves on the sour end of a news story in which a horse that ran as recently as January, was rescued from such an auction. The connections say they did the right thing, but despite that, the trail eventually led to the auction. Whether it’s one,

Morris stepping down as Golden Gate Fields GM

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:41:00 GMT

Golden Gate Fields General Manager Joe Morris announced late last week that he is stepping down to become the president of the Thoroughbred Owners of California.

Morris came to GGF in October of 2011 when then GM Robert Hartman stepped down to pursue other endeavors. When he arrived he was given the term “interim”, basically because nobody knew how long he would be here.

“I came here to turn the place around and we have done that,” Morris said. “ The handle is up for the first time in many years, the P & L has turned around and things are going well. It has been a total team effort and I’m very proud of what everyone has done here. I've enjoyed my time here it has been fantastic.”

Morris (right) will finish out the current meet which ends June 16^th.

“For me, it’s a better opportunity personally with the TOC,” Morris said. “We have accomplished a lot here but with every new job comes a new set of challenges and instead of working at one track I will be dealing with several different sets of issues that comes at a very challenging time for California racing.”

The trac

Aggie Ordonez carries on her father's legacy

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 07:33:11 GMT

Nobody at Golden Gate Fields will argue the fact that trainer Aggie Ordonez knows her stuff. Although she has just a limited number of horses, she has always had good success. Much of her “horse sense” came from her father Pete Anderson.

Anderson, who as a jockey piloted the great Forego to a 4th place finish in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, passed away February 19th in his home state of Florida at the age of 82. He not only made his mark as a jockey but as a trainer. His big horse, Delightful Kiss made over $1 million with seven lifetime victories.

Ordonez will now call on all her wisdom she got from her father, as she continues to excel as a northern California trainer. And lately, she has really been on a roll.

Since her fathers passing, Ordonez has run 10 horses with 5 wins, 3 seconds and a third. There is no doubt in her mind, that dad is up there enjoying her success.

“My dad and I were connected through the horses, that’s how I feel the closest to him,” Ordonez said when reflecting on the loss. “He has always been very supportive of me. I know he’s up there getting th

Luscious Lonna proves well worth the claim for Sloan

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:18:30 GMT

Playing the claiming game can be a challenging one for owners and trainers. A bad claim can forever tarnish a reputation. But a good one? Well, it can help make a career.

Case and point was on display at Golden Gate Fields Sunday.

Eleven fillies and mares went to post in the $50,000 Golden Poppy Stakes. Four of them were trained by hall of fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, including odds-on favorite, and seven time stakes winner, Halo Dolly.

But when the gates opened, a 12-1 longshot named Luscious Lonna went right the front and never looked back. The 5-year-old by Benchmark out of Striking Gold, went wire-to-wire, finishing off a 2 ½ length win under wraps. Why was her victory so significant? You have to look at where she came from to appreciate what her and her connections accomplished.

Lonna was claimed by trainer Nick Sloan for $6,250 out of her second career race. She came to his barn a perfect 2-for-2 and Sloan immediate jumped her to an allowance race, where she ran third but paid a price.

“In that race she got banged around a little at the quarter pole and g

Half way home at Golden Gate

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:27:35 GMT

I wish I could start this off with, " We have reached the half way mark of the current Golden Gate Fields meeting”, but darn it, I missed it by a week. Oh well, close enough, eh? Let’s pretend shall we?

We have reached the half way point of the current Golden Gate Fields meet and I think there is no better time to give you a few of my thoughts heading into the final 48 days of racing. Lets see…what’s on my mind.

The biggest news coming into the meet was the question of when would Russell Baze (above) hit the 12,000 win mark ? Well, half way through the meet, it appears it won’t be during the current season.

Russell started out the meet hot, but as of late, has had a tough time of it. He still leads the GGF standings with 81 wins, but he has won with just 6 of his last 40 mounts. In my opinion, Baze is still riding at a high level, but the success of Dennis Carr and recent return of Juan Hernandez, has helped limit the number of Baze wins. As a rule, Hernandez and Baze don’t ride for the same people too much, but Juan has won 7 of his l

Welcome Back, Billie Klokstad

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:15:28 GMT

One of the fun things about hanging at the race track is seeing a familiar face make a return after a prolonged absence. Last week, many track goers were thrilled to say hello to a very popular and well respected visitor.

Billie Klokstad, who together with her trainer husband Bud, was a staple of thoroughbred racing from Washington to the bay area for well over 50 years, made her return to Golden Gate Fields last Friday, almost one year after the passing of her husband.

Bud passed away March 28th 2012, after a prolonged illness. During the end, Billie was doing most of the training duties that previously Bud had mastered in. Over his 57 years as a trainer, Bud Klokstad was a perennial top trainer at Longacres and Emerald Downs in Washington, where he and Billie resided. The two made many trips to Nor Cal over the years, keeping a barn here as well. However, after Bud’s death, Billie found the need to keep the rest of her life going.

“Bud told me that when he was gone, I should sell off the horses and just enjoy myself, and that’s what I did,” Klokstad said. “I went from having

The Racing Community Comes Together for April Boag

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:50:45 GMT

On the race track, jockey April Boag has done it all.

Boag was born into a racing family. Her father, former jockey Gary Boag, and grandfather Darrell Thomas, a trainer, introduced her to the sport she would eventually take as her profession. She has ridden at numerous tracks from the bay area to Portland, Oregon. She even has wins to her credit on quarter horses, appaloosas, arabians, mules and thoroughbreds.

For the better part of the last 11 years, Boag has been in control of her racing career. Even though she has only 35 career thoroughbred wins, 25 of them came in 2012 when she finished in the top 10 in the standings in meets at both the Portland Meadows and Grants Pass (where she finished third).

She was hoping her good fortunes would continue when the calendar changed to 2013. Instead, she found herself in a battle of life and death.

On February 11^th, Boag and her 5-year-old son, Diego were in her trailer. Her 12-year-old daughter Brooke, was out with friends, when Boag decided to take a nap. With Diego playing on the bed in the upper p

A Field of Nine is Set for the El Camino Real Derby

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:57:25 GMT

Golden Gate Fields always does things right when it comes to the $200,000 Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby.

For the second straight year, the race will be part of a one hour live telecast on Comcast Sports Bay Area, with the race finishing off the hour. Prior to that, the show, which will be hosted by Comcast’s Jim Kozimore and HRTV anchor Scott Hazelton, will feature interviews with trainers Jeff Bonde and Jerry Hollenfdorfer and jockeys Kyle Frey and Russell Baze among others.

As part of the pre-race festivities, GGF hosted an El Camino Real luncheon on Wednesday for the media to meet some of the key participants in the race. So as I mingled before the introductions started, I saw Aaron Gryder walking into the restaurant. I thought, interesting, GGF brought Gryder up to be a speaker….cool.

Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only is he in the race but he is on the morning line favorite. Well, you couldn’t blame me, after all when we went over the probables for the race a few days before, nor he nor his horse was thought of as a runner in the race. In fact, the six or seven we coun

Juan Hernandez Hopes to Recapture Magic by the Bay

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:33:05 GMT

Nearly six months after moving his tack to southern California, jockey Juan Hernandez has decided to return to Golden Gate Fields and will jump back in the saddle next Thursday, riding a pair of horses for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer as he tries to recapture the magic by the Bay.

Hernandez, who rode at GGF since arriving here from Mexico in 2009, was a top 4 rider each year, averaging 136 wins a year in both 2010 and 2011. Midway through last year, Hernandez and his agent Ramon Silva, decided to give southern California a shot.

After winning 10 of 128 races at Del Mar, Hernandez had a great Fairflex meet, scoring on 18 of his 73 mounts for a strong third place finish in the jockey standings. But the success didn’t carry through to Hollywood Park and Santa Anita where he won just 15 races combined. Currently, he has won on 3 of 51 starts in 2013.

“I have always liked it at Golden Gate Fields, “ Hernandez said. “I want to go back because I have always done well there. I’m not disappointed at all. I’m really happy to be coming back.”

During his time down there, Hernandez developed quite a