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Monday, May 13, 2013
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 directly to the hospital. That is never a good sign.
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Monday, May 06, 2013
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.
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Monday, April 22, 2013
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.
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Sunday, April 14, 2013
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.
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Monday, April 08, 2013
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.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
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.
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
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 year, made her return to Golden Gate Fields last Friday, almost one year after the passing of her husband.
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
On February 11th, 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 part of the trailer, Boag laid down in the lower part to take a nap. She wasn’t asleep long before she awoke to black smoke in the trailer.
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Thursday, February 14, 2013
Zeewat looks to win Northern California's major Kentucky Derby prep for the home team.
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Friday, February 01, 2013
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.
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