Camino Del Paraiso still going

Camino Del Paraiso will be looking for a repeat victory in Saturday’s $50,000-added Joseph T. Grace at Golden Gate Fields. The 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up also could end up as a prep for the Grade 3 Berkeley, which will be run on the main track in three weeks.

In addition to his Grace victory last year at age 7, Camino Del Paraiso ran second in the race at ages 4 and 6. He also has a second and third in Berkeley and has five gradedstakes placings, although he’s looking for his first graded victory.

“He’s doing really well,” said trainer O.J. Jauregui after Camino Del Paraiso wound up preparations for Saturday’s start with a fivefurlong bullet work Oct. 29. “I thought about running here, and I thought about just running in the Berkeley. I decided to go with the first race, then I’ll see how he trains up to the other race.”

Surface did not play into Jauregui’s decsision. Camino Del Paraiso has four wins on turf and four wins on Tapeta, three graded-stakes placings on turf and two on Tapeta. He’s earned $161,343 on Tapeta and $357,396 on turf.

“He runs so evenly on both,” said Jauregui. “I think he might be better on Tapeta.

He trains really well on it, but I know people would look at his form and say turf. He doesn’t care what surface he runs on.”

Camino Del Paraiso has made two starts this year, winning the Rolling Green on the Golden Gate turf in September and finishing 11th in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Cup at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.

His primary challenger on Saturday is Big Fish, who won the Del Mar Juvenile Turf last year as a 2-year-old and the California Cup Derby this year. The David Hofmans trainee has run sixth in both starts since returning from a near eight-month layoff, once in the E.B. Johnston at Los Alamitos and then in an allowance on the turf at Santa Anita.

The local 3-year-old I’ m gonna be somebody has won two straight, a one-mile starter race at Del Mar and his turf debut in an allowance at Golden Gate at this distance.

Trainer Bill McLean said he considered another start at Del Mar for I’ m gonna be somebody, but opted to stay home.

I’ m gonna be somebody drew the outside post, but has enough speed to get a stalking trip.