THIS WEEK AT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS
Schedule: Friday-Sunday
Post time: 12:45 p.m.
Feature race: $50,000-added Oakland Stakes on Saturday
Update: Oiseau de Guerre, who has shipped north for three straight allowance wins using strong stretch runs, is back again and is the 2-1 morningline favorite for the Oakland Stakes. Trained at Santa Anita by Michael McCarthy, Oiseau de Guerre had just one win in 17 starts before his current streak. Six other horses are entered for the 6furlong race, and Baja Sur (5-2), Quick and Silver (8-1), Sigur Ros (7-2) and My Friend Emma (6-1) all have keen front-running speed. Indian Zip (8-1) is quick, too, but he rallied from fifth place to finish second to Oiseau de Guerre on Oct. 26. Completing the field is Smokey Image (12-1), who began his career with six straight wins but who has lost 17 straight since then. Baja Sur won his first four starts at Emerald Downs and then finished second in the Harris Farms Stakes at the Big Fresno Fair. Sigur Ros has won four of five at GGF, including a $25,000 claimer Oct. 20 in which he ran 6 furlongs in 1:08.64. The track record is 1:08.23. … Tomlin, who was the best 2-year-old filly at Golden Gate Fields in 2018, has returned to trainer Steve Specht and is the 8-5 favorite for Saturday’s fifth race. After winning the Golden Gate Debutante, Tomlin finished third and fifth in Grade 2 events at Santa Anita. Then she ran third for trainer Donnie Von Hemel at Oaklawn Park and third at Pimlico and sixth at Laurel for trainer Michael Stidham. Tomlin faces the best local female sprinters including Shasta Star (7-2) and Vronilla Parfait (4-1) in the 6-furlong non-conditioned allowance. Shasta Star hasn’t finished worse than third in 11 starts (four victories), and Vronilla Parfait lost by just 1¼ lengths to Oiseau de Guerre when fourth Oct. 26. … Jockey Irving Orozco has been suspended indefinitely pending a hearing by the California Horse Racing Board over a substance abuse case.
Elsewhere: That was quite a 55th birthday at Del Mar for GGF trainer Victor Trujillo on Nov. 8 as Wicked Old Fashion gave him the first stakes victory of his nine-year career. Wicked Old Fashion stormed from last place to win the $84,954 Kathryn Crosby Stakes by a nose as only a neck separated the first four finishers. “I got excited the last 50 yards,” Trujillo said. “Prior to that, I couldn’t see the horse.” Trujillo claimed Wicked Old Fashion for $16,000 on May 26, 2018, and she has won six of 10 starts and earned $129,694 since then. “The filly had really good form and looked like she would be competitive at that level or a little bit higher,” Trujillo said. Wicked Old Fashion climbed the class ladder since an eight-month layoff and even finished third against male opponents in the Rolling Green Stakes at GGF. “She had a little issue with her ankle, but she got over that,” Trujillo said. “Some of these horses get a little better if you give them time to mature a little more.” Now a 5-year-old mare, Wicked Old Fashion likely will run in the Miss America Stakes on Dec. 15 at GGF. … Six 2-yearolds were entered for Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes, but trainer Bob Baffert said that Thousand Words won’t run. Baffert still has debut winner High Velocity in the 7-furlong dirt race. Also running is Strong constitution, who won his debut on grass and then finished second in the Sunny Slope Stakes on dirt.