SA Race 8, leg 1: 1,3
#3 Established (9/5) is obvious in this spot. I loved his last race when he dueled in between horses throughout and still had enough to pull away from the field late. This is a slight step up in class, but he’s in good form and clearly loves this racetrack. #1 Chasing Fame (5-1) will be the one who benefits if the main contenders go too fast. He ships in from Turf Paradise with respectable figures and easily has the best Late-Pace figures.
GG Race 8, leg 2: 4
I want to take a stand with #4 Azure Star (9/2). He’ll be lower than 9/2 with the scratch of the favorite, but his main pace rival also scratched out of this so he could be loose on the lead. He’s got a ton of early foot and that’s always dangerous at Golden Gate with the rails out. He switches to the turf course today, but that shouldn’t be an issue since he’s an Irish bred, and he picks up Roman who has been winning lots of races recently. His form was also flattered two back when the horse that caught him late came right back to win at Emerald Downs.
SA Race 9, leg 3: 2,3,7
Interesting turf race to close out the card, I’m going to be three deep and all my picks will have different running styles. My top pick will be the closer #7 Keen To Go (4-1). He’s done his best running from well off the pace and it looks like the pace should be honest, but don’t be surprised if they fly early. It took him a while to break his maiden, but I like the fact that his figures keep improving with each start so there’s no reason he can’t keep improving for today’s race. It’s also encouraging that his connections took him for 50k last time, but don’t risk him for the tag today. Berrios and Mullins are a deadly duo and this is the first time gelding looks live. I thought #2 Tallis (7/2) didn’t have an excuse last time, even though there’s trouble listed in the running lines. He had to pause briefly, but he also saved all the ground and couldn’t go by a rival to get up for 2nd. However, he was also close to a wicked pace, so maybe that negated his finish a bit. He should get another great trip just off the pace, and I won’t be surprised if he can take a step forward in his second start in California. And finally I want to give #3 Goldeneye (12-1) one more chance. I can excuse his last start, they went way too fast early and I have a feeling the horse he dueled with last time will be taken back today by Rispoli. He looks like the main speed and that can be dangerous with rails at 30 feet.
GG Race 9, leg 4: 2-7 (all)
Tough race to end the sequence, the favorites look logical but are untrustworthy so I want to go all in this shorter field and hope for a price. #5 O Neil’s Legacy (2-1) is plummeting to the bottom despite being taken for 16k just two starts ago, which isn’t a good sign at all but her best figures would obviously be good enough. And the other favorite is #2 Lady In A Hurry (5/2) who has run well in her last few starts, but hasn’t found the Winner’s Circle despite getting good trips. I don’t trust her either at a short price and with the rail draw.
Ticket:
SA 1: 1,3
GG 1: 4
SA 2: 1-3
GG 2: 2-7
$36
