Newsletter: Racing! Still no clarity on Golden Gate

Hello, my name is John Cherwa, and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter, as we review the CHRB meeting.

The California Horse Racing Board basically kicked the can down the road in an anticipated showdown with the Stronach Group. At its meeting on Thursday, the CHRB provisionally approved the race application of Golden Gate from Aug. 22 to Oct. 2 but only if Stronach would do what it said it didn’t want to do.

The board gave Golden Gate until July 2 to provide all the necessary paperwork to prove it has all the necessary agreements, including an agreement with the Thoroughbred Owners of California and each individual simulcast site in Northern California.

On the surface, this is a dispute over the brick-and-mortar OTBs in Northern California that Stronach wants to separate itself from. Opponents of Stronach say it is pushing to send more people to the ADWs, one of which is Xpressbet, owned by Stronach.

Stronach racing boss Tim Ritvo says he is willing to shutter Golden Gate if he has to rejoin NOTWINC, the Northern California brick-and-mortar simulcasting umbrella organization. Some, including me, have speculated that this could be a negotiating ploy to get more racing dates for Golden Gate, which wants year-around racing. This would disadvantage the fair circuit.

So, basically nothing was decided on this issue on Thursday. Instead, the time frame for a solution was reduced, as everyone waits to see who blinks first.

Everyone likes winners and losers, so I’ll take a stab. Listening on the web (don’t you think the CHRB could add a camera for a webcast? Have you ever heard of Facetime or Facebook Live?), I thought the fairs and Stronach opponents won the verbal volleys. Part of that is because opponents had more speakers at the meeting. I thought Eric Sindler of the Stronach Group got crushed when he had no answer as to how Golden Gate could replace purse money gained from the simulcast centers. It was estimated to be more than half of the purses.

“We’re working on it,” was his answer. That didn’t play well.

But I think Stronach won the day when CHRB Chairman Chuck Winner moved up the date of the next meeting to July 12 at Los Alamitos and said the board would also discuss race date applications that day. Is that a sign that the CHRB is willing to deal and possibly give more dates to Golden Gate? Well, if Ritvo were playing it for leverage, then he would get some. But, as is often the case with orphan quotes, we don’t know if Winner was sending a message.

If I were to take a guess, I would say Golden Gate is going to run. The courts will decide under what conditions. If the court rules in favor of Stronach’s interpretation of the Legislature’s rules, then Stronach wins. If the court rules that they have to follow the CHRB’s interpretation of the Legislature’s rules, then Stronach will sign and race.

But, as I’ve proved time and again, what do I know?

One thing is for sure: The best theater of the day was reserved for the discussion of out-of-season drug testing of horses. It got heated and personal as Alan Balch, of the trainers group, and Greg Avioli, of the owners group, got into heated exchanges with Rick Arthur, the CHRB equine medical director. Avioli and Arthur were particularly animated. More on that topic another day.

Santa Anita review

You have to like this story. Faversham, a full brother to the beloved California Chrome, broke his maiden on Thursday by winning Thursday’s fifth race going a mile on the turf. The winning margin was a convincing 3 1/4 lengths.

His followers won some money. He paid $36.40, $14.00 and $7.80.

“He has all kinds of talent,” trainer Art Sherman told Mike Willman of Santa Anita. “He had a horse fall in front of him a couple races back and it’s been tough to calm him down. … I’m hoping that by winning this race the way he did, he can relax better and run to his potential.”

Tiago Pereira was the jockey.

Sherman will keep him on the turf.

“There are a lot of races on the grass at Del Mar and we’ll keep him there,” Sherman said.

Santa Anita preview

First, don’t forget Triple Crown winner Justify will be paraded at the track on Saturday. He’ll go through the paddock and then onto the track and eventually to the winner’s circle, where he has been in every race he has run. It should happen between the fourth and fifth races, no earlier than 1:45 p.m. and likely no later than 2 p.m. First post has been moved to noon.

The track is giving out Justify posters to the first 4,000 paying customers. And jockey Mike Smith will be in the West Paddock Gardens from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. to sign them. I’ve got to say it’s tough to find two better ambassadors for the sport than Smith and trainer Bob Baffert.

Now, on Friday, you get the rare weekday stakes race, the $75,000 Santa Lucia Stakes, over 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares 3 and up. There is a big name in Vale Dori, who is the 6-5 favorite. But given her class advantage, it wouldn’t surprise if she was less than even money. She hasn’t won her last four races after starting out with six wins in a row, but those races were against strong competition. She was fourth in the Beholder Mile in her last out, and she finished respectable seconds twice last year against the great Stellar Wind. She is trained by Baffert and ridden by Smith. The race should go off about 3:45 p.m.

Here are the field sizes, in order: 7, 5, 8, 8, 7, 8, 7, 9. There are four turf races, three of them down the hill. First post is 12:30 p.m.

Bob Ike’s SA play of the day

FIFTH RACE: No. 2 Bountiful Desert (5-2)

Second choice on the morning line, this Billy Morey-trained gelding gives an honest account almost every time out and figures to get a perfect trip behind the speed as he goes back to dirt today. The last time he ran on dirt, he romped home by more than seven lengths at Fresno, so tab in this Cal-bred allowance/optional claiming event.

Thursday’s result: Jet Set Ruler (4-1) lagged early, encountered a bit of traffic trouble on the far turn, then took hold late to finish with good interest in a fourth-place finish in the fifth race.

Bob Ike is a Partner/VP of Horsebills.com (here’s a video) and the proprietor of BobIkePicks.com (full-card picks, 3 Best Plays and betting strategy).

Los Alamitos weekend preview

This weekly segment is in the hands of Orlando Gutierrez, marketing and media maven at Los Al. So, the floor is yours, Orlando.

“The richest horse race in California this weekend will be held at Los Alamitos when 10 2-year-olds compete in the Grade 1, $1,066,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity on Sunday night. This lucrative 350-yard dash is the first of three futurities at the Orange County oval with a purse of more than $1 million.

“Legacy Ranch’s Wicked Affair and Juan Carlos Chavez’s Striver, the first- and second-place finishers in the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity, will headline the Ed Burke field. Reliance Ranches’ SC Money Maker is another 2-year-old to watch after posting the fastest qualifying time in the trials on June 10.

“Parsons Family Limited Partnership’s Thermonuclear Energy, a 5-year-old quarter horse mare with an affinity for winning at the longer straightaway distances, is the 126-pound high weight when heading a field of eight in the $35,000 Ivan Ashment Handicap at 400 yards on Saturday.

Thermonuclear Energy, ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Chris O’Dell, has won at 400 yards during her 2-, 3- and 4-year-old campaigns. The homebred mare won the Los Alamitos Juvenile Invitational Stakes at this distance in 2015 and a trial to the Southern California Derby also at 400 yards in 2016. She was much the best in the Las Damas Handicap last November when cruising to a 1 1/2-length victory and just missed winning the Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap when running second by a neck to the outstanding Kiddy Up Cowgirl on Jan. 7. The Las Damas and Charger Bar were both at 400 yards. The next high weight is Thermonuclear Energy’s younger half-sister, Designs By Dynasty, a 4-year-old mare that won the Terrific Energy Handicap earlier this year. She’ll carry 125 pounds.

“Looking ahead, the 12-day Los Alamitos summer thoroughbred meet kicks off on Thursday, June 20, and continues through Sunday, July 15. Racing will be conducted — with one exception — on a Thursday-Sunday basis. There will be a special holiday program Wednesday, July 4. A dark day will follow (July 5) before racing resumes Friday. Post time will be 1 p.m. The wagering menu for the meet will feature a $1 minimum for the pick 4, which is offered daily on races 2-5 and the final four races. This change from the previous minimum of 50 cents makes it uniform with the Los Alamitos nighttime programs.”

Ed Burgart’s LA play of the day

FOURTH RACE: No. 3 Come On Spanky (5-2)

He is only making his third start in 15 months and gets a key rider switch from Marcial Ramirez to hot-riding apprentice Edgar Payeras. Gelding also drops from the $6,250 ranks at 870 yards to the $2,500 level at a more preferred 4 1/2 distance that suits his closing style. He finished nicely along the rail two outs ago when third vsersus Rocky’s Show, who was coming off a prior fourth-place finish for $12,500 at Santa Anita. Zirondelle (7-2), who makes his first start for high-percentage trainer Lorenzo Ruiz, is the main threat. The other two favorites, Couldashouldadid and Councilman, have regressed in recent outs. Bet Come On Spanky to win and make a 3-5 exacta box.

Final thought

If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter you can click here and sign up. Remember, it’s free, and all we need is your email, nothing more.

Any thoughts, drop me an email at johnacherwa@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @jcherwa

And now the stars of the show, Thursday’s results and Friday’s entries.