Golden Gate

News last week that more than 200 people living or working on-site at Golden Gate Fields had tested positive for COVID-19, and that the facility would have to close its doors to live racing through November, arrived against a state-wide backdrop of rising cases, hospitalizations and COVID-related deaths. As with Golden Gate, these trends have landed with subsidiary impacts. Over the weekend, L.A. County public health officials suspended outdoor restaurant dining. Before that, the county announced other restrictions, including curfews and capacity limitations at certain stores and other public places....

In following the guidance from local health authorities, Golden Gate Fields has announced the suspension of live racing through November in a continuing effort to ensure the safety and well-being of 1/ST RACING employees and those working on the backstretch and the extended community. Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Golden Gate Fields has implemented stringent health and safety measures including, strict social distancing, masking policies and regular COVID-19 testing with isolation requirements for any positive cases or identified close contacts. Last week, Golden Gate Fields announced a one-week...

As in past years, the concept of "compromise" was accentuated in the assignment of 2021 race dates by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) at its Oct. 22 meeting. But this year, crafting a statewide racing calendar based on cooperation took on even more importance. That's because both the Southern and Northern California circuits have been significantly altered by closures and cancellations over the past 18 months due to several spates of equine fatalities, unseasonably wet weather, wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. With all of those factors in mind, the...

Owners were previously limited to attend Golden Gate Fields on Sunday mornings for workouts, but may now attend morning workouts any day. They must check in at the main horsemen's gate, provide their CHRB owners license, and undergo a COVID-19 health screening. Masks will be required to be worn at all times, and owners must respect social distancing. Owners may now attend to watch their horses race in the afternoons. At this time, there will be a limit of two owners per horse. Unfortunately, non-licensed guests will not be permitted....

Xtrema (Exaggerator) rallied to a convincing first-out score to give her freshman sire (by Curlin) his first winner while going out for the same connections that campaigned the 2016 GI Preakness S. hero. Breaking as the 21-10 second choice in a five-horse group, the $55,000 KEESEP grad tracked a speed duel from a distant third through a sharp :21.75 quarter. Appearing one-paced on the turn, the chestnut came alive entering the final furlong and blew past the tiring pace actors outside the sixteenth pole to score by four lengths over...

The Thoroughbred Owners of California issued the following updates to its members Saturday related to the COVID-19 pandemic and current closures of Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields: Racing Cancelled at Golden Gate Fields In accordance with an order received Thursday, Apr. 2 from the Alameda County Public Health Officer, Golden Gate Fields has temporarily closed for live racing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is no specific time frame for return of racing, stabling and daily training will continue at Golden Gate for the approximately 1000...

Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields closed their stable entry gates to outside personnel at their racing and training as did San Luis Rey Downs. The stable entry gate closure will not extend to horses, as current scientific evidence suggests that horses cannot develop COVID-19 and therefore present no danger of transmission to other horses or people. The closure of the stable entry gates means that no new accompanying personnel, including jockeys, trainers or grooms, will be allowed onto the grounds with horses who ship from outside of California...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Last Week - Ajaaweed was far back early and finished third in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa. Bankroll: $1195. GII Risen Star S. (1st Div) - At 12-1, I'm willing to give Scabbard...

Though the winter-spring meet at Santa Anita is already underway, the new race meet agreement (RMA) between the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT) and The Stronach Group (TSG) concerning both of the company's California racetracks--Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields--has yet to be inked with both parties still to reach an agreement over certain aspects of the contract following prolonged negotiations. In a two-page Q &A distributed among trainers, the CTT wrote that TSG is seeking to alter portions of the existing race meet agreement in order to expand the latitude...

Marcus Stables' Stillwater Cove (Quality Road) has made her bones as a sprinter thus far in her young career, but the Wesley Ward trainee ships across the country and stretches out as a lukewarm morning-line favorite in a wide-open renewal of Saturday's GII San Clemente S. at Del Mar. A first-out victress last spring at Keeneland, the bay faded to 13th in Royal Ascot's G3 Albany S., then returned to the States to post a 10-1 upset of the Bolton Landing S. last August at Saratoga. Tenth against males in...