SKY MYSTIC RALLIES FROM LAST
TO WIN CALIFORNIA OAKS AT GGF
Sky Mystic, receiving a smart ride from jockey David Lopez, charged from last to win the $100,000 California Oaks at Golden Gate Fields Saturday.
Trained by Greg Gilchrist and owned by David and Jill Heerensperger, Sky Mystic captured the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies by a neck over 5-to-2 favorite Seattle Smooth in 1:45.50 on Golden Gate Fields’ Tapeta racing surface. Twelve Twenty Two, who set the pace to midstretch, finished third.
“I had a lot of horse the whole way,” said Lopez. “I was patient with her and we started moving at the half-mile pole but not with everything. When she took the lead, she started playing around, but when she felt [Seattle Smooth], she dug in again.”
Seattle Smooth, trained by Julio Canani and ridden by Russell Baze, rallied along the rail in the stretch but couldn’t match strides with Sky Mystic in the final yards.
“She was a little timid down inside so I was glad it opened up (in the stretch) as big as it did,” said Baze. “She was finishing OK but not as good as I expected her to. I do think she’s a filly that will develop into a horse that will really finish. Julio is going to have a lot of fun with her. She just wasn’t quite ready for prime time yet.”
Sky Mystic, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Sky Mesa, paid $7.40 after recording her third victory in five career starts. The Oaks win was worth $60,000 and increased her earnings to $104,700.
EARLY POST FOR SUPER SUNDAY/CLOSING DAY CARD -- Golden Gate Fields concludes its 2007-2008 meeting Sunday with a nine-race card that has a special early post time of 11:15 a.m.
Fans attending the races on Super Sunday will have the opportunity to win a 42-inch plasma television as Golden Gate Fields will raffle off one television after each of the first eight races.