The final week of racing at the 2008-2009 Golden Gate Fields meeting begins Thursday with a nine-race program that includes a Pick Six carryover of $14,306.
Post time Thursday through Sunday, closing day, is 12:45 p.m.
The Pick Six, a $2 wager that challenges handicappers to pick the winners of six consecutive races, will be held on races four through nine Thursday. Post time for the fourth race is 2:15 p.m.
Closing weekend will feature the $75,000 Lost in the Fog Stakes and the Wiener Nationals on Saturday, and live music by The Cheeseballs and $1 bargains on Sunday.
The Lost in the Fog Stakes is for 2-year-olds and will be contested at five furlongs on the synthetic Tapeta racing surface. Smiling Tiger heads a field of 10 in the Lost in the Fog, the eighth event on a big 11-race program.
A rambunctious Smiling Tiger made his debut on May 1 at Golden Gate Fields and rambled to an impressive six-length victory in a four-furlong maiden allowance contest. Smiling Tiger won despite throwing a fit in the post parade, unseating jockey Russell Baze twice and running off.
Smiling Tiger is a Kentucky-bred colt by Hold That Tiger, a son of Storm Cat.
Trained by Jeff Bonde and owned by Alan Klein and Philip Lebherz, Smiling Tiger will break from post position six.
Hold That Tiger will be represented by two sons in the Lost in the Fog Stakes as the gelding Sweet Tigger, who drew post seven, will break from the gate right beside Smiling Tiger. Trained by Walter Solis, Sweet Tigger broke his maiden on June 5 at Hollywood Park and will be coming back in just eight days to contest the Lost in the Fog.
The field for the Lost in the Fog, in post position order, is as follows: Empire of the Sun, Omar Figueroa rides; Decatur Island, Chad Schvaneveldt; Ball Bearing, Luis Martinez; Little Bud Bud, Frank Alvarado; Cahill Country, David Lopez; Smiling Tiger, Baze; Sweet Tigger, William Antongeorgi III; Roos On the Loose, Alonso Quinonez; Erin’s Cajun, Francisco Duran; and Hetch, Jose Contreras.
The Wiener Nationals will consist of several 30-yard heats as more than 100 Dachshunds are entered in the Wienerschnitzel-sponsored event. Downtown Beans, who shipped in from his hometown of Sacramento to win the first annual Dachshund Derby at Golden Gate Fields on April 5, is the dog to beat in the Wiener Nationals.
Fans attending Golden Gate Fields on closing day will enjoy the best bargain in Bay Area sports – $1 general parking, $1 general admission, $1 programs, $1 beers, $1 hot dogs, and $1 sodas – as well as great tunes by The Cheeseballs between races.