Cal-bred News

Gold Rush V
Saturday April 24, 2004

Gold Rush Spotlights Breeders

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Apr. 20, 2004) -- Two years after his passing, John Mabee still has a Midas touch in the California Gold Rush.

When the fifth 10-race series for California-breds is run Saturday at Hollywood Park, runners bred by the Golden Eagle Farm of John and his widow, Betty, will be in the forefront. The Mabees were the leading breeders in California each of the past four years.

The most accomplished of 11 Golden Eagle nominees to the Gold Rush races—including two who were nominated to two events -- is Yearly Report, a 3-year-old filly who could be the strongest favorite on the card.

The 3-year-old daughter of General Meeting-Fiscal Report, who will run in the $200,000, 1 1/16-mile Melair Stakes, missed a trip to the WinStar Oaks at Sunland Park in New Mexico earlier this month when she tied up a day before she was to travel from California.

Before that, the Bob Baffert-trained filly had been competing well against the best members of her division -- fellow Cal-breds House of Fortune and Silent Sighs.

Those two will be in the starting gate at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Oaks on April 30.

Yearly Report bested House of Fortune in the Grade II Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita in January and finished second to Silent Sighs in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes during last fall’s Oak Tree meet.

Not only is she succeeding in her own right, Yearly Report is helping to revive the stud career of her sire.

“Like a lot of older stallions, General Meeting was in a slump for a couple of years,” says Walter Solis, Golden Eagle’s racing manager. “But he’s making a comeback.”

Western Hemispshere, another daughter of General Meeting, out of Excellent Lady, will join Yearly Report in the Melair lineup on Saturday. She also is trained by Baffert and also was nominated to the Warren’s Thoroughbreds Stakes.

Also representing Golden Eagle and Baffert on Gold Rush Day will be Stand By Your Flag, a 4-year-old gelded son of Souvenir Copy-Evening Starlight, who will run in the Tiznow Stakes.

Other perennial stalwarts among California breeders also will have a lot to say about the outcome of several Gold Rush races.

Harris Farms ranked second to Golden Eagle in the state standings in 2002 and 2003 and Super High, one of the farm’s stars, will be in action. But as of Tuesday night, John Harris didn’t know whether the 5-year-old High Brite-Image of Super would run in the B. Thoughtful Stakes at seven furlongs on dirt or the Fran’s Valentine Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Super High has eight career victories, four on dirt, four on grass.

“When you have one as good as her, there’s always a problem deciding in which race to run,” Harris said. “It’s a nice problem to have, but sometimes it’s easier having a horse you know is better on one surface or another or at one distance or another.”

Carla Gaines is the trainer of Super High and she also will run Harris Farms’ Rush Country (Wild Rush-Taboo Bebe) in the Pepper Oaks Farms Stakes for 3-year-old maiden colts and geldings.

Harris’ Alphabet Kisses (Alphabet Soup-Kiss for Six ), trained by Marty Jones, will contest the Magali Farms Stakes for 3-year-old maiden fillies. Both Rush Country and Alphabet Kisses finished second in their only previous starts. Watermelon Wine, a 5-year-old Moscow Ballet mare out of Watermelon Time, will be the Harris contender in the Warren’s Thoroughbreds Stakes. Watermelon Wine ran second in the same race last year.

Martin and Pam Wygod ranked third among state breeders in 2003 and are the owner-breeders of Kentucky Oaks contender Silent Sighs.

For the Tiznow Stakes on Gold Rush Day, they will be represented by Unfurl the Flag, trained by David Bernstein. Unfurl the Flag, off the board only twice in 15 starts, is a 4-year-old gelding by Bertrando, out of Escape the Storm.
Buddy Johnston’s Old English Rancho, one of the longest established breeding operations in the state, will take two cracks at Gold Rush purse money.

Allswellthatnswell, a 3-year-old daughter of Perfect Mandate-A Lucky Happening, is nominated to both the Melair and Warrren’s Thoroughbreds. Perfect Mode, a Perfect Mandate colt out of Panache, will go to the post in the Golden Eagle Farm Stakes for maidens. He has a third-place showing in his only career start. Don Warren trains both horses.

Larry Bortstein