Whisper Not Wins Grade 3 San Francisco Mile At Golden Gate Fields

There was exciting action at Golden Gate Fields this past weekend, as the featured race of the meeting went the way of Whisper Not. The race always looked set to be a competitive renewal, but it was the British-bred horse that was able to claim a first Graded victory on American soil after outlasting Grade 1 winner Keeper ofthe Stars down the final stretch. The head-to-head battle between the two was compelling, but Whisper Not just proved too classy on the day to get the win.

The finish of the race was compelling, as Whisper Not battled back against Keeper ofthe Stars. The Grade 1 winner looked to have victory within her sights when the race came down to the final stages, but the Richard Baltas-trained horse had just enough to claim the victory by a head. Whisper Not had built up a huge ten-length lead earlier in the race, as the conditions looked to be in her favor throughout.

However, it was a nail-biting affair when the race got down to the final stages. Restrainedvengence finished a place further back in third, while Brown Storm and Border Town held on for respective finishes in fourth and fifth. Ohio finished in sixth, while the final eight home also included Kiwi’s Dream and Diamond Blitz, who finished in seventh and eighth, respectively. 

Another featured race that took place at Golden Gate Fields over the weekend was the Golden Poppy Stakes. There was a purse of $75,000 for horses involved in the contest, with the race being won by Altea for trainer Michael McCarthy. The horse was the narrow favorite in the betting for the race and was able to claim a first win since November 2019.

She traveled in third throughout much of the race before making her charge towards the line going past the two leaders, who were tiring quickly. Red Lark finished second by a head in the race, with Colonel Creed finishing the race in third. Guitty finished a place further back in third. Connections will be exciting to see where Altea could go next after this strong outing, as she race for trainer McCarthy for just a third time at Golden Gate Fields.

One of the most lucrative races on the card this past weekend was the $100,000 California Derby. Stalking Shadow was the horse that was able to claim the win. The Jonathan Wong-trained horse produced a similar ride to Altea, as he bided his time before making his charge for the line.

He was able to get to the line in front of his stablemate Jimmy Irish, who finished half a length behind the winner. Jimmy Irish had led throughout the race, as he was starting for the first time since winning on his debut last time out. However, the favorite showed his class down the final stretch to get his nose in front. Parnelli finished back in third in the California Derby, while Governor’s Party was in fourth.

It was the turn of the fillies later on, as Pizzazz gave jockey Kyle Frey a second winner of the day. The race had a prize purse of $75,000. Empire House set the pace in the contest before a late challenge came from Freedom Flyer. Styledome traveled strongly down a final couple of furlongs to take third, while Miss Peaky Blinder was back in fourth in the California Oaks.