Tag: Matt Dinerman

Dinerman To Serve As Announcer For Final Days of Grants Pass Downs’ Spring Meet

Matt Dinerman has been hired as track announcer for the remaining five days of the 2021 spring/summer meet at Grants Pass Downs.

The voice of Golden Gate Fields, the youthful Dinerman is filling in for Jason Beem, who this week begins his new job as track announcer at Tampa Bay Downs.

Dinerman, 28, has announced at Golden Gate since December 2017 and previously called races at Emerald Downs, where he was hired as the track's full-time announcer at age 22.

“I'm really excited to pinch-hit for Jason Beem at Grants Pass Downs,” Dinerman said. “It's fun to call races at a new venue and equally enjoyable to meet new people who share the same passion in horse racing.”

A San Diego native, Dinerman interned at Del Mar in 2012, assisting the track's media relations staff and practicing announcing as time allowed. The personable announcer can often be found mornings in the stable area, where he enjoys meeting horsemen and getting to know the horses.

One of the races Dinerman will call is the $90,000 Firecracker Futurity on Sunday, July 4, which marks the richest race in the history of Grants Pass Downs.

Remaining live racing dates: Monday, June 28, 5:15 p.m.; Tuesday, June 29, 5:15 p.m.; Sunday, July 4, 1 p.m.; Monday, July 5, 5:15 p.m.; Tuesday, July 6, 5:15 p.m.

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Jockey Antongeorgi Adopts Beloved Mount Gratzie After Her Retirement

Thirteen-time winner Gratzie has been retired and will spend her post-race life in North Carolina on a farm run by jockey William Antongeorgi III and his mother. Gratzie, who went out a winner on Feb. 4 against claiming competition, ended her racing career with earnings of $261,610.

Antongeorgi, who guided Gratzie to four lifetime wins, is excited about spending more time with her in the future. In total, Antongeorgi rode Gratzie in eight different races.

“She was always really honest,” said Antongeorgi. “Even if we didn't win, she was right there-second or third. I would always go see her in the barn and give her lots of attention. We formed a strong relationship.

I told [trainer] Manny [Badilla], 'I love this mare. If the owners are willing, I'll ship her back to my place in North Carolina and she'll be able to go out in the field and live out a good retirement on our farm.' We were able to make it happen.”

Antongeorgi relayed that Gratzie arrived in North Carolina on Tuesday in good order.

“She's a world traveler,” said Antongeorgi. “She's from England. She's traveled before. From what I understand, she had a very smooth trip across the country and looks really happy. We've got a pony named Dusty right next to her. They're already hitting it off and in love with each other, so that's really cool. We'll take her out on the trails, and she'll enjoy her life living out there in the pasture.”

Gratzie, by Grade 2 winner and Juddmonte homebred Three Valleys, was bred in Great Britain by John Troy and Robert Levitt and began her racing career as a 2-year-old in 2013. Three years later, she was sold to American owners Ron Charles and Sam Gordon for $25,685 at the Tattersalls Horses-In-Training Sale of 2016. Since the purchase, Gratzie won 7 races in America, raking in U.S. earnings of just over $150,000. Throughout her career in the states, Gratzie was conditioned by Manny Badilla.

“She's a barn favorite for sure,” said Badilla. “She was always so sweet. You could come up and pet her and feed her and love on her. What I'll remember about [Gratzie] is her heart: not only was she sweet around the barn but she tried so hard in every race she ran in. She never got sour. She always tried and loved being around our team. We'll miss her here.”

With that, Manny had just one more thing to say.

“It's the greatest thing ever to send her somewhere nice.”

 

— Matt Dinerman (@3coltshandicap) March 10, 2021

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Pilot Error: ‘We’re Got Another Lap To Go Here, My Friend’

The race was called “Remembering Pat Smullen Today At Golden Gate Fields,” but Sunday's eighth race at the Northern California track is one that veteran jockey Alejandro Gomez would surely like to forget.

Named in honor of the nine-time champion Irish jockey who died last week at the age of 43 from pancreatic cancer, the starter allowance was scheduled at 1 1/2 miles on the turf, the same distance, as track announcer Matt Dinerman pointed out, as the Irish Derby that Smullen had won twice – most recently with Dermot Weld-trained Harzand in 2016.

The starting gate for this starter allowance contest was positioned nearly five furlongs from the finish line on the backstretch, meaning the nine runners would go 1 1/2 times around the about seven-furlong turf course.

Gomez was aboard Shot of a Lifetime, the second choice in the wagering at 3-1 odds for trainer Ellen Jackson. The California-bred gelding broke alertly from the No. 4 post position and quickly went to the front, opening up five lengths after a quarter mile in :24.12 and he was 15 lengths in front after a half in :47.40. Gomez could be seen peeking back several times, no doubt wondering where the competition was.

But then, shortly after crossing the finish line well in front of his closest pursuer, Gomez raised up in the saddle, allowing Shot of a Lifetime to gallop out toward the outside rail, his job seemingly done.

And then came the rest of the field, as Dinerman said: “And Shot of a Lifetime, I'm not sure if the rider understands, we've got another lap to go here my friend…and Shot of a Lifetime being taken out of the race. Shot of a Lifetime eased up now.”

Colour Me Happy, the 11-10 betting favorite, would go on to win by four lengths under William Antongeorgi III.

Gomez, a Northern California mainstay, began riding in 2006 and has registered 642 career wins from 4,677 starts. Shot of a Lifetime has won eight of 34 career starts, his most recent victory coming May 25 when he won going one mile on turf under Gomez at Golden Gate as an 11-1 longshot.

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