Peter Miller | Horse Racing Free Tips

California-Bred Juvenile Good With People Headlines Sunday’s King Glorious Stakes

A prompt favorite in the Golden State Juvenile Nov. 7 at Del Mar, Good With People will try two turns for the first time in the $100,000 King Glorious Sunday at Los Alamitos

Named in honor of the winner of the 1988 Hollywood Futurity and 1989 Haskell, the King Glorious is restricted to 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. The race at one mile is the feature attraction on the final day of the Los Angeles County Fair Winter Thoroughbred meet.

The King Glorious attracted a dozen entrants, but only 10 will be allowed to start.

Post time Sunday is 12 Noon. The King Glorious, which is the ninth of 10 races, has a scheduled post time of 3:58 p.m.

A son of Curlin to Mischief and the Roar of the Tiger mare Gator Prowl owned by breeders Kirk and Judy Robison and trained by Peter Miller, Good With People led throughout in the seven-furlong Golden State Juvenile, ultimately winning by three-quarters of a length.

The victory was the third in five starts for the dark bay and pushed his earnings to $199,100.

Trainer Doug O'Neill and owner-breeder J. Paul Reedam will be seeking their third win in the King Glorious when they send out Play Chicken.

A son of Square Eddie and the Distorted Humor mare Smoove, Play Chicken is 1-for-2 with earnings of $39,000. He won at the King Glorious distance on turf in his Oct. 17 debut, then was fifth in the Golden State Juvenile.

O'Neill and Reddam's victories in the King Glorious came with Found Money in 2015 and Ann Arbor Eddie a year later.

Undefeated in two starts for Edward J. Brown, Jr. and trainer Jeff Bonde, Mister Bold will stretch in his attempt to stay perfect.

A Time to Get Even colt out of the Bold Badgett mare Bold Mystique, Mister Bold collected both of his wins at Del Mar, scoring at the same distance – 5 ½ furlongs – Sept. 5 and Oct. 31. He's banked $42,000.

Positivity, who was also entered in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity, has won two of three and was runner-up in the Golden State Juvenile in his first start for trainer Paddy Gallagher. Owned by Annie, Justyn and Charles Winner, the Paynter colt out of the City Zip mare Sam's Sunny City has earned $115,500.

A distant third in the Golden State Juvenile in his first start for trainer John Sadler, Ascot Storm will try more yardage for West Point Thoroughbreds. The Shackleford gelding out of the Carson City mare High Button Shoes is 1-for-2 with a bankroll of $51,000. He was privately purchased after winning his debut by 4 ¾ lengths Oct. 4 for trainer Hector Palma.

Owned and trained by Cynthia Kelley, Club Cal defeated $50,000 maidens by four lengths in his Dec. 6 introduction to Los Alamitos. The Clubhouse Ride gelding out of the Rocky Bar mare Yawannagokid has banked $20,200 in three starts.

A graduate via disqualification in a $40,000 maiden claimer Nov. 26 at Del Mar, Govenor's Party will make his Los Alamitos debut for owner-trainer Daniel Franko. The Govenor Charlie colt out of the Zensational mare Spring Moon has earned $8,690 in four starts.

Tacoflavoredkisses will try to improve upon a sixth place finish in the Golden State Juvenile for owners Jason Litt and Alex Solis III and trainer Simon Callaghan.

A Distorted Humor colt out of the Parading mare Sweetpollypurebred has won twice in five races and earned $75,180. He owns a win at the King Glorious distance, capturing an optional claimer at Golden Gate Fields Oct. 11.

Trained by Sal Gonzalez for Tricar Stables Inc., Wedding Groom has a win in five starts and earnings of $31,600. He's a son of Hard Spun and the Medaglia d'Oro mare Wedding Dress. He has Los Alamitos experience, finishing second behind None Above the Law in his debut during the Summer meet.

Owned by Don Gibbs and Regan Wright and trained by Luis Mendez, From the Get Go has a win in three starts and earnings of $23,700. The Metaboss colt out of the Walter Willy mare Miss Nicolie graduated against $50,000 maidens at 5 ½ furlongs Oct. 31 at Del Mar.

Bobby's Alibi – one of the also-eligibles – will be switching to dirt if he starts after consecutive runner-up finishes on the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields, the latest when favored in a starter allowance at eight furlongs Nov. 12.

Trained by Faith Taylor for Robert G. Jones, the Curlin to Mischief colt has one win in six starts. Out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Sacred Alibi, he's earned $18,700.

The other also eligible – Moving Fast – will be returning to the main track if a participant after graduating at one mile on the Del Mar turf course Nov. 14. A son of Jeranimo and the Desert Code mare Moving Desert, the gelding has banked $41,900 for owner-breeder Harris Farms, Inc. and trainer Sean McCarthy.

From inside out, the field for the King Glorious: Club Cal, Edwin Maldonado rides, 117 pounds; Wedding Groom, Eswan Flores, 117; Tacoflavoredkisses, Umberto Rispoli, 119; Positivity, Drayden Van Dyke, 119; From the Get Go, Jose Valdivia, Jr., 117; Mister Bold, Mike Smith, 117; Ascot Storm, Juan Hernandez, 117; Good With People, Ricardo Gonzalez, 121; Govenor's Party, Geovanni Franco, 117; Play Chicken, Mario Gutierrez; 117; Moving Fast (AE), Tyler Baze, 117 and Bobby's Alibi (AE), Santos Rivera, 117.

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Proud Emma Earns First Graded Stakes Victory In Bayakoa At Los Alamitos

Returning to dirt and getting the waiting ride she prefers, Proud Emma rallied to defeat Message and four others fillies and mares in the Grade 3, $100,0000 Bayakoa Stakes Sunday at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez – substituting for the sidelined Hall of Famer Mike Smith – for trainer Peter Miller and owners Gem, Inc. and Tom Kagele, Proud Emma was reserved early off the pace set by Miss Stormy D and Stellar Sound, rallied outside and outfinished Message in the final sixteenth to prevail by a half-length.

The win was the sixth in 16 starts for the daughter of Include and the Proud Citizen mare Debutante Dreamer, who was bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones. Her first success in a graded stakes increased her earnings to $304,658.

The 9-2 fourth choice in the field of six, Proud Emma paid $11.20, $3.80 and $2.40 while completing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.40. Message returned $4 and $2.40 while finishing six lengths clear of Stellar Sound, who rushed to battle for the lead and opened up two lengths after a half mile despite breaking last. The show price on Stellar Sound, the 13-10 choice, was $2.20. Miss Stormy D, Blue Diva and Donut Girl completed the order of finish.

“She ran great,'' said Kagele. “We've been trying to get a graded stakes with her and she finally did it for us today. She likes to sit off it and it set up very nicely for her. We were confident she would come running. She shows up every time, but this was awesome. We plan to keep her in training in 2021.''

This was Hernandez's first collaboration with Proud Emma, whose most recent win came when she finished in a dead heat with Message in the Tranquility Lake Aug. 28 at Del Mar.

“(Miller) told me to just sit behind the speed and she'd give me a strong run. She relaxed perfectly, then really responded when I asked her to get by (Message).''

Racing resumes Thursday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 1 p.m.

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‘Like Coming Home’: Rosario Looking To Make Most Of Turf Festival Opportunities In Return To Del Mar

The 2013 racing schedule afforded jockey Joel Rosario time to ride the opening day card at Del Mar on Wednesday then move on for the start of Saratoga two days later.

Rosario, the Del Mar jockey champion from 2009-2011 before moving his summer base to New York, rode four winners from nine mounts on the shore oval's 10-race card.

The following morning, a track official making backstretch rounds ran into a couple of permanent party members of the Del Mar jockey colony and mentioned Rosario's performance. “I gave him a ride to the airport,” one said with a smile. “Wanted to make sure he made it out of town OK.”

Don't look now but, as occasionally happens, heee's baaack!

The 35-year-old from the Dominican Republic will ride all four days of the “Turf Festival” from November 26-29 that closes Del Mar's 15-day Bing Crosby season. There are seven graded stakes during the period that will provide Rosario opportunities to add to the 28 he has recorded locally starting in 2008. There are two Grade 1, $300,000 events: the Hollywood Derby on Saturday, November 28, which he won in 2018 aboard Raging Bull for trainer Chad Brown; and the Matriarch on Sunday, November 29, which Rosario won in 2014 on La Tia for Armando De la Cerda, 2016 on Miss Temple City for H. Graham Motion and 2018 aboard Uni for Brown.

“I'm very excited, Del Mar is like coming home for me,” Rosario said recently by phone from New York. “When I first started a lot of people there had respect for me and gave me some great opportunities. So it's very special. And I love San Diego.”

Rosario's Del Mar riding titles came with win totals of 56 in 2009, 57 in 2010 and 49 in 2011. The 2010 tally is the most in the last 14 years and only Victor Espinoza, with 64 in 2006, has topped it in the last 27 seasons.

As anyone who was around Del Mar from 2009-2011 would have predicted, the move to New York has been a very successful one. His annual purse earnings have consistently been above the $15-million range of his final California years and he has topped the $20-million mark four times with a high of more than $24.9 million last year.

The Turf Festival will feature the top two riders in the country for money won in 2020. Irad Ortiz, Jr., also on assignment from New York for the duration of the event, is No. 1 with 269 wins from 1,150 mounts and purse earnings of $19,761,036. Rosario is No. 2 with 181 wins from 973 mounts and earnings of $17,041,821.

Rosario's “homecomings” to Del Mar since 2011 have produced nine stakes victories – seven of them in Grades Is — and created wonderful memories for local trainers.

In 2017, when Del Mar hosted the Breeders' Cup for the first time, Encinitas resident Peter Miller, one of several original Rosario supporters, enlisted him to ride Stormy Liberal in the $1-million Turf Sprint.

The resultant victory, by a head in the final jump at odds of 30-1, was the first Breeders' Cup win for Miller and the first of two on the day.

“I do remember the Stormy Liberal ride,” Miller said recently. “He saved every inch of ground, sat in the pocket, tipped him out when they straightened away and finished strong. Couldn't have ridden him any better.

“As Chick Hearn used to say, 'He's got icewater in his veins.' Pressure doesn't get to him and he's probably the best finisher in the game.”

In 2018 trainer John Sadler, another early supporter, called upon Rosario to ride Accelerate in the Pacific Classic after Victor Espinoza, inducted into the Hall of Fame a year earlier, suffered fractured vertebrae in a spill. Rosario guided Accelerate to a Classic record 12 ½-length victory.

Ten weeks later, Rosario was aboard him again in a dominating win in the $6-million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs a victory that, were it not for Justify's Triple Crown sweep, would have made Accelerate the Horse of the Year.

“He was just an amazing horse,” Rosario said. “John gave me a lot of opportunities early in my career and I was really happy to win for him even though it was unfortunate what happened to Victor.”

Rosario used the word “opportunity” several times in a brief interview. He's happy to have the opportunity to ride Grade 1 winner Decorated Invader for Christophe Clement in the Hollywood Derby and Grade 3 victor Viadera for super trainer Chad Brown in the Matriarch.

And it's that humility, in addition to elite level riding skills, that sets Rosario apart, said his agent. Over 40 years, Ron Anderson has booked mounts for Fernando Toro and Hall of Famers Gary Stevens, Jerry Bailey, Chris Antley and John Velazquez among others. He has represented both Rosario and Velazquez since last February.

“Joel is a great rider, but he's also one of the nicest people I've ever met, bar none,” said Anderson. “You can't help but like and root for him. You don't root for everybody you meet, but if you meet Joel you're going to like him and root for him.

“He's just naturally kind and considerate to everyone. He respects everyone – grooms, hot walkers, trainers, people who hold the ropes on the path to the track – and he's respected by everybody.”

Anderson said he has seen Rosario get angry twice in the eight years they've been a team. Both times Rosario addressed the offender in unmistakably clear terms and the heat was off in a very short time.

The frustrations, hassles and bothers that are a part of life in 2020 – Anderson estimates Rosario and Velazquez have undergone COVID-19 testing 35 times since the pandemic started – haven't affected Rosario's overall outlook.

“It's been difficult for everyone in the industry, difficult for everyone everywhere,” Rosario said. “We just keep doing the best we can and hope things get better.”

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Good With People Wins Golden State Juvenile At Del Mar

Jockey Ricardo (“Ricky”) Gonzalez and trainer Peter Miller did the déjà vu all over again thing Saturday at Del Mar, this time winning the $150,000 Golden State Juvenile with J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Good With People. On Friday, they won the $150,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies with September Secret.

Good With People, a colt by the Curlin sire Curlin to Mischief, made the lead in Saturday's seven-panel sprint soon after the break, then easily made every pole his. He was a geared-down three-quarter length winner, covering the distance in 1:26.10. The homebred picked up a winner's share of $85,500 for his connections.

Finishing second in the Cal-bred tilt was Winner, Winner and Winner's Positivity and third was West Point Thoroughbred's Ascot Storm.

Good With People paid $6.20, $3.60 and $2.80 across the board. Positivity returned $4.60 and $3.20, while Ascot Storm paid $3.00 to show.

Good With People now has won three of five starts, including an earlier stakes score at Del Mar on September 4 in the I'm Smokin Stakes.

Three jockeys won two races on the eight-race Saturday program that was offered at Del Mar around the nine Breeders' Cup races televised during the day from Keeneland in Lexington, KY. Abel Cedillo, the 2019 fall riding champ, had a pair to move his meet-leading total to eight after four days of racing. Drayden Van Dyke, the 2018 fall riding kingpin, won his first two races of the meet, and Tyler Baze's pair of victories moved him into a second-place tie with Mike Smith with four wins.

Racing resumes at Del Mar Sunday with an eight-race program and a 12:30 p.m. first post.

RICARDO (“RICKY”) GONZALEZ (Good With People, winner) – “I like this, winning stakes. (He had won the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Friday, his first stakes win at Del Mar). This time Peter (trainer Miller, also the trainer of GS Juvenile Fillies winner September Secret) told me: 'Go to the front and don't look back.' I did it and it worked out great.”

PETER MILLER (Good With People, winner) – Trainer Miller was in Kentucky saddling Breeders' Cup runners and could not be reached by phone.

FRACTIONS: :22.56 :46.24 1:12.30 1:26.10

The stakes win was the first in the GS Juvenile for rider Gonzalez, but his second of the meet and second at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first in the GS Juvenile for trainer Miller, but his second of the meet. He now has 37 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owners are J. Kirk and Judy Robison of El Paso, TX.

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