ricardo gonzalez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Straight Up G Much The Best In King Glorious

A stretch to two turns proved no problem for Straight Up G as the Straight Fire colt scored a decisive gate-to-wire victory in the $102,000 King Glorious Stakes Sunday, the final day of the Winter meet at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif.

Under jockey Ricardo Gonzalez, Straight Up G, who is owned by breeder Jim Rome's Jungle Racing LLC, easily dispatched of early challengers Moose Mitchell and Thirsty Always to draw clear in the stretch and ultimately prevail by 3 ½ lengths in the race for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California.

Trained by Richard Baltas, who also trains the colt's half-sister Gidgetta, Straight Up G, who is out of the Sky Mesa mare Gidget Girl, completed the mile in 1:36.88 and returned $6.00, $4.20, and $3.00 as the 2-1 second choice in the field of nine. He's now won twice in three races and earned $105,660. His King Glorious win came three weeks after he graduated by 5 ½ lengths going six furlongs at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

“This horse has a lot of natural speed,'' said Baltas. “I left it up to (Gonzalez). I told him just break well and go from there. He's always worked really, really well. He's a good horse and he's got a good mind.''

Gonzalez, who is now 2-for-2 on Straight Up G, said he very felt confident about how the race was going to turn out shortly after the start.

“He broke very sharp, and when we got to the first turn, he was moving his ears back and forth so I knew it was game over right there,'' he said. “I knew it was going to be a stroll in the park.''

Finneus, who defeated eventual Los Alamitos Futurity winner Slow Down Andy to win the Golden State Juvenile Nov. 5 at Del Mar, rallied for second as the 19-10 favorite. He paid $3.00 and $2.40 while finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of 3-1 third choice Fast Draw Munnings. The show price on Fast Draw Munnings, who was a first-out maiden winner Sept. 17 at Los Alamitos, was $3.20.

Fowler Blue, Moose Mitchell, Divine Feminine, Socal Red, Thirsty Always, and So I'm Told completed the order of finish.

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Ricardo Gonzalez Wins First Grade 1, Voted Jockey Of The Week

Ricardo “Ricky” Gonzalez's decision to move his tack from Northern California to Southern California was a decision that brought him his first career Grade 1 win and Jockey of the Week honors for the week of Dec. 21 through Dec. 27. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Trainer Eoin Harty gave Gonzalez a leg up on Fair Maiden in the G1 La Brea for 3-year-old fillies on Santa Anita's opening day. Off at odds of 20-1 and seventh of 10 in the early portion of the seven-furlong race, she gained ground on the far turn, kicking clear to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:22.69.

“I've been watching Ricky since he came down here and I think he's the next superstar,” said Harty.

On his first career G1 win Gonzalez remarked, “I was just so happy and excited, just to ride these kinds of horses, it feels great. I am very thankful to Eoin and all the trainers for all the opportunities.”

In the final stakes of opening day, Gonzalez was aboard Nasty for trainer Richard Baltas in the one mile Lady of Shamrock Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Nasty took a commanding lead in the first half of the turf contest and held off a furious rally from East Coast invader Counterparty Risk for the win.

A native of Sinaloa, Mexico, Gonzalez came to the United States in 2013 first to Turf Paradise. He soon moved his tack to Golden Gate Fields where he rode regularly until this summer beginning with the Del Mar meet where he rode 16 winners.

Gonzalez's weekly stats were 10-2-1-3 with purse earnings of $257,160.

Gonzalez out-polled fellow riders Flavien Prat who won two stakes at Santa Anita, Mike Smith who also won two stakes races at Santa Anita, Jevian Toledo with three stakes wins at Laurel and Edgard Zayas who led all jockeys in wins with nine.

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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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Miller Thinking Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf After Ebeko’s Zuma Beach Score

Irish-bred Ebeko rallied through the lane for a hard fought nose victory in Sunday's $100,000 Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as leading trainer Peter Miller continued to hold a red-hot hand. Ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez, Ebeko, in his second stateside start, got one mile on turf in 1:36.55.

Breaking from post position four in a field of seven juveniles, Ebeko was much closer to the pace today than he had been in his one mile turf U.S. debut at Del Mar on Sept. 7. Fourth, about two lengths off of dueling leaders a quarter mile out, he swept four-wide turning for home and was just up as he narrowly outdueled Bob Baffert's Tarantino to the wire.

“This is a very nice colt…He gives you his all,” said Gonzalez. “The first time, we were in the 10-hole, so we just kind of made one run and he had just come from Europe. It's different now that he's been here. He puts himself in the race and finished really strong.”

A fast finishing second, beaten one length by today's race favorite Big Fish, Ebeko was off as the third betting choice at 3-1 and paid $8.80, $4.80 and $3.40.

Owned by Altamira Racing Stable, CYBT, Marc Lantzman and Michael Nentwig, Ebeko, who was one for three in his native Ireland, provided Miller with his meet leading fifth stakes win and his eighth win overall. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $106,430 and improved his overall mark to 5-2-2-0.

“We've been on an incredible run,” said Miller by phone from his home in Cardiff. “We've won with our last four, just everything is falling into place right now. I thought Ricky rode an incredible race. We knew this horse was doing well and Ricky saw that the pace was pretty slow, so he had him closer today.

“To be honest, there's no doubt in my mind that he could've won much easier today if we didn't have the new rules…I'm just being honest…We're definitely going to look at the Breeders' Cup (Juvenile Turf on Nov. 6 at Keeneland) with this horse. He deserves it and we're looking forward to going.”

Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Tarantino laid second throughout and lost a heartbreaker while finishing three quarters of a length in front of Cotopaxi. The actual second choice at 3-1, Tarantino paid $4.80 and $4.00.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Cotopaxi made the lead a furlong out, but had to settle for third money, a neck in front of Caisson. Off at 6-1, Cotopaxi paid $4.20 to show.

Big Fish, the 2-1 post favorite with Victor Espinoza, appeared poised to make a run at the top of the stretch, but flattened out through the drive to finish fifth.

Fractions on the race were 23.66, 48.42, 1:13.10 and 1:24.92.

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