Post-Race Review
When likely favorite Feisty Suances scratched from the Snow Chief Stakes, the race became even more wide open than before. Fourth choice Compari, who was coming off a one mile turf maiden victory on March 29th, took the lead from the gate and drew away in the stretch, winning by 1 3/4 lengths. Garrett Gomez was aboard for the victory.
Trained by Martin Jones, Compari stretched his record to two wins in three lifetime starts. In the final strides of the Snow Chief, the son of Redattore (BRZ) held off Triumphant Flight and JP Jammer, while favored Unbridled Roman, who ran wide throughout, faded to eighth. The final time for the mile and one eighth was 1:48.63. Compari paid $13.20 to win.
Pre-Race Analysis
Ten races, all of them stakes, make up the California Gold Rush on Saturday at Hollywood Park. The feature race is the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes, a 1 1/8 mile event for three-year-olds. Eleven colts and geldings will face the starter.
Feisty Suances just missed running in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) because the son of Suances (GB) didn’t have enough earnings to make the field. Prior to being fifth in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), Fesity Suances finished second in the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) on March 19th. Victor Espinoza will ride for trainer Darrell Vienna.
Espinoza is abandoning Triumphant Flight, the second choice in the race who has been ridden by no one but Victor in his five lifetime starts. Red-hot Rafael Bejarano takes over for trainer Eric Kruljac. Triumphant Flight is coming off a victory in the listed San Miguel Stakes going six furlongs on March 28. The Chullo (ARG) colt won the Barretts Juvenile on September 14th, and in his only other attempt around two turns, Triumphant Flight finished second by a length and a half in the California Cup Juvenile.
J P Jammer hasn’t won since taking a maiden race at Del Mar on August 30, but has run against the best of competition, finishing fourth in the California Cup Juvenile, second to Kentucky Derby contender Chocolate Candy in the Real Quiet Stakes, and 10th in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) behind Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge. This year, J P Jammer has finished second twice, the most recent being on March 19th in a 1 1/16 mile allowance race. Aaron Gryder has the call.
Compari is coming off of a maiden win by 3 3/4 lengths on March 29th, but that victory came at one mile on the turf. Garrett Gomez takes the mount for trainer Martin Jones, who also sends out Korban. The Benchmark colt has won two straight races, a maiden special weight on February 1st and an optional claimer on March 8th. Joel Rosario takes over for former pilot Bejarano.
Unbridled Roman is the last of the logical contenders. Sixth in the Santa Anita Derby, Unbridled Roman finished third behind J P Jammer in the March 19th allowance, and actually hasn’t won since taking a maiden race over the Hollywood Park main track in November. Unbridled Roman signaled readiness with a five furlong workout on April 18th which was a blazing bullet in :58.1 for trainer Christopher Paasch.
He’s Really Big, Warrens Stormalert, Danny Q, Wolfgang, and Green Card James are also entered.
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Emily Shields is a regular contributor to Case the Race. She has written for California Thoroughbred, Churchill Downs media, and international racing magazines.
