Golden Gate Fields resumes their spring meet on Thursday with a nice 9-race card. We analyze and make horse racing picks for 2 dirt races and the sixth, a mile turf race. Check out top plays and Horse Racing Odds from Golden Gates Fields for Thursday, May 21. You can also visit our Online Racebook to place your bets on active racetracks.
Golden Gate Fields Horse Racing Picks
- When: Thursday, May 21 at 3:45 pm ET
- Where: Berkeley, CA
- Weather: Partly Cloudy
Golden Gate Fields Picks for Thursday, May 21
Race 3 – 4:45 pm ET – 6 Furlongs All-Weather – $5,000 Claiming
30% winning trainer Isidro Tamayo puts the saddle on 2/1 morning line chalk No Spin Zone. The Factor sired 6-year-old mare goes first time for Tamayo. That’s a 31% winning move. Isidro has won 1-of-3 when the conditioner drops off the claim. Things should set up nicely for the favorite.
Girlsintheoffice hasn’t raced since February 2019. The Steve Specht trained runner has 3 wins from 10 races. She even has a win over the GG Fields all-weather. Easily, this is the lowest-level at which Girlsintheoffice has ever run.
8/1 morning line Euphemistic should get into the trifecta. Trained by Melanie McDonald, the 7-year-old mare has finished second in her last couple of races. Granted, those events were well below the $5,000 level, but this event didn’t come up overly tough.
- Win: No Spin Zone
- Place: Girlsintheoffice
- Show: Euphemistic
Race 4 – 5:15 pm ET – 5 ½ Furlongs All-Weather–$8,000 Claiming
Trainer Victor Trujillo has yet to get on track. Trujillo usually wins at a higher percentage than 6%. 6-year-old gelding Uncle Hal could help Victor raise the win percentage. The 6-year-old gelding takes a steep drop in class from the $12,500 level. Hal breaks to the outside of the other speed, has a couple of wins at the distance, and gets the services of Frank Alvarado.
Jack Steiner trained Malibu Alex’s best race happened at this 5 ½ furlong distance. Overall, the 7-year-old gelding has a 5-3-5 record from 28 starts. That’s not bad for horses running at this level. Jockey Juan Hernandez has 95 wins from 293 mounts this year. That’s 32% winners. Consider an exacta box with Uncle Hal.
Kent Desormeaux jumps aboard morning line chalk Aalsmeer. A 9-time winner over the Golden Gate all-weather, the Flower Alley sired 9-year-old gelding hasn’t won since September. That’s 3 straight losses at the $8,000 claiming level at 4/1 odds or less. We’ll use in exotics but shun for the win.
- Win: Uncle Hal
- Place: Malibu Alex
- Show: Aalsmeer
Race 6 – 6:15 pm ET – 1 Mile Turf – $12,500 Claiming
Victor Trujillo could have a huge Thursday. The conditioner has a couple of contenders in this. Please Do gets the nod over Side Effect. The Comic Strip sired 6-year-old mare hasn’t raced on the turf since last October. When she did run on the lawn, it was at much higher levels. Not only that but jockey Ricardo Gonzalez wins 22% at the meet. Ricardo has an edge over Side Effect’s jockey, Frank Alvarado, since that one breaks to the inside of Please Do.
Like her stablemate, Side Effect has a chance to get her picture taken. The other Trujillo trained runner goes first time for Victor. That’s a 16% winning move. Not only that but if nobody runs with Side Effect, Alvarado could nurse an easy lead into a front running score. Trujillo exacta box for Race 6? Sounds like a plan!
Splashing deserves to be favored. But 7/5? That’s the morning line on the Isidro Tamayo trained runner. This field is much too deep to back the chalk to win at odds close to the morning line. The favorite is a must use in the exotics, though.
- Win: Please Do
- Place: Side Effect
- Show: Splashing
