This week at Golden Gate Fields
Feature races: $50,000-added Golden Gate Debutante on Friday; Grade 3, $100,000 Berkeley Handicap on Saturday
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer entered three horses in each of this week’s stakes, and they’ll have five opponents in the Golden Gate Debutante and only two in the Berkeley Handicap. …
None of the Debutante entrants has more than a maiden victory (Americana doesn’t even have that), but Grand Prix’s 5-length win Nov. 6 was enough to make her the 5-to-2 morning-line favorite.
Hollendorfer has Southern Freedom, G. G. Ryder and Bronze Star against Tamarando and Stryker Phd in the Berkeley Handicap — a 11/16-mile event on the main track.
Hoppertunity and Effinex, the fourth and seventh finishers from the Breeders’ Cup Classic, head a field of 11 in the Clark Handicap, which also drew Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile runner-up Gun Runner.
Hoppertunity beat Effinex by a half-length in winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. …
Bella Luma, who broke her maiden with a 9-length romp at Golden Gate Fields, runs in the Grade 3, $100,000 Jimmy Durante Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar for trainer Ed Moger Jr. …
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Classic Empire is the 8-to-1 morning-line favorite among the 23 individual horses, but the mutual field (all other 2-year-olds) is 5-to-2.