Golden Hour Double, Golden Hour Pick Four Wagers Return For Golden Gate Meet – Horse Racing News

Golden Gate Fields begins the 2021/2022 Winter/Spring meet on Sunday, December 26 with an 11-race Opening Day program. *Although the first post on most race days is 12:45 PM, Sunday’s card has an early first post time of 11:15 AM. 83 horses are entered to compete on Opening Day, with a pair of allowance races marked as the co-featured events on the afternoon.

Horseplayers will be happy to hear that, once again this meet, Golden Gate and Santa Anita join forces to present the Golden Hour Double and Golden Hour Pick Four wagers. The Golden Hour Pick Four combines the last two races at Santa Anita and the final two races at Golden Gate on days in which both tracks run simultaneously. The Golden Hour Pick Four is a low 15% takeout bet and a $1 minimum play. The Golden Hour Double, with a 15% takeout and $5 minimum, features the last race at Santa Anita and the nightcap at Golden Gate.

The Winter/Spring meet, which commences Sunday, Dec. 26, and runs through Sunday, June 14, 2022, is the longest of three meets that Golden Gate runs every year. 13 stakes races are spread throughout the upcoming Winter/Spring meet, including one of the most prestigious races in Northern California every year, the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby on Saturday, February 12. For 3-year-olds at one mile and an eighth on Tapeta, the El Camino Real Derby offers the winner 10 Kentucky Derby points and a free berth into the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, at Pimlico Racecourse. Last year, El Camino Real Derby victor Rombauer took advantage of his free berth and went on to win the Preakness.

Another popular event on the docket is Gold Rush Weekend, run Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1. Considered the most significant event of the year in Northern California racing, Gold Rush Weekend features eight stakes races throughout a two-day period. A half dozen stakes are scheduled for Saturday, highlighted by the $250,000 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile for 3-year-olds and upward at one mile on turf. A pair of California-bred or sired stakes for 3-year-olds, the Silky Sullivan and the Campanile for fillies, go as the co-featured races on Sunday.