By DRF.com
ALBANY, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2021) – Dr Pescado outdueled fellow California-bred through the stretch to win Saturday’s $63,450 Golden Nugget Stakes for 2-year-olds at Golden Gate.
Dr Pescado is by Fullbridled, out of the Peppered Cat mare Sweetly Peppered, was bred by Juan Heredia and is owned by Ruben Arechiga and trainer Felix Rondan.
He has two wins in three starts, earnings of $59,668 and was coming off a fourth in a Sept. 24 optional claimer. He ran the six furlongs in 1:11.51 and won by one-half length at odds of 7-2 as the third choice in a field of five.
“He’s a nice horse, and (jockey Pedro Torrero) gave him a nice ride,” Rondan said. “We wanted to be about two lengths back.”
As the field straightened out into the lane, C’Mon Man, the 6-5 favorite, looked to be making a strong move along the rail but was discouraged by Stanford Bay, who was the second choice at 7-5.
But Terrero had Dr Pescado in gear outside Stanford Bay, and he was going the best even though he won the race by only one-half length, with C’Mon Man third another half-length farther back.