By DRF.com
PLEASANTON, Calif. (July 1, 2023) – Odds-on favorite Top Harbor rallied wide in the final quarter-mile for a comfortable win in Saturday’s $76,350 Oak Tree Sprint Stakes for California-breds and -sireds at the Alameda County Fair, confirming his status as the leading sprinter in Northern California.
Top Harbor won the $75,900 Lost in the Fog Stakes at six furlongs on the synthetic main track at Golden Gate on April 29, and was second by a neck in the $66,350 Albany Stakes at five furlongs on turf there on June 10.
In the Oak Tree Sprint at six furlongs, Top Harbor broke from the rail and was last briefly on the backstretch. Ridden by Frank Alvarado, Top Harbor raced on the rail to the turn when Alvarado moved the 5-year-old horse to the outside.
Top Harbor closed well to win by two lengths, finishing in 1:10.29.
Evenerevenworse (6-1) broke sharply from the outside post in a field of eight and led through fractions of 23.41 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.88 seconds, closely followed by 8-1 Unraptured.
Evenerevenworse, a former $4,000 claimer who won the Albany Stakes, led into the stretch, but could not hold off Top Harbor. Evenerevenworse finished a length in front of Unraptured, who was followed by Larry’s Legend, Trumped, Gerlach’s and Cool Mountain Lad.
Psycho Dar, third in the Albany Stakes, was pulled up on the backstretch.
Top Harbor, by Harbor the Gold, races for owners and breeders Eric Schweiger, Gordon Jarnig, and Kenny Marshall and is trained by Tim McCanna.
Second in this race in 2021, Top Harbor has won 8 of 18 starts and earned $385,114.