Goldencents Continuing Delta Jackpot Tradition

In the nine years that the Delta Jackpot (G-3) has been contested, only one winner, Big Drama, has carved out a career as a Grade 1 winner. Also, only one horse that finished in the money in the Jackpot has made an impact on the Triple Crown races. That was 2005 Kentucky Derby runner-up Closing Argument.
This year's champ Goldencents continues the Jackpot tradition of precocious miler-oriented winners. The Doug O'Neil trainee announced his arrival on the racing scene with a jaw-dropping 7 ¼ length winning debut at Del Mar. Then he was tossed in against the monster known as Shanghai Bobby in the Champagne Stakes. Making his first start on dirt, shipping to a new track and adding 2 ½ furlongs, Goldencents did very well to place second in the Champagne, five lengths behind the winner.
In the Delta Jackpot, Goldencents burst out of the gate from the nine hole and tangled briefly with HEAVEN'S RUNWAY before subduing that rival. Piloted confidently by Kevin Krigger, Goldencents led the field on a merry chase, posting solid fractions and edging clear by 1 ¾ lengths at the wire. The post time favorite BERN IDENTITY had a tough trip, but once he found racing room, closed rapidly to finish second. An impressive MYLUTE trailed the field in the early stages and made a breath-taking move around the far turn. He appeared to lose focus in the stretch, allowing Bern Identity to sneak by him and take second place. The final time for 1 1/16 miles was a swift 1:44.89, barely a blink off Big Drama's Jackpot stakes-holder time of 1:44.72.
GOLDENCENTS (Into Mischief - Golden Works, by Banker's Gold) blazed a quarter mile in :21.10 at the OBS June Two Year Olds In Training sale and was purchased for $62K by the partnership of W. C. Racing, Dave Kenney and RAP Racing. His victory in the Delta Jackpot earned him a 3-2-1 ($722,000) race record.

Sire:
The bay colt's first crop sire Into Mischief made it to the races in late October of his two year old season. He was a lightly raced, but talented colt who won or placed in all six starts. Into Mischief won from 6 ½ furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. His miler's pedigree kept him off of the Triple Crown trail.

Into Mischief sired 41 foals in his first crop. Just 17 of his foals have started and seven have won, which is a pretty good percentage. His babies are mainly dirt runners, however Goldencents has won over the DelMar Polytrack and one runner was successful over the lawn. Thanks to his son's huge payday in the Delta Jackpot, Into Mischief is ranked #3 on the Freshman Sire list in terms of earnings. Perhaps one or two of his progeny will place at longer distances, but for the most part, Into Mischief's offspring will be distance challenged and will find 1 1/16 miles at the top of their range.
INTO MISCHIEF (Harlan's Holiday - Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek)
Race Record: 6-3-3-0 ($597,080)
Career Highlights:
1st – Cashcall Futurity (G-1) 1 1/16 miles
1st – Damascus Stakes 7F
2nd – Hollywood Prevue Stakes (G-2) 7F
2nd - San Vicente Stakes (G-2) 7F
2nd – Malibu Stakes (G-1) 7F
Female Family:
Goldencents' hails from a modest, but hardy female family. His dam Golden Works spent her racing career in the claiming ranks at Assiniboia Downs as a sprinter. Despite the lowly class, Golden Works was a decent race mare and compiled a 8-2-3-0 ($14,520) race record. Goldencents is her second foal to race and the first to earn blacktype.
Body Works, Goldencents' second dam, raced at the same track as her daughter. The veteran of 45 races, Body Works was in the money a remarkable 35 of 45 starts, mainly in listed stakes races. She was the best runner in three generations of this humble family. Farther back in the line, Goldencents' fifth dam Doiley bore a nondiscript mare named Mostly Sunny. That one produced Canadian Champion Juvenile and 1983 Kentucky Derby Hero Sunny's Halo.
 

Damsire:

Banker's Gold, Goldencents' damisre, competed with the best of his generation recording varied results. A middle distance runner, the son of Forty Niner was successful from six furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. He earned wins at the Grade 2 level and placed in the Grade 1 Met Mile and Carter Handicaps. Banker's Gold stood at stud in the US before being sold to Cypress. He sired ten US stakes winners and and two Panamanian Champions. Banker's Gold is represented by three stakes winners, one in Brazil, one in Ireland and Goldencents.
BANKER'S GOLD (Forty Niner - Banker's Lady, by Nijinsky II)
Race Record: 15-6-3-1 ($461,420)
Career Highlights:
1st - Peter Pan Stakes (G-2) 1 1/8 miles
1st - Tom Fool Handicap (G-2) 7F
2nd - Metropolitan Handicap (G-1) 1 mile
2nd – Carter Handicap (G-1) 7F
3rd - Dwyer Stakes (G-2) 1 1/16 miles
Into Mischief's grand-sire Storm Cat and his sons have crossed well with Forty Niner's sire line. Last year's Delta Jackpot winner Sabercat (Bluegrass Cat – Miner's Blessing, by Forty Niner) carries similar breeding to Goldencents, as both are by sons of Storm Cat out of Forty Niner sire line broodmares. Only three foals were produced by the Harlan's Holiday/Forty Niner nick and two made it to the races. Both were winners. They didn't win a whole lot of money, but it offered promise for Into Mischief's breeding to Golden Works.
Summary:
With his victory in the Delta Jackpot and runner-up placing in the Champagne Stakes, Goldencents has earned 14 points in the new Kentucky Derby Points system. He's currently in second place behind Shanghai Bobby who has 20 points.
 
Goldencents is outrunning his unassuming pedigree. He appears to be a lightly-built, leggy colt who will undoubtedly fill out as he matures. Goldencents is a smooth striding horse with a high cruising speed. He has a habit of pulling his head to the right and appears to want to lug out. This is a sign of inexperience and should sort itself out as he races. Goldencents is proven at 1 1/16 miles. He'll likely run into difficulty as the colts with classic distance pedigrees mature. If he's kept off of the Triple Crown trail and pointed to races within his distance scope, Goldencents could develop into a top class sprinter/miler.
 
Trainer Doug O'Neil hinted that Goldencents could show up in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes next year.
 

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