Endlessly heads field of 8 in Preakness qualifier at Golden Gate

Endlessly, a two-time Grade 3 winner who took an undefeated record to the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, makes his 2024 debut Saturday at Golden Gate Fields in the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby, a win-and-you’re-in qualifier for the Preakness.

The listed stakes drew eight 3-year-olds and covers 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta main track. It will be the seventh of eight races with a post time of about 7:45 p.m. EST.

Click here for Golden Gate Fields entries and results.

Endlessly won his first three races, all going a mile on turf, by identical, 2 1/4-length margins. He made a successful debut in a July 30 maiden race at Del Mar, where he then won the Del Mar Juvenile Turf (G3) on Sept. 10.

At Santa Anita, the son of Oscar Performance was victorious in the Zuma Beach (G3). Carrying 5-1 odds into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Endlessly faded to finish eighth, 3 1/2 lengths behind the winner Unquestionable.

Owned by Jerry and Joan Amerman, Endlessly is trained by Michael McCarthy, who used the El Camino Real as a steppingstone for Rombauer on the way to an upset triumph in the 2021 Preakness. McCarthy also won this race in 2018 with the filly Paved.

Umberto Rispoli is making the trip from Southern California to take over for Juan Hernández, who rode all four of the Endlessly’s starts last year. They will start from post 6.

Northern California-based Wild Jewels, a 3-year-old Tamarando gelding owned by Larry and Marianne Williams of Boise, Idaho, is the only other stakes winner in the field. Trained by Steve Specht, he won the fall runnings of the six-furlong Golden Nugget and the one-mile Gold Rush, both black-type races on the same track where Saturday’s race will be run.

Frank Alvarado, who rode Wild Jewels to a last-place finish among five finishers last month in the California Cup Derby at Santa Anita, keeps the assignment this weekend and will break from post 3.

Saturday’s field includes two colts, four geldings, a ridgling and the filly Arctic Breeze. The $375,000 daughter of Arrogate won by 9 1/4 lengths last out in a maiden-breaking performance at Golden Gate for trainer Blaine Wright.

Only Endlessly and Old Triangle, a two-time allowance winner at Golden Gate, were among the early nominations for the 2024 Triple Crown.

This 43rd running of the El Camino Real Derby is scheduled to be the last before the announced closing of Golden Gate Fields by the Stronach Group on June 9.