Golden Gate: Endlessly roars late to capture El Camino Real

Heavy favorite Endlessly waited patiently near the rear of the field before uncorking his typical late charge to win Saturday's $100,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, earning an automatic entry in the Preakness Stakes.

Trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the Triple Crown-nominated Amerman Racing homebred covered 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta synthetic track in 1:50.68 to earn a start in the second jewel of the Triple Crown on May 18 at Pimlico. A listed stakes, the race did not award any Kentucky Derby points.

Endlessly, a son of Oscar Performance out of a Langfuhr mare, broke alertly but soon dropped back to the rear of the field of eight 3-year-olds. Rispoli was content to keep him there as Wild Jewels led the way through a half mile in 47.61 seconds, stalked closely by long shot Come Out Fighting from the inside.

Endlessly began to edge closer to the leaders on the backstretch after six furlongs in 1:13.04 before co-second choice Tapalo (7-2) signaled the real running was beginning by spearing between the dueling leaders approaching the far turn and opening a lead of several lengths. Long shot Old Triangle attempted to go with him, but was unable to reel  in the leader after moving into a clear second entering the stretch.

Endlessly and Rispoli, however, still had something to say about the outcome, picking up speed rounding the turn and splitting horses before shifting out for the stretch drive. Under right-hand urging he steadily cut into the leader's margin before taking the lead inside the 16th pole and drawing off to win by approximately 2 1/2 lengths.

The winner returned $3.40 on a $2 win bet, with Tapalo holding on for the place ($4.00) and late-running Guy Named Joe closing for the show ($2.40).

The victory was McCarthy's third in the El Camino Real.

Endlessly was making his first start on a synthetic surface in the El Camino Real after winning three of four starts on the turf, his only setback coming when he was eight in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita. The winner's share of the purse pushed his earnings to nearly $300,000.

Saturday's El Camino Real Derby will almost certainly be the last run  at Golden Gate Fields, which is scheduled to close June 9.