Alert Bay wins S.F. Mile in an upset

Local horses had won five of the past six editions of the San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields, but that dominance figured to end in Saturday’s edition of the Grade 3, $101,800 race.

[...] Alert Bay had other ideas, and he overtook defending champion G.G. Ryder in mid-stretch and held off the closing charges of Gabriel Charles and Bal a Bali to win by a neck.

“We live and we train and we race right here, and to have our good horse be able to run for this kind of money in our hometown on the turf — there’s nothing better,” trainer Blaine Wright said.

[...] he was the only horse in the San Francisco Mile with more than $1 million in earnings.

Saturday’s victory pushed his total to $1,098,815 for owner Peter Redekop and gave the 5-year-old gelding 12 victories in 25 starts.



Because of a bout of colic, Gabriel Charles hadn’t raced since winning the Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes on July 1 at Del Mar.

Before his colic attack, Gabriel Charles also had been sidelined 17½ months with a tendon injury.