War At Sea swooped in to land the spoils after Silent Poet had done all the hard work in the Golden Gate Handicap (G3) on the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta track Nov. 4.
Silent Poet showed the way in the 1 1/16-mile test, formerly the Berkeley Handicap, turned back a couple of rivals as the field turned into the stretch and seemed well on his way to victory as the most persistent foe, Triploi, began to fade.
Then, along came War at Sea and jockey Frank Alvarado, rallying quickly on the far outside. The two flashed under the wire virtually together with the photo in favor of the 4-year-old War Front colt. The heat was clocked in 1:44.48 after Silent Poet had carved out reasonable early fractions.
War at Sea, trained at Santa Anita by Ron Ellis, had made his last 10 starts on turf, with three previous to that on dirt. All three of his earlier wins came over the green course and were scored back-to-back-to-back at Santa Anita in the spring of 2022, culminating in a 3/4-length win in the Cinema Stakes. He then reported third, beaten just one length in the Del Mar Derby (G2T).
His 2023 campaign had been less successful with four off-the-board finishes, albeit against stronger competition than he faced in the Golden Gate.
War at Sea, bred in Kentucky by Lewis Thoroughbred Breeding, was produced by the Street Cry mare Serene Melody . The colt is owned by Doubledown Stables.
Video: Golden Gate H. (G3)
