Affirmed Handicap 2010
The Affirmed Handicap was originally run under the name of the Silver Screen Handicap, and saw its name changed in 1993 to honor the magnificent racehorse Affirmed. Affirmed won the Triple Crown in the year 1978; a year prior to the inaugural running of this race. It is open to all three-year-old horses, and is hosted by the Hollywood Park Racecourse in California. This year the Grade III event was held on Saturday, 19 June 2010, with a spectacular victory by Golden Itiz captivating spectators.
It was a very big day for Golden Itiz as it was only his second career start and broke his maiden at the same time. With very talented genes, the son of Tiznow and Golden Tiy, Golden Itiz is trained by Ron Ellis and owned by Jay Em Ess Stables (Mace and Samantha Siegel). He was purchased as a yearling for $240 000 and is most definitely delivering satisfying performances for his owners. Tyler Baze was chosen as his jockey for the day, and while Golden Itiz enjoyed his very first victory, Baze captured his first Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood Park. Golden Itiz and Skipshot were sent off as the race favorites and the battle for the finish line took place between these two wonderful horses.
Gallant Gent and Ranger Heartly broke clear very quickly and held the leading positions for quite some time. But Ranger Heartly began to tire and Skipshot began to wear him down. As Skipshot fought his way into the leading position, Golden Itiz took to the outside and still had reserves as he passed Skipshot and won the 2010 Affirmed Handicap comfortably. Tyler Baze only had praise for Golden Itiz after the race, commenting that he settled in quickly and he was aware that he had a lot of horse under him. Golden Itiz patiently waited for his signal from Baze, and when he was asked to make his final move, he did so with determination and energy. This first victory seems to be a sign of things to come and Golden Itiz is most definitely the horse to look out for. Future events for Golden Itiz have not yet been confirmed.
