LOUISVILLE, Ky. - June 1952. Harry S. Truman was in the White House. D. Wayne Lukas was in Wisconsin aspiring to be a basketball coach. Carl Nafzger was a 10-year-old farm boy in Texas. But Bob Holthus was already a Thorough-bred horse trainer in Nebraska.
"I'd been around horses my whole life," said Holthus. "Rode a Shetland pony to my first day of school. Getting a license was just a formality."
In the history of Churchill Downs, only two horses have won three consecutive runnings of a stakes race. On Saturday, the venerable 10-year-old gelding Bet on Sunshine will seek his third straight win in the Grade 3, $100,000 Aristides Handicap. If he wins, he would join Indian Maid (Falls City Handicap, 1959-61) and Chorwon (Louisville Handicap, 1997-99) as the only horses to threepeat.
Eight months ago in Kentucky, veteran turf mares Babae and Watch faced each other in the Cardinal Handicap.
Babae bobbled in her second stride out of the gate and wound up sixth as the 6-5 favorite. Watch, despite going three wide on the first turn and five wide into the stretch, won by a length.
The rematch will come at Philadelphia Park in Saturday's $100,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares.
PLEASANTON, Calif. - Speed has always been Sempai's game, and trainer Lonnie Arterburn has honed that speed to turn the 4-year-old gelding into one of northern California's top sprinters.
Arterburn will send out Sempai in Saturday's $50,000 Sam J. Whiting Handicap at six furlongs at the Alameda County Fair versus seven foes.
SALEM, N.H. - After a strong performance by Del Mar Show here last week, trainer Bill Mott is sending another horse to Rockingham: High Maintenance in Saturday's $25,000 Rockingham Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
While Del Mar Show seemed to have no problem dealing with the mix of shippers and local talent in the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, this time around Mott's charge could be more vulnerable.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - They're not waiting to hear slot machines dinging at Louisiana Downs: Instead, track officials have decided to pay out purses as if the machines were already running.
When Louisiana Downs opens an 80-day meet Friday, purses will average $200,000 a day. That's 58 percent more than last year, when purses averaged $126,000. More important, it puts Louisiana Downs on par with other tracks in the Southwest, such as Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and Lone Star Park near Dallas, each of which distribute more than $225,000 a day.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Local kingpin Cole Norman will find increased competition at Louisiana Downs this meet as he strives to win his fifth straight Louisiana Downs training title. An improved purse structure that will offer $200,000 a day for the summer meet which runs through Sept. 22 has lured at least 10 new stables to town.
A fall meet runs from Sept. 26 to Nov. 10.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - Beau's Town will attempt to win his seventh straight race Friday in the $50,000 Kings Court Stakes, a six-furlong sprint on opening day at Louisiana Downs.
This is where it all began for Beau's Town. He finished second in his career debut at Louisiana Downs last September, then won his maiden in his next start here in November.
ELMONT, N.Y. - With victories in her first two starts in the fall, Proxy Statement gave her connections reason to think big. But in the eight months since, Proxy Statement has come up small.
A royally bred 3-year-old filly, Proxy Statement hopes to turn her season around beginning Friday, when she competes in a third-level allowance race at Belmont Park. The one-mile race drew a field of five fillies and mares. First post on a sunset Friday card is 3 p.m.
CHICAGO - Gene Cilio basically divides his time between three places: Chicago's west side, Arlington Heights, and New Orleans.
You're not going to find many Mardi Gras parades in the Chicago's northwest suburbs, nor will Arlington's luxurious outdoor paddock ever be confused with gritty Sportsman's Park or Hawthorne. And, it's obvious to Cilio, you can't run the same horses in all three places, either.
