Chime After Chime back at 7

ALBANY, Calif. - Chime After Chime, a stakes-placed 7-year-old mare, will make her comeback in Wednesday's feature race at Golden Gate Fields.

Chime After Chime, third behind Tuzla and Isle de France in the 1999 Royal Heroine at Hollywood Park, and second, beaten a head by Dream of Gifts in the 2000 Lady Morovich at the Bay Meadows Fair, has not raced since finishing last in the Queen O Green Handicap at Turf Paradise on Nov. 26, 2000.

"She was supposed to be bred. We sent her to Kentucky, but she couldn't get in foal," trainer A.L. Diaz said. "We wanted to have a nice baby from her."

Owners John and Julia DeMeo decided to bring their homebred back to the races. She has seven victories, five seconds and a third in 27 lifetime starts while earning $210,258.

"She's 100 percent heart," Diaz said. "So far, she's doing pretty good. I think the conditions are good for her here."

Chime After Chime drew the outside post as nine fillies will compete in a 1 1/16-mile $40,000 optional claiming turf race. Chime After Chime is entered for the $40,000 claiming tag.

Diaz continues to make his own comeback after having a stroke Sept. 6.

"So far, things are OK," Diaz said. "It's going slow. I go in for therapy two times a week."

But he's also at his barn at Bay Meadows every day, and that, in itself, may be the best therapy of all for Diaz.

"It gets your mind off things," he said.

Herrera heading south

Robert Herrera, one of the co-founders of the Winners' Foundation in 1985 to fight substance abuse and the foundation's northern California Regional Manager for 12 years, is leaving the backstretch to take a new job at a Southern California treatment facility.

The new position involves a program working with the court system to provide treatment for certain offenders instead of jail time.

Herrera says he will still help the Winners' Foundation as a consultant at Santa Anita.

He said the organization is looking for a bi-lingual person to replace him in Northern California.

* Janet, who won two Grade 1 races last year, the Ramona at Del Mar and Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meet, will head the field in Saturday's Brown Bess at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. She will carry 123 pounds. Also confirmed for the Grade 3 race are Alexine, Autumn Rhythm and Lookn Mighty Fine.

* Golden Gate Fields racing secretary Greg Brent says he will try to run the Vallejo Stakes on Feb. 17. The six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies was cancelled Saturday because it had only a field of five with four betting interests.

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