Ex-rider is a hands-on trainer
OLDSMAR, Fla. - When Jimmy Anderson was riding, he wasn't the type who attracted much attention. He didn't spend much time on the leader board in the jockey standings wherever he rode, but he was known as a rider who got the most from his opportunities. He was good with difficult horses, he was a good "project" rider, a guy who would spend time with a horse, working on problems or eccentricities - and when the money was on the line, Anderson could race ride with the best of them.
So it's not surprising to those who knew him well that Jimmy Anderson, the trainer, is a whole lot like Jimmy Anderson the rider. His stable is comprised mostly of blue-collar-type horses, lower-priced claimers, and maidens. Known to his friends as "Skinny," Anderson doesn't have any high-profile owners who attack the claim box and keep him supplied with fresh horses, and he operates a hands-on outfit, galloping and working many of his runners in the mornings.
In spite of all that the Anderson stable is quietly having another good season here at Tampa Bay Downs. When Richard Weiss's Blazing Paul emerged from a three-horse photo in Friday's eighth race with victory by a nose, it marked the sixth winner of the meeting for the Anderson stable from just 21 starters, for a 28 per cent winning percentage. Earlier in the meeting Anderson sent out Seminole Springs to loop the field in a 1 1/6-mile race and score one of the biggest upsets of the season - returning a whopping $144.60 for a $2 win bet.
Hard work, getting the most out of what you've got, getting the job done . . . it's how one survives in as a horseman. Just ask "Skinny" Anderson.
Rhone ships and wins at Gulfstream
When one ships from Tampa Bay to Gulfstream, he knows he is going to run with the big dogs. That's why it's sweet when a Tampa Bay Downs-based trainer ships to Gulfstream and wins. On Thursday, Bernell Rhone journeyed there with Lake Breeze, who indeed ran with the big dogs - leading throughout a six-furlong sprint for $14,000-level claimers to win in 1:10.78 and pay a generous $11.20. It was Lake Breeze's second straight win. Rhone, who has a number of Minnesota-based clients and is usually among the leaders at Canterbury Downs in Shakopee, Minn. But since coming to Tampa several years ago he has adjusted his stock to fit here and, through this weekend, had 4 wins from 27 starts, including 14 starters hitting the board.
* Derek Bell has stopped riding while doctors decide how to proceed with his injured knee. Bell was stepped on by his mount after being unseated at the start of a 1 1/16-mile race a while ago. He rode through the pain, but recently an MRI was done on the knee, and he is waiting to for doctors to decide on a course of action.