Publication makes news in Futurity

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It should have been clear about 20 minutes before the running of the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity that the Northern California shipper Publication was in town for good reason. Publication, a winner of his lone start, took heavy early betting action, although he drifted up to 5-1 by the time he won the Grade 3 Futurity by a neck over the late-running It'sallinthechase.

Off only a win in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race at Bay Meadows, it was hard to know what to expect from Publication before the Futurity, and even after his win, the horse remain somewhat mysterious to people in this part of the country. Neither the colt's owners, members of the Triple Crown Bloodstock ownership group, nor his trainer, Terry Knight, was in town for the Futurity. The colt shipped into Jerry Hollendorfer's barn late this week with only his groom accompanying him, and Hollendorfer's assistant, Andy Wilson, saddled Publication on Saturday.

Local jockey Randy Meier rode the horse and got some guidance from his connections by phone. "They told me the colt was well schooled and to be patient, sit back and wait," Meier said.

That Meier did, though the pace was very slow. Lunar Bounty, the lone stakes winner in a field of seven, set a slow pace, going a quarter-mile in 24.71 seconds and a half in 48.82, with favored Dubai Squire just to his outside and Publication between horses.

Lunar Bounty gave way on the far turn, and as the field straightened away, all seven horses were within five lengths of each other. Publication edged clear of Dubai Squire in the final sixteenth, but had to hold off a late challenge from the longshot It'sallinthechase, who rallied on the outside to just miss.

Publication, who paid $12.20 to win, ran a mile in 1:38.78 over a fast track, a slow time that seemed to confirm the weakness of the Futurity field.

Dubai Squire followed home Itisallinthechase to finish third, and was followed by Major Storm, Tinker, No Trouble and Lunar Bounty.