Strictly a holiday horse

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Maybe it has something to do with a parent's day. When Red Antics notched the only triumph of his 13-race career, it was on Father's Day last year. Sunday, when hundreds of families gather at Churchill Downs to celebrate Mother's Day, Red Antics might very well come through with his second triumph.

Red Antics, trained by Kim Boniface, has had plenty of chances at the entry-level conditions that govern the Sunday feature, a $44,200 allowance at 1 1/8 miles on turf. But it was his latest effort, a fourth-place finish in a deep race here opening day, that may signal that Red Antics is ready to win again.

In all, a field of 15 was entered, although only 10 will be permitted to start if the race stays on grass. As usual, the feature is the ninth of 10 races on Mother's Day, a day that typically draws a larger and more festive crowd at Churchill than on a normal Sunday.

Two other allowances (races 5 and 7) also are on the card. The seventh is a particularly tough race, having attracted Silver Sonnet and De Belle.

Whiting winning with everything

Ten years after pulling off the training feat of a lifetime, Lynn Whiting is on another roll.

Whiting, who won the 1992 Kentucky Derby with Lil E. Tee, had an intact winning streak of six straight races after the Thursday card. Whiting had no runners here Friday, but he did have one scheduled starter Saturday - Missme in the second race.

Whiting lost with his first starter of the meet April 28 but won with his next six, culminating with three winners Wednesday and one Thursday. The streak is the longest at Churchill since Pat Byrne reeled off a record eight in a row to begin the 1997 spring meet.

The North American record for consecutive winners by a trainer at a meet is believed to be 14, set in 1997 by Frank Passero Jr. at Gulfstream Park.

A milestone for Mott

Overshadowed by all the hubbub of Kentucky Derby Week, trainer Bill Mott passed a milestone here two Sundays ago.

Mott, the leading trainer in track history, had his 500th winner at Churchill when Madam Rochas won the sixth race April 28. Mott has since added three more Churchill winners, including Meliziosa in the Edgewood Stakes on May 3 and Stylish in the Citgo Distaff Turf Mile on May 4.