Top sprinter may return at Sam Houston

Chief of Affairs, who established himself as a sprinter of note this past spring when he put up a series of triple-digit Beyer Figures, is back training after being sidelined with a bone chip and could see action in January.

The $50,000 Spirit of Texas Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park on Jan. 22 is a possible comeback spot for the horse, said his trainer, Bret Calhoun. Chief of Affairs has not raced since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs on May 29. He was found to have a bone chip in an ankle after that race and it has since been removed, according to Calhoun.

Chief of Affairs won the Spirit of Texas in 2009, then shipped to Oaklawn Park, where he won a $65,000 optional claiming allowance with a Beyer Figure of 106. Following that March race, he was second by a neck in the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap in April, with a Beyer of 105. Calhoun said long-term plans are to again campaign the horse at Oaklawn, which opens its meet in January.

Chief of Affairs, a 4-year-old by Yonaguska, races for Larry Hirsch and Wayne Sanders.

* Charla Ann King will retire from her position as executive director of the Texas Racing Commission on Nov. 30.