Victory milestone is news to Collins

LINCOLN, Neb. - Dennis Collins has been a force in the local jockey colony for years, but last Friday he picked up his biggest career win without realizing it.

Collins completed a three-win night last Friday with a win aboard Peanutbutter Blitz to collect his 1,000th career victory. Because of an oversight, the feat was not realized until Sunday afternoon. His 1,001st win came Saturday afternoon, when he guided Missy Can Do to victory in the $10,000 Bluegrass Handicap.

In late recognition of reaching the milestone, Thursday's third race was to be named in his honor. Collins is currently second in the rider standings. He trails R.D. Williams, 25-19, through the first half of the meet.

* Trainer Robin Keller saw his charge Jefferson K. complete a third generation victory over the Lincoln oval in last Friday's opener. Ann's Mogul, the granddam of Jefferson K., won her only race here as a juvenile in 1986. She produced a filly, Swinger Annie, who won here in 1997 as a 3-year-old. Jefferson K., a 3-year-old gelding named for Keller's nephew, is the first foal out of Swinger Annie. Ann's Mogul is a half-sister to Anjelicco, the third dam of multiple graded stakes winning Awesome Humor.

* Trackside golfers will be teeing up next Wednesday for the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund when a four-man scramble is conducted at Crooked Creek Golf Course just east of Lincoln. Cost is $50 per player with prizes and awards. A sign-up sheet is available in the Lincoln State Fair Park Racing Office, and 11 teams have been registered as of Wednesday. Proceeds from the event will go to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund to assist injured and disabled riders.

* Smarty Jones's near-miss in his bid for the Triple Crown was not the only disappointing news from the past weekend. The Omaha World Herald reported last week that a search for the remains of Triple Crown Winner Omaha came up empty.

Omaha, the 1935 Triple Crown winner, was buried at Ak-Sar-Ben racetrack after his death in 1959. The facility conducted its final year of live racing in 1995 and is now under demolition. The Aksarben Future Trust, which owns the remaining portion of the property, referenced blueprints of the site and began with a 16-by-16 foot excavation on the supposed burial site. The crew hit running water 12 feet down, and the search for his remains appears over.