ARCADIA, Calif. - Apologies to the Santa Anita Handicap and its contenders. They deserve undistracted attention all week long, as they prepare for the big race on Saturday. But on Monday, something bad happened that requires special consideration. On Monday, Lonesome Glory died.
This is not the kind of news that stops presses, lowers flags, or makes the CNN News crawl. Lonesome Glory was a Thoroughbred who jumped over fences.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - At the age of 3, Cetewayo seemingly had no future as a racehorse.
He had already passed through the barns of two trainers - one of them a Hall of Famer, Bill Mott - who saw no signs of talent in him. Now a third trainer, Michael Dickinson, had come to the same conclusion. He phoned John Chandler, the colt's breeder and owner, and diplomatically told him, "Really, this horse isn't showing me a lot." Dickinson said he was reluctant to continue charging his daily training fee for such a hopeless project.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The charade is exposed, and what a relief. There is no longer any need to pretend. With its twin "highweights" at a ridiculous 118 pounds and its empty promotion as racing's ultimate "Big Cap," this Saturday's Santa Anita "Handicap" has exhausted my monthly supply of sarcastic "quotation marks," but hopefully in a good cause.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - To scratch or not to scratch; that was the question.
They were all doing it before Saturday's $150,000 Canadian Turf Handicap, which came off the turf because of rain. Hap, the solid favorite, came out, and so did Pisces, the Appleton winner. One Eyed Joker, Star Over the Bay, and Tv Sports Director were also scratched, and North East Bound almost joined them. He hadn't run well on the dirt here at Gulfstream last winter.
ARCADIA, Calif. - What does $8,000 buy today? Not much, if your sights are high, or your taste leans toward the pricey. Most of us would cash the check and go on a spree - Cancun, Barbados, Branson - or maybe pay off part of that credit card bill. But for the money, it's hard to buy anything that lasts.
And it will never change your life.
Fifty years ago, the story was different. Eight grand was almost twice the average yearly income for an American household. Anyone pulling down $8,000 a year was doing better than all right. They were living high.
ARCADIA, Calif. - It began as just another day at the track. A Friday, in fact, last Jan. 4, and trainer Paul Assinesi was standing innocently at Clocker's Corner with owner Judith Carmel, their attention focused on the Santa Anita training track as the 3-year-old colt Holdthehelm commenced a routine jog.
At the time, Holdthehelm was already an accomplished young veteran, with nine races at six different tracks, a stakes placing, and two wins, the most recent an impressive Dec. 29 effort at 1 1/16 miles. His future looked bright.
NEW YORK - The morning after last Monday's Eclipse Awards Dinner, a famous horse trainer was grumpily holding court in the Ft. Lauderdale airport. Traveling by air is enough to make anyone grumpy these days, but the trainer's beef was not with the standards for carry-on luggage but with those for the Eclipses for owning and training.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Class wins stakes, and Hap is the class of Saturday's $150,000 Canadian Turf Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
Hap was good enough last year to win four stakes in only six attempts, including the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch at Saratoga and the Keeneland Turf Mile. He was second in the prestigious Arlington Million, and gave a creditable performance against many of the world's best grass horses in the Breeders' Cup Turf. Incidentally, the BC Turf is run at 1 1/2 miles. Hap prepped for it by winning at a mile, which tells you something about his versatility.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The first time a horse was named Above Perfection - at least according to records kept by The Jockey Club - was in 1989. He was a son of Great Above, out of a mare named Shrewd Judge, and he was bred in Florida by Art and David Kegley.
He was not perfect. But what horse is? Above Perfection began his career at Tampa Bay Downs in March of 1992 and came to the end of the line at the same track two years later. In between he raced at Calder and Birmingham. Remember Ala-
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- A challenge to the Kentucky Derby?
Not even for $2 million.
After Repent was an impressive winner Sunday of the Risen Star Stakes for 3-year-olds at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, trainer Ken McPeek briefly considered a trip to Dubai for the March 23 running of the United Arab Emirates Derby. Repent is a genuine stayer and his off-the-pace style would be ideal for the Dubai track's long stretch.