In the fall of 2006, five months after his father, B. Giles Brophy, had died, Eric Brophy was contemplating his future as an owner-breeder in Thoroughbred racing.
The younger Brophy had put the majority of his breeding and racing stock in the Keeneland November sale but made a last-minute decision to pull one mare out of the auction. The mare was the unraced Silverbobbin, who on Saturday will be represented by two of her progeny on the New York Showcase Day card at Belmont Park.
WHO'S HOT
Jockey Rafael Bejarano went on a tear the third week of the Oak Tree meet, winning nine races from 19 mounts to climb to second in the standings. Bejarano entered the fourth week with 17 wins, one behind Joel Rosario. Meanwhile, Garrett Gomez remains the top percentage rider. Third in the standings with 14 wins from 57 mounts, Gomez's 24 percent rate leads the colony.
Many a Southern California handicapper has said the age of synthetic footings on the circuit has thrown them for a loop. Some would go so far as to say it has thrown them under the bus.
Regardless of one's feelings about synthetics, they're here. Now. If you want to play Southern California races you have to adapt, just like the horsemen who ply their trade over the new surfaces.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - When Chris Walters was 7 years old and growing up on the family farm just south of Indianapolis, he and his family would drive to Lexington to visit Claiborne Farm and some of the other iconic venues of the Thoroughbred business.
"We would go see Secretariat," said Walters, who turns 30 next week. "Ever since those days, I've been very, very serious about racing."
WHO'S HOT
Jockeys
Through the end of last week, Robby Albarado was the meet leader with 10 wins from 56 mounts, a shade less than 18 percent. But his ROI on $2 win bets was ordinary at $1.68, which is break-even after the 16 percent takeout is subtracted from the betting pool. He fared best in sprint races with nearly 22 percent wins (7 of 32); he had 12 percent wins in routes (3 of 24).
ELMONT, N.Y. - Call it New York Showcase Weekend.
With a significant amount of rain forecast for Saturday, the New York Racing Association has elected to postpone the two scheduled turf stakes - the Mohawk and Ticonderoga - to Sunday. The five dirt stakes scheduled for the day will still be run on Saturday, led by the $250,000 Empire Classic.
NYRA will still card 10 races - all for New York-breds - for Saturday and all activities scheduled for the day will go as planned.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Indian Apple Is ($9.80) showed lots of grit while notching her first stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine in the $111,500 Ruling Angel.
Indian Apple Is outbroke the others in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, and proceeded to set moderate splits under Chantal Sutherland. She turned back bids from favored Gemswick Park and Cosmic Queen in the stretch to prevail by a half-length, in a time of 1:16.29.
Cosmic Queen finished second, and Retraceable closed to beat out Gemswick Park for third.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Turning for home in Wednesday's at Belmont Park, Ramon Dominguez, the jockey on Belle Allure, was as anxious as those horseplayers who pounded her to 2-5 favoritism.
"I was panicking a little bit when we turned for home because there was no racing room," said Dominguez, who had Belle Allure in fourth, behind a wall of horses.
Jockey Martin Escobar will be sidelined for four to six weeks after being thrown from his mount during the ninth race last Saturday night at Remington Park.
Escobar was aboard Cuvee Blanc, who set the pace, finished second, then fell after the wire. Escobar broke a bone in the wrist area of his right hand and sustained a small fracture in the back of his right shoulder, according to his agent, Kevin Johnson.
"He might make it back for the last couple of weeks of the meet," Johnson said.
