Andy Leggio came up in the Ninth Ward, hardscrabble New Orleans, his father the author of a racetrack tout sheet.
At age 15, Leggio started spending his days, too, at the track, working around horses, later galloping them during morning exercise.
"I grew up in the rough area," Leggio said. "I didn't grow up with any silver spoons."
Fifty-five years after hitting the track, Leggio has partnered with a Louisiana-bred filly of rare quality. There is not a rough edge about her.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Three juveniles who were considered candidates for the Grade 1 Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 18 - Chips Are Down, Spanish Chestnut, and Sunny Sky - will not start, their trainers said on Thursday.
The top three contenders in the Futurity - Declan's Moon, Proud Accolade, and Wilko - are trying to solidify their credentials for the Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding 2-year-old male.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The three dozen or so victory pictures that adorn the office walls in Belmont Park's Barn 39 will soon be taken down, put in boxes, and shipped to Florida. When unpacked they will serve as lasting memories of the long and distinguished career of trainer Jimmy Picou.
OLDSMAR, Fla. - Fresh from a record 2003-04 season that saw double-digit increases in ontrack attendance and all-sources handle, as well as fields that averaged almost 10 horses per race, Tampa Bay Downs will attempt to keep the momentum going by offering improved fan amenities and a beefed-up stakes schedule when the track begins its 2004-05 meeting Saturday.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Trainer Delmer Webb enjoyed what may have been the best day of a long and successful career at this time last year, when he went 3 for 3 in stakes on Oregon Championship Day. Webb sent out Yesss to win the Oregon Sprint Championship, Cee Cruiser to win the Oregon His, and Tom Won to win the Os West Oregon Futurity.
Chicago shipper Bluesbdancing, unbeaten in three starts, has found a soft spot in the $50,000 Snow White Stakes at Charles Town.
Although this will be her first start beyond six furlongs and around two turns, Bluesbdancing holds a substantial edge in Beyer Speed Figures. Her 73 for a victory in last month's Showtime Deb at Hawthorne and the 82 she earned defeating optional claimers at Arlington Park are far better than those of her nine rivals in the seven-furlong race.
Magic Weisner's promising career was short-circuited when he contracted West Nile virus in August 2002. Although veterinarians were able to save his life, Magic Weisner sustained nerve damage that weakened his hind end and made it difficult to regain his normal gait.
Following 10 months of recuperation, Magic Weisner made an initial comeback that lasted just one race, a last-place finish against allowance runners in July 2003.
The story may yet have a happy ending, however.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Wake at Noon will make his fourth appearance in the Kennedy Road Stakes this Saturday, having won the six-furlong race in 2000 and finishing third in the following two runnings.
That experience, however, is unlikely to earn Wake at Noon much respect this time around. Favored in his previous Kennedy Road forays, Wake at Noon figures to be lightly regarded after going winless here in four appearances since his return from a stint at stud this winter.
NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana-bred horses have come an awfully long way in the past 20 years. Every day at Fair Grounds there are two or more large, competitive fields of Louisiana-breds, and Saturday's $1 million Louisiana Champions Day card will feature seven Thoroughbred and three Quarter Horse races.
