SAN MATEO, Calif. - With each step he takes in his rehabilitation workouts, with each sentence he speaks, with each smile that crosses his face, Jose Arriaga's recovery continues.
Arriaga, 25, nearly died after being thrown from his mount in a race at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, Calif., on April 4. His life was saved by a fortuitous set of circumstances and four hours of brain surgery.
But Arriaga's superb physical condition and will to live also helped save him, doctors say.
Tossed and clipped
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - There could be a mad dash for the lead Saturday in the Grade 3, $500,000 Lone Star Derby, a 1 1/8-mile race that is expected to attract speed horses Danthebluegrassman, Cappuchino, Smoked Em, Wiseman's Ferry, Holdthehelm, and Jeremiah Jack.
The race will be the first trip at nine furlongs for Jeremiah Jack, whose biggest career win came as a front-runner in the $150,000 Sam Houston Texan Juvenile last December at Sam Houston Race Park.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Danthebluegrassman, the colt who was scratched Saturday morning from the Kentucky Derby after being a surprise entry three days beforehand, breezed an easy half-mile in 50.60 seconds Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. The colt was scheduled to be flown Wednesday to Texas for Saturday's Lone Star Derby.
Sal Gonzalez Jr. was aboard Danthebluegrassman for the work, after which the colt showed no ill effects from the muscle cramps, or "tying up," that precluded him from running in the Kentucky Derby.
"He's fine," said longtime stable employee Mick Jenner.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Sportsman's Park, which concluded a 46-day meet Saturday with mixed results, might have hosted races for the last time.
A deal that would merge operations between the National Jockey Club, which operates the meets at Sportsman's Park, and Hawthorne Race Course could come to fruition in the next month, according to principals at both tracks. If the tracks merge, the NJC would stage future meets at Hawthorne, which sits on property adjacent to Sportsman's.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Armando Lage believes the first start may be the most important of a horse's career, so he tries to do everything he can to prepare.
That may explain why he shows an impressive $3.72 flat-bet return with debut runners.
Lage enters two colts in Bay Meadows's Thursday feature, a 4 1/2-furlong race for 2-year-olds: Big Money Maker and Historic Moment. Historic Moment, owned by Golden Eagle Farm, will be coupled in the wagering with Sweet Dreamer, who is trained by Chuck Jenda.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Last Oct. 27, just 46 days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center rocked New York City and a nation, nearby Belmont Park hosted the Breeders' Cup, Thoroughbred racing's richest event. An international crowd of 52,987 gathered on a crisp autumn afternoon, and the event went off flawlessly.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The Grade 3 Westchester Handicap isn't the only notable race on Wednesday's opening-day card at Belmont Park.
A seven-furlong classified allowance race earlier on the card drew only five, but it marks the seasonal debut of Pegasus Handicap winner Volponi as well as the long overdue return of 2000 Nashua winner Ommadon. Add the regally bred Polish Miner and the red-hot Cherokee Beau and you have quite an intriguing affair. Tarek, runner-up in the 2001 Swale Stakes, completes the quintet.
STICKNEY, Ill. - Russell Reineman, who sold 90 percent of War Emblem three weeks before the colt won Saturday's Kentucky Derby, said Monday that he believes he is entitled to a significant portion of the $1 million bonus War Emblem earned by winning the Illinois Derby and the Kentucky Derby.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Saturday's Grade 3 Lone Star Derby could turn into something of a grudge match as Danthebluegrassman and Windward Passage may go head to head int he 1 1/8-mile race.
Danthebluegrassman's last-minute entry in the Kentucky Derby last week knocked Windward Passage from the field, which is limited to 20 horses based on graded earnings. Danthebluegrassman was later scratched from the race after being treated for muscle cramps.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Ken McPeek said Monday he has several upcoming options for Take Charge Lady, the speedy filly who finished second Friday as the favorite to Farda Amiga in the Kentucky Oaks.
The May 17 Black-Eyed Susan at Churchill Downs "comes back quick, but she came out of the race no worse for wear," McPeek said Monday morning. The other options McPeek is considering for the filly are the Dogwood on May 25 at Churchill and the Acorn on June 7 at Belmont.