CURSES! BAFFERT SAYS SEMARON HAS TRIPLE CROWN HEART
While some of the 36,498 fans at Santa Anita on Saturday were shielding their
eyes from the reflections of D. Wayne Lukas' toothy smile as he basked in the sunshine
of Honour and Glory's San Rafael victory, a less-heralded Triple Crown prospect was
about to strut his stuff some 600 miles to the north.
Semaron, a 100-1 shot in the MGM Grand's Kentucky Derby future book, won a nondescript race called the Foster City at Bay Meadows, and it was no surprise to his trainer, Bob Baffert.
"I think he's a running (bleep)," said Baffert, whose vocabulary at times is a little to the right of Howard Stern's. "He ran once as a 2-year-old, ran dead last, but didn't break." That was on May 3 last year at Churchill Downs, going 4 1/2 furlongs.
"Then they turned him out and brought him back to me. I ran him short first time out (last Dec. 30 at Santa Anita), and he finished third going six furlongs.
"I stretched him out going a mile and he won here in the slop. Then I ran him back in an allowance race and he bleepin' won again. He kicks away from horses, that's what I like. He's like Serena's Song -- he runs with his head down. He's little, but he's tough. I love him."
Semaron led virtually throughout the one mile Foster City, winning by two lengths in 1:35 on a fast track. In his wake was Lukas' monarchical maiden, Dr. Caton, who finished third, six lengths back. Dr. Caton was 10-1 in the futures before the race.
Semaron, a Virginia-bred colt by Phone Trick, now has three straight victories, all by daylight. He could make his next start in the $600,000-guaranteed Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park on March 30.
Baffert got Semaron from Florida owners Donald Dizney and Jim English, who own multiple stakes winner Wekiva Springs, Cigar's stablemate who won the Gulfstream Park Handicap on Saturday.
"They always said they were gonna send me a horse, and Semaron is the one. He's a good horse and good horses come through. He has heart, and heart wins. Heart makes money."
BEST SCORE ON BEST PAL
There are many tales of Best Pal, who made his farewell appearance at Santa
Anita on Big 'Cap day before retiring to a life of leisure at Golden Eagle Farm, but one of
the best is told by trainer Ron Sticka, who helped get Best Pal ready for the races before
sending him to trainer Ian Jory as an unraced 2-year-old.
"He was about ready to make the first start of his life (at Hollywood Park, with Patrick Valenzuela riding)," the 46-year-old Sticka said. "At that time, I had a bookmaker. I figured the horse would go off at 3-5 or 4-5, and I wanted to make a bet but didn't want to go to the races. I wanted to play golf.
"So I called my bookmaker and bet $2,000 to win on him, figuring I'd collect myself fifteen-hundred bucks. I played golf, didn't even bother to watch the races, came home after golf, called the results line and found out he paid $11.60!
"I just assumed that everybody in the world knew that this is the best horse that ever was."
PAULSON HONORED IN FUND-RAISER FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Concern Foundation and Concern II will salute Allen Paulson at its annual Block Party on Paramount Pictures New York Street backlot.
Concern Foundation for cancer research and Concern II, a volunteer non-profit organization funding children's cancer research worldwide, will host the 22nd annual event at Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, on July 13. Such classic films as Sunset Boulevard, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Forrest Gump were shot on Paramount's New York Street backlot.
More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the party of casual elegance, where guests stroll the backlot streets of New York and enjoy live and silent auctions featuring unique items to bid on; celebrity bartenders; dancing, a tour of the studio, and a host of other activities.
Previous honorees include animation legends Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera and Grammy Awards producer Pierre Cossette.
Paulson, owner/breeder of 1995 Horse of the Year Cigar, is dedicated to finding a cure for cancer after his brother, Marvin Paulson, and his mother-in-law, Laura Baker, both died from the disease. He is also determined to help his father-in-law, H.J. (Bill) Baker, who is also fighting cancer.
For ticket information, call 310-724-5333.
GOLDEN PICKS
HEAR THE MUSIC -- Irish-bred filly ran huge in first start in more than 13 weeks, leading until deep stretch before surrendering the lead. Figures to be sitting on victory vs. allowance grass fillies for trainer Ian Jory, but you won't get 30-1 this time.
CLASSIC BOB D -- First-time starter from Wesley Ward barn broke well in debut, then fell back and was between horses before closing with interest to finish second at 5-1, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Should benefit from learning experience and leave maiden ranks next time.
THE HOMESTRETCH: "Triple R Stable." That's how Rodney Raymond Rash answered his tack room phone. The racing community is still in shock over the sudden death Friday morning of the 36-year-old trainer at Los Angeles Midway Hospital. Rash, a protegé of Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham, died one day before his Urgent Request sought his second straight victory in the Santa Anita Handicap. A native of
Frederick, Maryland, Rash lived in Pasadena and thought he had been suffering from
severe flu. He spent his last day at Santa Anita Monday, five days before his death.
"When I came to work on Tuesday morning and he wasn't here, I knew it was more than
flu," said his 27-year-old assistant, Ben Cecil. "He called me about a half-an-hour later
and told me he wasn't feeling good, but he would try and make it in, because we had an
important work at the second break. But just before I went to the track for the second
break, he called me and told me he wasn't going to make it in. That was not like Rodney.
He never missed any time. He was very dedicated. He was a perfectionist. He wanted
everything right. He would be here pretty much regardless everyday." Rash was intense,
and barely managed a nervous smile after his biggest victory, in the $1 million Santa
Anita Handicap last year. He once punched an independent clocker for a published
comment about one of his horse's workouts, which he disagreed with. He later
apologized. Cecil, from Newbury, England, had been with Rash for 15 months. Among
the barn's top horses were stakes winners Navarone, Powis Castle, Blues Traveller,
Alex The Great, Celtic Arms and Party Cited. During his five years as a trainer, Rash
won 143 races from 1,061 starters for earnings of $8,707,331. Cecil said he hadn't
discussed with all the owners (Robert Hibbert, Gary Tanaka, Berry Gordy, Richard Duchossois, Golden Eagle Farm, etc.) the dispersal of the horses in training, "but I've had some good response from some of them, and I probably plan to take out a (trainer's) license." Trainer Bob Baffert, whose barn is near Rash's, said "he hadn't looked well the last 30 days." Rash died of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), the cause of which is unknown and, when untreated, is almost always fatal. Rash's last appearance in
the winners' circle came Feb. 17 at Gulfstream Park, where Celtic Arms won the
$150,000 Gulfstream Breeders' Cup Handicap. The funeral was Monday at Forest Lawn
in Burbank . . . Alex G. Campbell Jr., owner/breeder of 18-1 Santa Anita Handicap
winner Mr Purple, named the colt for his very dear friend, David Reynolds. "I call him
Mr Purple because his colors are purple," Campbell said of Reynolds. "He wears purple
sports coats and I gave him purple socks for Christmas. I expect he's got purple
underwear." It was Eddie Delahoussaye's first Big 'Cap win in 15 mounts, and the 44-
year-old Hall of Famer had never been on the horse before the race, not even for a
workout. Alex Solis had ridden Mr Purple in his last two races, but opted for Dare and
Go, who suffered a minor injury to his right hind ankle the morning of the race and had to
be scratched, so Solis watched the race on the jocks' room TV monitors. At 300-1, Mr
Purple was the longest shot to win the inaugural MGM Grand Classic Crown, which
offers a $2 million bonus to any horse winning the Big 'Cap, the Hollywood Gold Cup
and the Pacific Classic . . . Laffit Pincay Jr. had 8,383
career victories through Friday and needed 450 to equal Bill Shoemaker's record 8,833 .
. . Jockey Chris Antley, who signed a contract to ride Alphabet Soup in the Santa Anita
Handicap, reportedly turned down $30,000 to ride Urgent Request. No biggie. Alphabet
Soup ran 10th, Urgent Request 11th and last . . . As indicated in the Feb. 3 edition of
Gaming Today, Turf Paradise race caller Luke Kruytbosch (pronounced Kright-boss)
has been named to replace Trevor Denman at Hollywood Park's spring/summer meet
that begins April 26. "A positive reaction by our fans was the key to our selection of
Luke as announcer for this meet," said Hollywood Park general manager Eual Wyatt Jr.
Kruytbosch, 34, is a native of Moscow, Idaho. He grew up in Virginia, attended the
University of Arizona and paid his dues at outposts such as Holbrook Fair (Arizona),
Albuquerque, Sunland Park, Blue Ribbons Downs in Oklahoma and Ruidoso Downs
(quarter horses) in New Mexico . . . Hollywood Park will host the Breeders' Cup for the
third time on Saturday, Nov. 8, 1997. Hollywood presented in the inaugural event in
1984 and was host again in 1987 . . . Daily Racing Form associate editor Wayne Monroe
lost 40 pounds without dieting. "I walk five miles a day," the svelte one said . . . Among
the celebrities in attendance on Big 'Cap Day: the latest James Bond, Pierce Brosnan;actress Stephanie Powers, and, creating absolutely no fanfare in the privacy of the Turf Club, Pete Rose.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com/alauck)