GOLDEN GLIMPSES #37 GOLDEN GLIMPSES #37 'LEGEND'S NEXT START AT DEL MAR?
Larry The Legend could make his next start at Del Mar.
The Aug.18 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs near Seattle has been mentioned as the Cinderella colt's next race, but after finishing second at Del Mar on July 27 in his first start in more than 15 months, owner-trainer Craig Lewis said there was a chance Larry The Legend could stay at Del Mar.
"The Washington race is more than likely where he's going to go," Lewis said, "but the Pat O'Brien is not out of the question."
The Pat O'Brien Handicap is a Grade III race at seven furlongs worth $100,000 on Aug. 18.
"He came back fine and I'm very pleased," Lewis said of the immensely popular 4-year-old colt he obtained for $2,500 in a bankruptcy settlement more than two years ago. Larry The Legend is named for Craig's brother, Larry Lewis, who managed the Long Beach Little League team to back-to-back world championships in 1992 and 1993.
"My brother became somewhat of a legend after that," Craig said, "so I named the horse after him." The rags-to-riches story caught the public's fancy instantly. Larry The Legend receives fan mail almost every day. One woman sent him a letter and orchids from Hawaii.
Despite Lewis' public statement before the race that the colt was not at more than 75 percent of his optimum form, Larry The Legend ran a game second throughout the race, at 6 1/2-furlongs not the ideal distance for a horse whose four victories have come at a mile or longer. He was beaten three lengths.
"He still remembers how to run." Lewis said. "Kent (jockey Kent Desormeaux), pursuant to my instructions, didn't abuse him at all. I'm sure that the horse got a lot out of it. He just did it all on his own. That's what we wanted him to do and he came back good."
Lewis has nurtured the Illinois-bred son of Local Talent through two surgeries on his left knee since winning the Santa Anita Derby on April 8, 1995. The 49-year-old native of Los Angeles has kept his emotions in check during the roller-coaster ride.
"I'm just going to try and stay as cool and reserved as I possibly can," Lewis said. "I try to emulate the horse. He's a cool one."
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