STEVENS WINDING DOWN REMARKABLE YEAR
The three leading contenders for the 1995 Eclipse Award for best jockey -- Jerry
Bailey, Gary Stevens and Corey Nakatani -- have all had sensational years. Through
Nov. 26, they ranked one/two/three in national earnings.
In fact, Bailey, with $16,153,065, has broken the record for most earnings in a single year by a jockey. And Stevens, with $14,044,979, and Nakatani, $13,850,783, aren't far behind.
Stevens, who has won 50 stakes races, has enjoyed an especially remarkable year. And if the 32-year-old jockey hadn't spent the first three months of the year riding in Hong Kong, he might have broken all of the records including Mike Smith's single-year record of 67 stakes wins set in 1994.
Here's a look at Stevens, Bailey and Nakatani in 1995 stakes races:
1995 Stakes Starts--1st---2nd--3rd---Win% ---Earnings---Bailey 199 39 42 21 19.6 $9,999,081
Stevens 188 50 22 25 26.6 $8,755,909
Nakatani 203 46 38 40 22.6 $5,209,261
1995 Overall Starts--1st---2nd---3rd---Win% ---Earnings---
Bailey 1,257 283 192 142 22.5 $16,153,065
Stevens 966 209 147 141 21.6 $14,044,979
Nakatani 1,287 282 206 184 21.9 $13,850,783
Avg. earnings per mount---Starts--- Earnings--------Average----
Bailey 1,257 $16,153,065 $12,850
Stevens 966 $14,044,979 $14,539
Nakatani 1,287 $13,850,783 $10,762
STEVENS IN GRADED STAKES
Gary Stevens had ridden 50 stakes winners in 1995, through Sunday, Nov. 26.
Of those, 33 were in graded events, including 16 Grade I's, 11 Grade II's and six Grade III's.
Here's a list of Stevens' graded stakes wins in 1995:
Grade I: Santa Anita Handicap (Urgent Request), Santa Anita Derby (Larry The Legend), Kentucky Derby (Thunder Gulch), Mother Goose (Serena's Song), Belmont Stakes (Thunder Gulch), Vanity Handicap (Private Persuasion), Haskell Invitational Handicap (Serena's Song), Eddie Read Handicap (Fastness), Travers Stakes (Thunder Gulch), Hopeful Stakes (Hennessy), Spinaway Stakes (Golden Attraction), Gazelle Handicap (Serena's Song), Matron Stakes (Golden Attraction), Man o' War Stakes (Millkom), Frizette Stakes (Golden Attraction) and Beldame Stakes (Serena's Song).
Grade II: A Gleam Handicap (Angi Go), Black Eyed Susan (Serena's Song), American Handicap (Silver Wizard), Bel Air Handicap (Soul Of The Matter), Swaps Stakes (Thunder Gulch), Hollywood Juvenile Championship (Hennessy), Sorrento Stakes (Batroyale), Jerome Handicap (French Deputy), Palomar Handicap (Morgana), First Flight (Twist Afleet) and Citation Handicap (Fastness).
Grade III: Jaipur (Mighty Forum), Riva Ridge (Western Larla), Kentucky Cup Juvenile (Editor's Note), Lady's Secret Handicap (Borodislew), Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap (Track Gal), Generous Stakes (Old Chapel)
FOREIGN HORSES TO INVADE HOLLYWOOD TURF CUP
Hollywood Dream, a Group 3 winner in France and Germany, and Suave Tern,
who finished second to Japan Cup winner Lando in a Group 1 event last year in Italy,
are both expected to arrive here next week for the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup (Gr. I)
on Sunday, Dec. 10.
Hollywood Dream, a 4-year-old German-bred filly by Master Willie, is scheduled to be flown from Germany to Los Angeles on Saturday. Owned by Gestut Ittlingen and trained by Uwe Ostmann, Hollywood Dream has raced 12 times with three wins, four seconds, one third and $216,867 in earnings. The filly recently returned from a seven-month vacation with a runner-up effort to Slicious in the Group 1 Premio Roma at Capanelle, Italy.
Suave Tern, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Arctic Tern, has raced exclusively in France and Italy where he has won two of 10 career starts. Suave Tern, owned by Ecurie Chalhoub and trained by John Hammond, broke an eight-race losing streak on Nov. 13 with an easy victory in the listed Prix Niceas at Fontainebleau, France. Last year, Suave Tern finished second to both Close Conflict in the
Group 1 Gran Premio d'Italia, and to Lando in the Group 1 Gran Premio Del Jockey Club E Coppa D'oro.
Suave Tern's connections are reportedly "80 percent" sure they will ship their colt from France for the Hollywood Turf Cup.
ROYAL CHARIOT TO WHEEL BACK IN TURF CUP
Royal Chariot, fourth in last week's Citation Handicap, will run in the Hollywood
Turf Cup, trainer Eddie Gregson said.
Royal Chariot has held his own while competing against the circuit's best grass runners this fall, but he failed to make a breakthrough in either the Grade I Oak Tree Invitational, in which he finished third to Northern Spur, beaten 4 1/2 lengths, or in the Grade II Citation, in which he was fourth to Fastness, beaten 4 3/4 lengths.
"Alex (Solis) hadn't ridden him prior to the Citation," Gregson said. "And the horse wasn't used to being (10 lengths) off of the pace. He was just too far back . . . and that was against a good field.
"But mainly I'm hoping that a mile-and-a-half will be a better distance for the horse. We've always thought a mile-and-a-half would be perfect (for Royal Chariot)."
Early probables for the Hollywood Turf Cup, to be decided at 1 1/2 miles on turf: Earl Of Barking, G. F. Almeida; Hollywood Dream, John Reid; Northern Spur, Chris McCarron; Parme, no rider; Party Season, no rider; Patio de Naranjos, no rider; Privity, no rider; Royal Chariot, no rider; Suave Tern, no rider; Talloires, Kent Desormeaux, and Tikkanen, no rider.
Possible: Hidden Source, no rider; The Key Rainbow, no rider.
WILD GOLD "50/50" FOR VERNON O. UNDERWOOD
Frank H. Stronach's Wild Gold, wire-to-wire winner of the Cal Cup Sprint at Oak
Tree, has a 50 percent chance of running in the $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood
Breeders' Cup Stakes (Gr. III) on Saturday, Dec. 9, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said.
"We plan to work the horse early this week (at Bay Meadows) and then make a decision whether to ship him South (for the Underwood)," Hollendorfer said Friday morning. "As of now, it's probably a 50/50 chance that he'll run."
Wild Gold, a 5-year-old by Wild Again, is on the roll of his life. The front-running Cal-bred has won four of his last five starts including victories in the Ormondale and Saratoga Handicaps at Bay Meadows, and the $100,000 Cal Cup Sprint Nov. 11 at Oak Tree. In the latter race, Wild Gold set splits of :21 2/5, :44 and :56 en route to a final time of 1:08 3/5. He was given a lofty 110 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
Wild Gold's only recent loss was by a half-length to Lucky Forever in the $207,000 Bay Meadows Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap on Sept. 16.
Confirmed for the 15th running of the Vernon O. Underwood Breeders' Cup Stakes: Forest Gazelle, Kent Desormeaux; Lucky Forever, G. F. Almeida, and Plenty Zloty, Eddie Delahoussaye.
Possible: Wild Gold, Russell Baze.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com/alauck)