News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc. (TRC) (212.371.5911..)
ARLINGTON ACCEPTS 1996 RACING DATES
Arlington International Racecourse has officially accepted the 1996racing dates awarded last month by the Illinois Racing Board.Arlington will conduct the longest meet of its history when it opensfor 1996, running May 12 through Oct. 13. Arlington Chairman DickDuchossois had originally asked for a longer meeting -- May 1through Nov. 17 -- which was denied by the Illinois Racing Board. Inresponse, Duchossois did not accept the dates as awarded Sept. 19until earlier this week. Duchossois is still considering asking theboard to approve his request for a five-day schedule, instead of thesix-day schedule the board experimented with in 1995.
SWING AND MISS' HOPES TO SCORE AT BELMONT
Rob Murphy, left-handed relief pitcher and Thoroughbred owner-breeder, has high hopes Saturday as his two-year-old colt, Swingand Miss, makes his racing debut at Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y. Ason of 1990 and 1991 champion sprinter Housebuster out of theSecretariat mare Triple Strike, Swing and Miss is trained by JohnKimmel, who thinks the colt's chances depend on 'how he takes tothe new experience of getting dirt kicked in his face and being intight company.'
PURSES RAISED IN INDIANA AND FLORIDA
Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind., announced a five percent daily purseincrease in effect for the rest of the Thoroughbred meet. The track,which opened its inaugural Thoroughbred meet Sept. 1, will offeraverage daily purses of just under $65,000. 'We wanted to givesomething back to the horsemen who have helped make ourinaugural Thoroughbred meet a success,' said Hoosier Park VicePresident and General Manager Rick Moore. 'We are pleased to beable to show our gratitude with a purse increase.'
In Florida, Calder Race Course's daily purse distribution will beraised effective Friday. It will mark the second purse increase at theMiami racetrack this season. Calder President Ken Dunn said theboost is due to the success of full-card simulcasting, which resumedat the track Oct. 1.
TRICK OR TREAT AT CHURCHILL DOWNS
Ghosts and ghouls and all sorts of spooky characters will convergeon Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum on Friday,Oct. 27 to create a special children's Halloween party at theLouisville, Ky., sites. Activities will include a haunted house, trick or treating, a costume contest, carnival rides, children's entertainment,festive foods and more. The party is sponsored by WVEZ radio andwill run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Admission is $1 per person andis limited to the first 3,000 children to enter the Derby Museum. Allchildren must be accompanied by an adult.
JOCKEYS WILL TRY LINE DANCING SATURDAY
The Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund will host a CountryWestern Spectacular Saturday at the Big Hoss Saloon & Dance Hallat Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. The highlight of the fund-raising evening will be a choreographed line dance featuring jockeysCorey Black, Eddie Delahoussaye, Chris McCarron, DannySorenson, Gary Stevens and Alex Solis. Music will be provided bythe Honky Tonk Wrangler Band. The MacBeth Fund, founded in1987 by comedian Tim Conway and Chris and Judy McCarron,provides assistance to injured and disabled exercise riders andjockeys.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR TO BREEDERS' CUP
With horses coming to New York from Canada, England, France,Ireland and Germany to compete in the 12th running of theBreeders' Cup Saturday, Oct. 28 at Belmont Park, the event takeson an international flavor. NBC Sports' coverage of the seven-race,$10 million day will be seen not only in the United States andCanada, but in 46 other countries and on the Armed Forces Radioand Television Service (AFRTS). Next year, the Breeders' Cup willbe held outside the United States for the first time when the OntarioJockey Club plays host to the event at Woodbine Race Course inToronto.
RED RUM DIES AT AGE 30
Red Rum, three-time winner of England's Grand Nationalsteeplechase, died Wednesday at age 30 and was buried under thefinish line at Aintree Racecourse, site of his Grand Nationalvictories. His record of three wins and two seconds may never bematched. A memorial is to be built at Aintree in his honor.
RACING ON THE AIR
Oct. 19 'Racehorse Digest' 1:30-2:00 a.m., ESPN
Oct. 20 'Racehorse Digest' 1:00-1:30 p.m., ESPN
Oct. 22 Breeders' Cup Special 3:30-4:30 p.m., ESPN
Oct. 22 Remington Park Futurity 4:30-5:00 p.m.,ESPN
RACING TO HISTORY
Oct. 20, 1923: Zev, winner of the 1923 Kentucky Derby, defeatedEngland's hero Papyrus, winner of the 1923 Epsom Derby, in amatch race at Belmont Park.
Oct. 20, 1954: Bill Shoemaker rode his 2,000th winner, FlorenceHouse, at Tanforan.
Oct. 21, 1961: Eddie Arcaro won the Jockey Club Gold Cup for arecord 10th time. His mount, Kelso, won the Gold Cup five straightyears, 1960-64, setting the mark for most consecutive victories in astakes race.
Oct. 22, 1945: El Lobo and Featherfoot became the firstThoroughbreds to be transported by airplane. They were flown fromLos Angeles to San Mateo in a twin-engine Budd transport planepiloted by Major William Hoelle of the Flying Tiger Line, who landedthe plane in the parking area at Bay Meadows. On Oct. 27, El Lobowon the Burlingame Handicap at Bay Meadows, proving that horsescould fly (and win).
Oct. 22, 1955: A rare triple dead-heat for first took place at Mexico'sCaliente in the eighth race. Stormsorno, Chance Speed andBeaufair were the three winners.
Oct. 22, 1964: Jockey Bill Shoemaker won the 5,000th victory of hiscareer aboard Slapstick at Aqueduct Race Track.
Oct. 22, 1973: Secretariat was flown to Woodbine Racecourse,where he would compete in his final career race, the CanadianInternational Championship Stakes.
Oct. 24, 1953: Tom Fool won the Pimlico Special Stakes by eightlengths, capping a perfect four-year-old campaign with 10 stakeswins in as many starts. The Special was his fourth consecutive racerun as a non-betting exhibition. Tom Fool was voted Horse of theYear for 1953, acing out Native Dancer, who lost only one of his 10stakes races that year, the Kentucky Derby.
Oct. 25, 1870: Pimlico, the nation's second-oldest Throughbredracetrack, began its inaugural meet.
Oct. 25, 1947: After winning the Gallant Fox Handicap at Jamaica, aformer $1,500 claimer, Stymie, became the world's leading money-winning Thoroughbred, with earnings of $816,060. Stymie raced twoadditional years and retired in 1949, at age eight, with lifetimewinnings of $918,485.
Oct. 26, 1949: Bill Shoemaker rode to his first stakes victory, theGeorge Marshall Claiming Handicap at Bay Meadows, aboard afive-year-old horse named Al.
Oct. 26, 1990: Jockey Julie Krone rode her 2,000th career winner,aboard John Forbes-trained Rainbow Quartz, at The Meadowlands.
Oct. 27, 1870: Preakness won the Dinner Stakes at the newlyopened Pimlico Racecourse. In 1873, the first Preakness Stakes, arace was named in his honor, was held at Pimlico.
Oct. 27, 1990: Bayakoa (ARG) became the second horse to win twoconsecutive Breeders' Cup Championship races. Both of hervictories came in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Oct. 28, 1972: Secretariat won the Laurel Futurity by eight lengths,sent off at odds of 1-10, at Laurel Racecourse.
Oct. 28, 1973: With jockey Eddie Maple substituting for RonTurcotte, who was sidelined by a suspension, Secretariat concludedhis racing career with a 6 1-2-length victory in the CanadianInternational Championship Stakes at Woodbine Racecourse inCanada. It was his second victory in as many tries on the turf.
Oct. 28, 1983: Jacinto Vasquez had his 4,000th career winneraboard Sunshine O'My Life, in the ninth race at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Oct. 29, 1948: Calumet Farm's three-year-old Citation entered thePimlico Invitational Special Stakes unopposed and won in awalkover, earning $10,000 for galloping the 1 3-16 mile course in1:59 4-5. Another great Calumet runner, Whirlaway, also won theSpecial in a walkover in 1942.
Oct. 29, 1955: Charlie Whittingham and Bill Shoemaker scored theirfirst stakes victory as a trainer-rider team with Mister Gus in theWilliam P. Kyne Handicap at Bay Meadows.
Oct. 30, 1937: Sir Barton, the first American Triple Crown winner,died at age 21.
Oct. 31, 1964: Seven-year-old Kelso won his fifth consecutiveJockey Club Gold Cup, a record. In each of those races, Kelso wasthe odds-on favorite.
Oct. 31, 1987: Jockey Chris Antley became the first rider to win nineraces in a single day. He rode four winners from six mounts atAqueduct and five winners from eight tries during The Meadowlands'evening program.
WEEKEND STAKES
SATURDAY
Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, 3yo fillies, $250,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Grade I, Keeneland
The race has drawn eight runners, led by Perfect Arc, winner of herlast seven starts. She beat older fillies in the Grade II DianaHandicap at Saratoga Aug. 18 and was a 2 1-2-length winner overBail Out Becky as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade II Rare PefumeStakes at Belmont Sept. 30. Bail Out Becky won the Grade I DelMar Oaks before her loss to Perfect Arc, defeating Sleep Easy, whobounced back to win Louisiana Downs' Marie P. DeBartolo MemorialStakes Sept. 29. Another to watch out for is D. Wayne Lukas'sCountry Cat, who won a Keeneland turf race Oct. 7. Others in thefield are: Rose Law Firm; Search the Sea; Upper Noosh; andAuriette (IRE).
Powder Break H., 3yo fillies, $100,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Calder
Calder Derby, 3yo, $150,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Calder
Bunty Lawless S., 3&up, $75,000, 1 Mile Turf, Grade IIIC, Woodbine
California Stallion Stakes, 2yo, $75,000, 7 Furlongs, Santa Anita
California Stallion Stks., 2yo fillies, $75,000, 7 Furlongs, Santa Anita
Jamaica Handicap, 3yo, $100,000, 1 Mile Turf, Grade II, Belmont
Robert F. Carey Mem. H., 3&up, $100,000, 1 Mile Turf, Hawthorne
SUNDAY
Coronation Futurity, 2yo, $225,000, 1 1-8 M, Grade IC, Woodbine
Henry P. Russell H., 3&up, $100,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Santa Anita
Pebbles Stakes, 3yo fillies, $75,000, 1 1-16 Miles Turf, Belmont
Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, 3&up (f&m), $75,000, 6 Furlongs, Grade III, Keeneland
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