News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc. (TRC) (212.371.5911..)

KRONE AND STEVENS TO COMPETE IN MATCH RACE
Jockeys Julie Krone and Gary Stevens will compete in a match race Saturday, March 23 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, Calif. Billed as 'The Great Match Race,' the riders will face off in a $40,000 allowance invitational at 1 1-16 miles, which will take place between the fifth and sixth races. Krone and Stevens will each ride at 118 pounds. The riders drew their mounts during a brief press conference held in the Santa Anita paddock Thursday morning. Stevens will ride the four-year-old colt Busy Banana (GB), winner of seven of 15 career starts and more than $51,000. They will break from post position one.

Krone will break from post position two aboard stakes winner Richard of England, winner of 14 of 53 career starts and more than $220,000. There will be win wagering only on the event. Stevens and Busy Banana (GB) are 2-5 on the morning line while Krone and Richard of England are listed at even money.

RACING'S GAMBLIN' ROSE ON LETTERMAN TUESDAY
'Gamblin' Rose' Hamburger, the 105-year-old racing fan and handicapper for the New York Post and Daily Racing Form, is scheduled to appear on CBS' 'The Late Show with David Letterman' on Tuesday, March 26. Hamburger has been a racing fan for the past 86 years and saw 73 consecutive runnings of the Preakness Stakes before moving from Baltimore to New York.

DUBAI WORLD CUP UPDATE
ESPN's Racehorse Digest will offer same-day coverage of the $4 million Dubai World Cup on Wednesday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m. ET. The telecast will be hosted by Chris Lincoln. The World Cup telecast will be replayed Friday, March 29 at 3:30 a.m. and Saturday, March 30 at 6:00 a.m.

American Dare and Go and French contender Pennekamp are both out of the race. Dare and Go bruised a leg Wednesday and didn't make the trip while Pennekamp aggravated an injury suffered in last year's Epsom Derby, his last start.

The Dubai World Cup Committee has made a few changes, naming Halling, Tamayaz, Torrential and Larrocha (IRE) to represent the United Arab Emirates. Halling, Cezanne (FR), Annus Mirabilis (FR) and Moonshell (IRE) were the original U.A.E. entrants. English champion Frankie Dettori will be aboard Halling, American Chris McCarron gets the mount on Tamayaz, Frenchman Olivier Peslier is on Torrential while English star Pat Eddery gets the ride on Larrocha (IRE).

Four-year-old Tamayaz won the first and third rounds of the Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum Challenge at Nad Al Sheba while four- year-old filly Larrocha (IRE) took round two. Torrential, another four-year-old, won the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly in France last year. He was second to Halling, March 3 at Nad Al Sheba, and ran second in last year's Grade II American Derby at Arlington International Racecourse, July 23.

Even-money favorite Cigar cantered 1 1-2 miles over Nad Al Sheba's sand track Wednesday and went an easy 1 3-4 miles on Thursday. 'He went really well and worked the same way he does at home,' said assistant trainer and exercise rider Tim Jones. L'Carriere, second to Cigar in last year's Breeders Cup Classic, worked 1 1-4 miles Wednesday, running hard the last 3-8's of a mile, and cantered 1 3-4 miles on Thursday. Soul of the Matter, who arrived Wednesday morning, had his first look at Nad Al Sheba Thursday when he trotted 1 1-4 miles.

British oddsmakers Ladbroke have issued their opening prices on the Dubai World Cup with Cigar as the even-money favorite. The rest of field: Halling (5-1); Pentire (GB) and Tamayaz (6-1); L'Carriere (10- 1); Soul of the Matter (12-1); Larrocha (IRE) (14-1); Danewin (AUS) (40-1); Needle Gun (IRE), Lively Mount (JPN) and Torrential (66-1).

THOROUGHBRED NAMED THE OFFICIAL HORSE OF KENTUCKY THANKS TO FOURTH- GRADERS
Kentucky Governor Paul Patton signed into law a bill designating the Thoroughbred as the state's official horse. The legislation was introduced because of the efforts of two fourth-grade students at Liberty Elementary School in Goshen, Leah Holmes and Lauren Willdeboer, who wrote the bill for a class assignment following a visit to the school by State Representative Jim Zimmerman. The girls and Rep. Zimmerman introduced the bill to the State's House of Representatives where it passed Jan. 22. From there, the threesome have been following the bill's progress through the Senate and to the Governor's desk. The entire fourth grade class at Liberty Elementary witnessed the governor's signature on the bill Monday.

FAIR GROUNDS TO SET MUTUEL HANDLE RECORD
The Fair Grounds will set an all-time total mutuel handle record when the 88-day meet at the New Orleans, La., racetrack concludes Monday, March 25. Through Wednesday, the total handle was $162,617, 353, an average daily handle of $1,959,245, a gain of 5.7 percent over last year's record handle. If the track maintains the current daily average for the final five days of the meet, total handle would surpass $172 million.

VISA FILMS TRIPLE CROWN COMMERCIAL AT CHURCHILL
Visa U.S.A., the official sponsor of the Triple Crown, began filming a 30-second commercial at Churchill Downs on Sunday. The commercial, which will show a variety of Thoroughbred racing-themed footage, will focus on the Triple Crown and will be the main thrust of Visa's advertising campaign beginning in early April and running through mid- June. More than 500 extras and a crew of 75 have been used in the commercial which is still being filmed at the Louisville, Ky., racetrack. Visa will run the ad during prime time on network and cable TV stations.

MAKING A GAME OF THOROUGHBRED NAMES ON THE 'WEB'
For some Thoroughbred owners, naming a horse can be a daunting task. Deciding on a clever and appropriate moniker for a particular Thoroughbred can be a trying experience, especially when more than 35, 000 horses a year need names and that 'perfect name' is already in use. Now owners can turn to 'The Name Game' for assistance. Created by Leigh Ann Howard, general manager of Valley Creek Farm in Valley Center, Calif., The Name Game allows would-be namers an opportunity to create handles for Valley Creek horses via the Internet. The site is located at www.equineonline.com site under 'farms.' So far, the response has been very encouraging.

'As of Feb. 14, we had more than 6,878 hits on the site,' said Howard. 'We get at least seven or eight new hits a day on The Name Game. It's great because our owners have a list of a hundred or more names to choose from for each horse and we've actually had a number of those names assigned.'

Howard says she got the idea for the site through an on-line bulletin board. I thought this would be a terrific way not only to get creative names for some of our horses, but also to give people who love horses an opportunity to become involved in the sport. I was looking for a way to make the Valley Creek Internet site interactive, to see if anyone was really reading our site,' explained Howard.

So far, Valley Creek has had people from Sweden, South Africa, Uruguay, Italy, Canada and every state in the U.S. participate in The Name Game. Among the names assigned through the Internet are Dancethenightaway (by Swing Till Dawn, out of Raisa's Troupe, by Moscow Ballet), Nomountainhienough (by Mt. Livermore, out of Kikala), Asian Invasion (by Far Out East out of Advance Guard) and Howard's favorite name, Flighty Nightie, 'who's by Unpredictable, out of Chemise de Nuit, which is French for nightgown.'

For those who wish to submit name suggestions, Valley Creek provides the pedigree and a brief physical and personality description of each horse. Would-be namers can then type their suggestions in a box provided below each horse listed. The box is limited to 18 characters, pursuant to The Jockey Club's rules for naming.

There are currently 14 horses listed on The Name Game roster. Those who want to play can practice with these two currently in need of monikers: 'a muscular gray filly, very business-like attitude, very forward, by Swing Till Dawn, out of Pleased Look, by Personality,' and a 'very classy bright chestnut colt, very laid-back, well-bred needs a very good name, by Regal Classic, out of Knock'em Over, by Annihilate 'em.' Good Luck!

RETAMA PARK FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY, ENTERTAINS PURCHASE OFFERS
Retama Development Corp., the company which operates Retama Park racetrack in San Antonio, Texas, reached an agreement with bond holders which will provide $1.5 million in funds and enable the track to conduct a live meet in 1996. The agreement stipulates that Retama must file for bankruptcy under Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in order to receive the money and to continue discussions with potential buyers. The track received several written offers to buy the track from various groups. One of those offers came from Robert Levy and James Murphy of Atlantic City Racecourse. Their offer, a private venture independent of the Atlantic City, N.J., racetrack, includes provisions for operating capital and an option to purchase the bonds and notes issued by Retama Development Corp. The other interested parties have requested to remain anonymous at this time.

Retama Park Chief Operating Officer Lee Katz said the bankruptcy filing was unfortunate, 'however this was the only way we could receive the cash to continue operations and improve the viability of finding investors or a buyer for the facility. We are pleased that investors are moving so quickly after this recent announcement,' he continued. 'We will continue to talk with other possible investors or buyers while the bond holders review the offers presented to them. ' Any transaction is subject to approval by the Texas Racing Commission.

HOLLYWOOD PARK AND BOOMTOWN INC. TO MERGE
Hollywood Park, the racetrack and card room operator, and Boomtown Inc., a Las Vegas-based gaming company, will merge. As a result of the proposed merger, Boomtown will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Inglewood, Calif., racetrack. The merger will expand Hollywood's entertainment, sports and gaming operations to six states: five casinos in four states and three racetracks in three different states.

Under the terms of the agreement, subject to the completion of a definitive merger agreement, each share of Boomtown stock would be converted into .625 shares of Hollywood Park stock. After the merger is complete, Hollywood's 11-member board of directors would also include four members of Boomtown's current board.

'Our goal is to combine two highly recognized entities into one stronger company that has extensive expansion opportunities and management depth, particularly in the areas of marketing, corporate development and gaming operations management,' said Hollywood CEO R.D. Hubbard.

JAPANESE FEMALE JOCKEY WINS
Yukiko Makihara became the first woman to ride a winner at a major Japanese racetrack when she guided Arabian Night to victory at Nakayama Racecourse Sunday. The 18-year-old rider was one of the first three females licensed by the Japan Racing Association following her graduation from the JRA's three-year jockey school.

BELMONT STAKES SEATS ON SALE
The New York Racing Association announced reserved seats for the June 8 Belmont Stakes are now available at a cost of $10 for Clubhouse and Preferred Grandstand each and $5 for regular Grandstand seats. The NYRA also offers a weekend and holiday reserved seat package for $75 that includes the Belmont Stakes, Super Stakes Weekend and Breeders' Cup Preview weekend. Mail requests to Belmont Stakes Tickets Reserve Seat Office, P.O. Box 030257, Elmont, N.Y. 11003-1057 or call (718) 641-4700 ext. 732.

RACING ON THE AIR (all times Eastern)
March 23 'Racehorse Digest' 1:30-2:00 a.m., ESPN
March 23 'Racehorse Digest' 6:00-6:30 a.m., ESPN
March 23 '2-Day at the Races' 6:30-7:00 p.m., ESPN2
March 24 San Luis Rey Stakes, Santa Anita 6:30-7:00 p.m., Prime Sports
March 27 'Racehorse Digest' (with Dubai World Cup) 4:00-4:30 p.m., ESPN
March 29 'Racehorse Digest' (Dubai World Cup repeat) 3:30-4:00 a.m., ESPN

RACING TO HISTORY
March 23, 1927: Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox was foaled at Claiborne Farm, Paris, Ky. Gallant Fox is the only Triple Crown winner to sire a Triple Crown winner, Omaha, who won the three races in 1935.

March 24, 1932: Triple Crown winner Omaha was foaled at Claiborne Farm, Paris, Ky. Omaha is the only Triple Crown winner sired by a Triple Crown winner, Gallant Fox, victorious in the 19230 Triple Crown.

March 24, 1940: Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year Count Fleet was foaled at Stoner Creek Stud, Paris, Ky.

March 24, 1941: Upset, the only horse ever to defeat Man o' War, died at age 24.

March 25, 1940: Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza was born in Panama City, Panama.

March 26, 1943: Triple Crown winner Assault was foaled at King Ranch, Kingsville, Texas.

March 26, 1966: Jockey Eddie Maple won his first career race, at Ascot Park in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

March 26, 1992: Henryk de Kwiatkowski purchased Calumet Farm for $17 million at auction. He paid an additional $210,000 for the Calumet name.

March 27, 1950: Native Dancer, Horse of the Year in 1954, was foaled.

March 27, 1955: Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron was born in Dorchester, Mass.

March 29, 1917: The great Man o' War was foaled at Nursery Stud, Lexington, Ky.

March 29, 1969: Diane Crump became the first female jockey to win a stakes race when she took the Spring Fiesta Cup at the Fair Grounds aboard Easy Lime.

March 29, 1988: Jockey Pat Day won his 4,000th victory, aboard Ann's Bid, in the ninth race at Oaklawn Park.

March 30, 1970: Secretariat was foaled at The Meadow, Doswell, Va.

March 30, 1985: Laffit Pincay Jr. became the second jockey in history to surpass John Longden's record of 6,032 victories.

WEEKEND STAKES
SATURDAY
Remington Park Derby, 3yo, $300,000, 1 1-16 Miles, Remington
With five stakes wins, three seconds and a third in 12 races, Devil's Honor is the class of the field of seven. He prepped for this race by winning Remington's Great West Stakes, March 2, and won the Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 10. Semoran is undefeated this year in three tries, winning the Foster City Stakes at Bay Meadows in his last start. A third possible winner is Calexus, who was beaten only a neck to the highly regarded Ide in the Grade III Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in his last race. Others in the field are: Connecting Terms, second to Devil's Honor in the Southwest Stakes; Heza Gone West, who is coming off two turf races; and maiden winners Rebecca's Storm and Catch Ormonte.

Rebel Stakes, 3yo, $100,000, 1 1-16 Miles, Grade III, Oaklawn
Ide, winner of his last six races, meets six others, as he looks to bolster his credentials as on of the top three-year-olds. His last race was a win in Oaklawn Park's Grade III Southwest Stakes. Bunker Hill Road (third), Blow Out (fourth) and Choosing Choice (seventh) return to try Ide again. Allowance winners Unruled and Krigeorj's Gold and maiden winner Dynapopper round out the field.

Santa Ana Handicap, 4&up (f&m), $150,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Grade I, Santa Anita
Matiara, a Group 1 winner in France, won the Grade II Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita in her last start. She will face four rivals, including: Real Connection, second in the Buena Vista; Angel in My Heart (FR), second in a pair of U.S. Grade I races last year; Pharma; and Bis Cat (NZ).

Distaff Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $100,000, 7 Furlongs, Grade II, Aqueduct

Pelleteri Handicap, 4&up, $100,000, 6 Furlongs, Fair Grounds

Snow Goose Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $100,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Grade III, Laurel

SUNDAY
San Luis Rey Stakes, 4&up, $250,000, 1 1-2 Miles Turf, Grade I, Santa Anita
Eclipse Award winner Northern Spur (IRE) will not make the San Luis Rey, nor the April 21 San Juan Capistrano Handicap, but a solid field of turf runners are expected. Special price, who nearly died of pneumonia last fall, returns after aeight-month layoff. He was a good second in last year's Grade II Caesars Palace Turf Championship handicap at Hollywood Park and won the Grade II Golden gate Handicap by seven lengths. He is expected to meet Windsharp and Wandesta (GB), a pair of fillies who were 1-2 in the Grade II San Luis Obispo Handicap, Feb. 19. Others scheduled to compete are: Urgent Request (IRE), winner of the Grade II San Marcos Handicap; Silver Wizard, who has been running close with good company; and allowance winner Flying Marfa.

Explosive Bid Handicap, 4&up, $100,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Fair Grounds
Las Cienegas Handicap, 4&up (f&m), $100,000, 6 1-2 Furlongs Turf, Grade III, Santa Anita

Oaklawn Breeders' Cup, 3&up (f&m), $150,000, 1 1-16 Miles, Grade III, Oaklawn

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