GOLDEN GLIMPSES #43 GOLDEN GLIMPSES #43 LAS VEGAS COMES TO SANTA ANITA VIA NFL GAMES
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Every NFL game is being shown at Santa Anita on Sundays.
"We had talked about it a year ago and almost did it," said Oak Tree Racing Association general manager Cliff Goodrich. "The NFL hasn't offered it for that long, maybe two or three years at the most
"When you run a race meet during football season, it's tough, because NFL games have a large following, and the college games on Saturday are a factor, too.
"For those people who really follow football, we wanted to make sure we at least kept them here, rather than sitting at home on Sunday. And maybe some of the people who are taken to going home would come out if they could see all the games at the same time."
The package didn't come cheap, although Goodrich wouldn't reveal the cost.
"It's a fairly substantial fee to the NFL for the rights. We just had to understand what the deal was, what equipment was needed, and went ahead and did it.
"Anyone at the track situated at an individual TV can tune into all the games by flipping the dial. We also have about four locations throughout the plant where you can literally watch all the games at the same time."
Goodrich was uncertain whether Santa Anita was the first track to offer this football fantasy.
"We didn't really check into it, but I think it's a first for California, maybe not a first around the nation. I think we're one of the few who do it, and, at least after the first week, it was pretty well received."
Now if the day ever comes when betting is allowed on NFL games shown at the track, it could stop the free-fall drop in on-track attendance.
Bob Baffert missed winning the Kentucky Derby by inches this year with Cavonnier.
He's got seven months -- light years in horse time -- until the First Saturday in May next year, but the 43-year-old trainer likes his chances at the moment.
He numbers Bob and Beverly Lewis' Del Mar Futurity winner Silver Charm and10-length maiden winner In Excessive Bull as his leading prospects.
Silver Charm, an $85,000 Florida-bred son of Silver Buck, missed the Norfolk Stakes on Oct. 6 due to a fever.
"We'll just get him back going again," Baffert said of the gray ghost. "We didn't miss that many days with him, but I've got a lot of options. We'll try to map something out for his 3-year-old year.
"I could go in the Sunny Slope (at six furlongs on Oct. 23), but I have to decide if I'm going to stretch him out or keep him short, because once you stretch, then you've got to keep them long. And if you stretch really early, it wears on them, especially young horses."
Baffert had a hunch Silver Charm was the real thing.
"He looked like a pretty nice horse. He worked the fastest of 1,000 horses down in Florida (a quarter-mile in :21 4/5 at the April Ocala yearling sales), so that tells you something right there. You just hope they outrun their pedigree, and that's basically what he's doing."
Baffert unleashed a California-bred 2-year-old who could be better than Silver Charm. He's a son of In Excess named In Excessive Bull, who won his first start by 10 lengths on Oct. 5.
"The Bull, he's looked like a race horse since the day he was born," Baffert said. "He shin-bucked early, and I've been bringing him back. I knew he was a stone runner when I worked him with The Texas Tunnel out of the gate together.
"The Texas Tunnel ran third in the Phoenix Futurity at Turf Paradise, and The Bull just toyed with him. Five days later, The Texas Tunnel almost set a track record at Golden gate going 5 1/2 furlongs.
"The Bull's shins were bugging him then, and when he worked that good, I said, 'You know what? I'm gonna take care of this guy.' So I sent him to the farm, pin-fired him and all that. Now I'm getting him ready for the Cal Cup (Juvenile on Nov. 2).
"I've never had a 2-year-old debut like he did, just keep running after a :21 2/5 fraction, on the engine the whole way. I haven't had a 2-year-old do that since (the ill-fated) Flagship Commander (in 1993).
"This is the best 2-year-old crop in my life. I don't have that many, but they're good ones."
Another colt from the first crop of In Excess, Inexcessivelygood, ran second to In Excessive Bull. Baffert has high hopes for him, too.
"He ran an incredible race to be second, considering he got shuffled back, was far off the pace, and came running at the end."
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES
ANOTHER FELIX -- Invader from France ran winning race in U.S. debut, only to be out kicked late by favorite. Figures much tighter after first race in two months. Should land in winners' circle versus allowance turf routers.
BABY FORMULA -- Tardy start cost bottom-run claimer any chance at victory.
CUBATA -- Argentine-bred filly was stopped so much in U.S. turf debut, Solis didn't need stirrups, he needed a brake pedal. Sitting on a victory, but needs a clean trip.
GOLDSIDE -- Another of too many victims of slow starts this meet, and it cost him victory. First-time starter came from dead last at six-furlongs, split horses and was beaten less than two lengths.
IRISH AND FOXY -- Consistent Canadian invader ran monster race to finish fifth (moved to fourth via DQ) going down the hill. She was herded by favorite near eighth pole, dropped back to last in field of nine, still rallied nine wide to be beaten just over two lengths. Next time, but don't expect 10-1.
SUNNY HOLIDAY -- Wiped out in ragged start but ran gamely to finish fourth. Shouldn't tarry long among $32,000 maidens with fair start.
THE HOMESTRETCH: Laffit Pincay Jr. had 8,470 victories through Friday and needed 363 to tie Bill Shoemaker's career
record of 8,833. Maybe in the year 2000. . . Lookalikes -- Greg Maddox and Matthew Broderick
. . . Track announcer Trevor Denman's chores keep him
isolated most of the time, and he's not a social gadfly
otherwise. This combination has kept him virtually AWOL from
the press box, prompting me to wonder: who's going to appear
first this year, Trevor or Punxatawny Phil?
The Running Horse (https://www.isd1.com/alauck)
