GOLDEN GLIMPSES #47 GOLDEN GLIMPSES #47 P. VAL AND ANTLEY: WHITHER THEY GOEST?
Two of Southern California's top riders, Patrick Valenzuela and Chris Antley have been AWOL from the Hollywood Park jockeys' room, and had not made contact with the stewards through opening day.
Valenzuela had been in the San Diego area trying to reconcile with his fiancee, but has returned to Arcadia and is on "vacation," according to his agent, Jerry Ingordo.
"He went back there to see his girl friend and it didn't work out, so he's back here. He's been talking with his sisters," Ingordo said.
There was also word that the troubled rider was going through a custody battle for his children with his ex-wife, and had also been cited for DUI, but Ingordo could not confirm or deny either report.
"He calls me because he wants to talk, so I talk with him," Ingordo said. "That's about it, but I haven't talked to him in about a week." Valenzuela hasn't ridden since Oct. 24.
Antley, who hasn't ridden in about a month, had been scheduled to return from his family's home in South Carolina, but so far, he's a no-show.
Valenzuela has cried wolf countless times in the past, and, according to an informed source, this could be his last weep.
"He can't continously take off whenever he pleases," said the source. "It's not fair to the horsemen, and it's certainly not fair to the betting public."
GOLDEN PICKS
FRANCISCO ROAD -- Daughter of Strawberry Road needed first outing in five months and figures much tighter on the turf.
RAISED STATE -- Should benefit from first start in eight months and improve enough to handle $20,000 sprinters.
THE HOMESTRETCH: The trainers have much at stake in the contract dispute between Hollywood Park and the Nevada Pari-Mutuel Association, because the handle at the race books effects the purses. But trainers have no say in the issue. "We were legislated a couple of years ago not to be involved in matters like that," said Dick Mandella. "It was legislated to be handled by the TOC (Thoroughbred Owners of California). We don't have any input and don't know enough about it to suggest anyway." Said TOC president John Van de Camp: "There's no signal that's going to go out under the present (NPA) offer. For an agreement, we have to reach a mutual concurrence with the track. We're together on this issue. Santa Anita is getting 3.5 (percent) across the board on exotics and win, place and show. At the very least, Hollywood deserves the same kind of treatment. The agreement we approved was for one meeting only, last summer. We've never approved a four-year agreement for either Del Mar and/or Santa Anita. Nevada keeps throwing up in our face that we have a long-term contract with those two tracks. All I can tell you is that those contracts were not approved by the TOC . . . the problem for California horsemen is that Nevada is a state that does not have horse racing. Horsemen there do not benefit. When we send our signal to Nevada, even at 3.5, we divide it up, so California horsemen really lose, we believe. and horsemen elsewhere do not benefit when Nevada takes the signal at very low rates. A lot of California bettors have gone over there. We know that. It gives rebate activity. We know that . . . they're essentially taking bettors from support of California, and we think that's not fair." Van de Camp estimated the track was losing about $9,500 daily in purse revenue, "but we believe some of that is going to come back." Negotiations, meanwhile, were at a standstill as of last Thursday, two days into Hollywood's 36-day meet. "We haven't talked to them (NPA) in a week," said Hollywood Park general manager Eual Wyatt Jr. "They need to know that this is a firm resolve," added VanDeCamp "We believe there should be equal recognition of those contracts (with Del Mar and Santa Anita)." . . . Hollywood Gold Cup winner Siphon has resumed training. "He's been tack-walking for a month," Mandella said. "He just started to jog and we'll start pointing him to Santa Anita." Siphon had been sidelined with a muscle tear outside of his right knee. "It was a very weird deal," Mandella said, "but he seems to have recuperated well. We scanned him with ultra-sound and it looks real good." . . . As reported in Sept. 3-7 Gaming Today, Santa Anita likely will offer eight-race weekday programs during its long winter meet. "We still haven't decided on that," said Santa Anita president and chief operating officer Cliff Goodrich. "It's still being discussed. I can tell you whatever we do, it will be less (races) than last year . . . Our goal is to average nine horses a race. To do that, we're not going to be able to offer nine and 10-race (weekday) cards. So you're going to see a reduction in the number of events, and we're convinced that is going to put a better product on the race track, and we're convinced that is what the fans want to see . . . I am concerned, but very bullish on the future of racing, especially when you have a major center like Santa Anita. The test is going to be what people do to try and cure what's wrong with racing. I'm not saying there's any magic answers. I just think the evidence is ample before us that we're wearing people out, and we have got to address that in some way, shape or form. We're going to start doing that as of Dec. 26 I hope that we're right and that others will follow us." . . . If Ricks Natural Star had finished any further back in the Breeders' Cup Turf, he wouldn't have been distanced, he'd have been lapped.
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