GOLDEN GLIMPSES #67 GOLDEN GLIMPSES #67 SOLIS NEARS CHILDHOOD DREAM OF WINNING KENTUCKY DERBY
In the beginning, when life in his native Panama moved with the timeless rhythm of nature, young Alex Solis dreamed of winning the Kentucky Derby.
If his luck holds, his wish will come true at Churchill Downs on May 3, when he rides Captain Bodgit, certain to be either first or second choice in the world's most popular horse race. Alex loves his chances.
"He's really kind of a push-button horse," Solis said. "He's very smart. You can place him wherever you want. What I really like about him is you can make two or three runs, if you really need it. He can get you out of trouble very easy, and that's important in the Kentucky Derby, where there are a lot of horses and you can encounter traffic problems. That's another thing I really like about him. He gets you out of trouble real quick."
Captain Bodgit steered clear of any problems in winning the Wood Memorial on a sloppy track, a surface he was racing over for the first time.
"I wouldn't say he liked it, but he handled it well. He felt good on it, but I don't think it's his best surface. He had a very easy race, considering how the track was. Most of the time, I was right where I wanted, and he felt good on the wet track. He wasn't slipping, so that's a plus for him."
And getting 1 1/4 miles of the Derby? "He's a very smart horse, like I said. You can place him wherever you want, he can make two or three runs in a race, so that's another plus for the Kentucky Derby."
Solis won the Santa Anita riding title this meet, his fifth straight on the Southern California circuit. The last time a jockey won five in a row was 1982-83, when Chris McCarron did it. Solis, who was 33 on March 25, ended Cigar's 16-race winning streak with a victory on Dare and Go in the Pacific Classic last August. In January, he was presented the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. A Kentucky Derby victory would answer a fantasy he has had since he was a young boy.
"That's been my dream since I've been a little kid, when I first got to know horse racing in general. I was in Panama and I remember watching Eddie Delahoussaye win the (1982) Derby with Gato del Sol. That's when I realized the meaning of racing. It's really a dream just to think about it. It's the greatest dream you can accomplish."
Solis wouldn't debate whether Captain Bodgit or Pulpit would be the actual Derby favorite, but he was sure of one thing. "I wouldn't trade places with anybody, not at all. I really admire this horse for all his courage. He's all business. A lot of people look at his (bowed left front) tendon and they want to laugh."
But there are bowed tendons and there are bowed tendons, and depending on the horse, the deformity may not make a difference in performance, according to one veterinarian.
"Some horses can just keep running with them and some won't tolerate them, even though the bows look the same on the outside," said Dr. Ray Baran, D.V.M., representing the Los Angeles Turf Club. "Inside, they may not be. Captain Bodgit's is very visible.
"A bowed tendon actually looks like its name implies. Some horses have big ones and can run with them. Others have little ones and can't. It defies explanation. The fibers pull loose and there are various surgeries that can be performed. Dr. Rick Arthur did two on Afternoon Deelites, I believe, and he came back and ran real well."
Obviously, the bowed tendon has not been a problem for Captain Bodgit, or should we call him Captain Courageous?
"Captain Bodgit has the heart and the will," Solis said. "And that's why you have to respect him."
For his conduct and his accomplishments on and off the race track, you have to respect Alex Solis, as well.
In a career of fulfilled dreams, he has just one to go.
THE HOMESTRETCH: Hollywood Park chairman of the board and CEO R.D. Hubbard does not expect the simulcast stalemate with the Nevada Pari-Mutuel Association to be resolved this meet, which would extend the impasse nearly eight months since it began last Nov. 6. "It looks dead," Hubbard said. "There's been no movement. They've drawn a hard line in the sand." On an NFL team returning to Los Angeles: "When it does, it won't be at the Coliseum. And the deal will be predicated on having a commitment for a stadium first, a team second." . . . Now you know: Hello, the gritty Irish-bred colt who had gate problems prior to third-place finishes in the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby, is named for a popular publication in England called "Hello," sort of the Brits' version of People Magazine. "His grandmare is Photo-something," explained Mary Cameron, wife of Ian, Hello's former owner. "It's either that, or the dam, Itqan, means photo. 'Hello' is a social magazine with lots of pictures in it. It's sort of glitzy, with show biz people. We felt it was quite a good name in itself. He's a lovely little horse, isn't he? He's a really brave little horse, and I hope he does well. We didn't want to sell him, actually. We had such fun with him, it was sad to say goodbye, but because of having a Group 1 penalty, the trainer thought we'd never get anywhere with him over here. Whether he was right or not, I don't know.". . . Corey Nakatani was slapped with a modest $750 fine by the stewards after a 45-minute open hearing Thursday morning, the result of an altercation with Julio Garcia following the San Luis Rey Stakes on March 23. Both parties had long since kissed and made up, and Garcia dropped complaint charges he filed against Nakatani with the Arcadia Police. In fact, Nakatani offered to drive Garcia to the police department . . . Rumors of Bill Garr's retirement are premature. Garr, whose first on-track radio broadcast occurred at Santa Anita in December of 1959, will vacation during the Hollywood meet, which will be covered for him by Alan Buchdahl. "I already have contracts for Del Mar and Fairplex," says Garr . . . Sudden thought while looking out at the infield from the press box any weekday: Santa Anita is as beautiful as a painting -- a still life.
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