URBANE INJURED, REMAINS IN KENTUCKY
Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel's Urbane, second as the 3-10 favorite in
the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 5, was injured in the race and is in
the care of Dr. Alex Harthill, trainer Brian Mayberry said at Hollywood Park Friday
morning.
"She was banged around in the race and was hurt," Mayberry said, without
revealing the extent or the nature of the injury.
"She's with Dr. Harthill in Kentucky. How badly she's injured, we don't
know right now. It might not be anything serious. Dr. Harthill is reporting to us
every day."
Urbane, a Maryland-bred daughter of Citidancer, won the Ashland Stakes at
Keeneland on April 22 before her eventful journey in the Kentucky Oaks. She made
her debut in a $50,000 claiming race at Santa Anita last Oct. 12, winning by seven
lengths, and went on to win the Mocassin Stakes at Hollywood Park after that.
She then was beaten three straight times by the reigning 3-year-old filly
queen, Serena's Song -- in the Hollywood Starlet, the Las Virgenes Stakes and
Santa Anita Oaks, losing by a nose in the Starlet and a head in the Oaks. She
finished third in the Las Virgenes.
CRAIGS PURCHASE JUVENILE RECORD-SETTER
Bridge of Royalty, who set a Hollywood Park track record of :50 2/5 for 4
1/2 furlongs in winning his debut by six lengths last Thursday, has been purchased
by Sid and Jenny Craig.
"I think the track record piqued their interest in buying him," trainer Bill
Spawr said Friday morning. "He did it very easily and was very impressive." Spawr
did not reveal the purchase price for the 2-year-old California-bred son of Slew's
Royalty-Gracebridge, who had been owned by Granja Mexico, Latorre, Maycock, et
al.
"I've had him two days now and he's doing fine," said Spawr, who takes
over training from Hector Palma. "Our long-range goal would be the Hollywood
Futurity (Dec. 17), but we'd obviously like to find a race for him before that. We're
looking at the Westchester (June 4) first, and then we'll go from there."
VAN BERG COMMITTED TO 10-YEAR-OLD NO COMMITMENT
Jack Van Berg has trained countless horses in his glorious
career of more than 40 years, including 1988 Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of
the Year Alysheba, who remains Thoroughbred racing's all-time leading money
earner with $6,679,242.
But none has a warmer place in the Hall of Fame trainer's heart than an old
warhorse named No Commitment, a bottom-level claimer who at age 10 is believed
to be the oldest Thoroughbred still racing on the Southern California circuit.
Just last Saturday, No Commitment gave his customary game effort,
finishing second, beaten only a neck, for a $12,500 claiming price in the first race.
The California-bred gelded son of Search for Gold picked up $2,600, pushing his
career earnings to $482,150.
Van Berg, who will be 59 on June 7 and who was voted into the Hall of
Fame in 1985, claimed No Commitment for $12,500 on Jan. 1, 1994. "He's all
professional and he loves to win," Van Berg said of No Commitment, who has had
82 career starts, with 19 wins, 16 seconds and eight thirds.
"That's all he wants to do is win. I've never been around a horse who's
been more competitive. I don't care if he's working with another horse in the
morning or whatever you do, he wants to be first."
Van Berg has claimed horses throughout his career and had absolutely no
reservations about taking an old horse like No Commitment.
"I've claimed horses like that all my life," Van Berg said. "My dad (the late
Marion H. Van Berg, a Hall of Famer who died in 1971) raced horses when they
were seven, eight, nine, 10 years old, all the time.
"Most horses don't last as long as this one (No Commitment). When you
get an old campaigner like him, he's solid, he's tough. I raced Dave's Friend when
he was eight, nine, 10. I won the Count Fleet (Handicap) with him two years in a
row."
"He's a professional. He's all business," said his exercise rider, Mike Iles,
who has worked for Van Berg about a year.
"He's 10 years old and he's knocked out almost a half-a-million. He's a
good horse. He has a few (physical) problems, but he's smart and he's old and he
knows how to keep himself," Iles said.
Van Berg agrees. "All horses have problems, especially the older ones," he
said. "But they're more professional. That's what I like about them."
Especially No Commitment. As Hollywood Park track commentator Trevor
Denman described the battling bay during a victory at Santa Anita on March 10,
"The old guy still has life in him."
$252.40 TO WIN, $0 TO PLACE
When Sassy O won Hollywood Park's first race from Canada's
Woodbine race track Thursday, the longshot paid $252.40 to win, but not a penny
to place.
Reason: There was not a single place ticket purchased in California on the
outsider, who paid $16.20 to show. The win price for a $2 mutuel ticket was a
record for a simulcast race at Hollywood Park.
FINISH LINES: Hollywood Park visitors Thursday included Lakers'
center Sam Bowie, guard Nick Van Exel, and NBC-TV's Emmy
Award-winning broadcaster Dick Enberg . . . Four local riders are scheduled
to ride at Pimlico next Saturday. Chris McCarron rides Blues Traveller in
the Early Times Dixie Classic; while Kent Desormeaux (Our Gatsby),
Gary Stevens (Thunder Gulch) and Goncalino Almeida (Jumron)
all ride
in the Preakness Stakes, which will be shown at Hollywood Park via simulcast . . .
Desormeaux, who missed the last two days of riding due to a persistent flu, was
on the fence for Friday night, agent Gene Short said Friday morning. "I told
him to ride only if he feels up to it," Short said . . . Letthebighossroll, who won for
the 14th time in 43 career starts in Thursday's Hollywood Park feature race, is a
handful around the barn. "You have to watch him every minute," said Jake
Vinci of trainer Bob Baffert's staff. "He'll bite you as soon as look at
you, and
if he doesn't get you from the front end, he'll get you (kick) from the rear. He's
1,100 pounds of teeth and heart." Baffert assistant Eoin Harty calls the
7-year-old gelding "a horse's horse." . . . Richard Mandella has Corey
Nakatani committed to Sandpit for the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Handicap on
Memorial Day, leaving leading trainer Bobby Frankel with the option of
reuniting Pat Day with Juddmonte Farms' multiple Grade I-winning filly,
Wandesta.