HOLLYWOOD PARK STABLE NOTES
Tuesday, July 4, 1995
By Vince Bruun & Ed Golden
OWNER'S LOVE HELPS SAVE LIFE
OF BLAZE O'BRIEN AFTER SURGERY
- Any pet owner knows its animal is like a member of the family. The love and care
- rendered by Susan Isaacs, who treats her stakes-winning Thoroughbred, Blaze O'Brien,
like he's part of the family, apparently helped save the 8-year-old gelding's life.
- The California-bred bay suffered a fractured right front sesamoid bone Saturday
- morning at Hollywood Park following a half-mile workout for Tuesday's American
Handicap. He was taken to Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Clinic in Los Olivos, for
surgery.
- The operation usually is not life-threatening. But when Blaze O'Brien began to
- traumatize following the procedure, Dr. Greg Ferraro, who performed the two-hour
surgery with Dr. Doug Herthel, had to call on Isaacs to help save her pet's life.
- "The horse was under great stress," explained Hector Palma, who trains Blaze
- O'Brien for Susan and her husband, Barry, of Sherman Oaks.
"Finally, the doctors called Susan to go into Blaze's room, and she started talking
to him and the horse started to get better and better and better.
- "Last night he was eating and jumping and everything. At least that's what I heard," said
- Palma, who celebrated his 58th birthday on the Fourth of July.
"And I believe it, because I know how close Susan and the horse are. The doctors were really
worried the horse wouldn't make it, until Susan was called in."
- "We inserted a titanium rod," Dr. Ferraro explained at Hollywood Park Tuesday
- morning. "As of last (Monday) night about 8:30 when I left, the horse was
doing great. We operated on him about 10 in the morning.
- "He's a funny little horse. The surgery went fine, and he recovered and sat
- up and everything. But he had an anxiety attack and kind of panicked out,
hyperventilated, got a little upset. His blood pressure went up and his temperature
reached 105 degrees (normal is 100).
- "So we bedded him down and had Susan go in and sit with him. She and
- that horse are like that," Ferraro said, crossing his middle finger over his index
finger. "She basically calmed him down, and then he was fine. The prognosis for
his recovery is good, if he handles it mentally, now that he's gotten over his little upset.
- "We've done quite a few of those procedures with that technique, probably
- two or three dozen, and within a short period of time, they're sound and walking around.
I did his mother (Irish O'Brien), same thing, right front fetlock, 10 years ago. We used a
technique with plates and screws and wires. That was really traumatic and those horses
would take six weeks to get comfortable.
- "But now, with this new titanium rod, it takes only about a week, and they're
- really comfortable. The rod goes all the way down to the center of the cannon bone and
into the short pastern bone . . . we make an incision in the knee and go into the top of
the theracarpal bone and down the medulary cavity. That way, we don't traumatize the
area that's been damaged. So the horses do pretty good. Within a short time they can
get the cast off.
- "If this horse doesn't have any more of this mental upset, he should be fine,
- because the surgery went perfectly."
- After that, it was up to Susan Isaacs and her love for her horse.
- CARSONA, TRIO PREP FOR SUNDAY'S HOLLYWOOD OAKS
- Pebble Beach Racing Stable's Carsona worked five furlongs in a quick :59 flat Tuesday
- morning in preparation for Sunday's $200,000 Hollywood Oaks (Gr. I) for 3-year-old fillies.
- Although Carsona has just one victory from four starts - a wire-to-wire triumph in a
- maiden special weight on June 24 -- trainer Jack Saip said the Illinois-bred by Carson
City could be a factor in the Oaks.
- "If she'll handle a mile and an eighth, she'll win," Saip said. "I
- know she's just a maiden-breaker, but she's very talented. And she's always trained like
she'll go a route. I like this filly a lot."
- The probable Oaks favorite, Juddmonte Farms' Sleep Easy, was also on the track
- Tuesday. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Seattle Slew worked five furlongs in 1:01 1/5
for trainer Bobby Frankel.
- A winner of two of four starts and $102,950, Sleep Easy rallied to defeat
- Texinadress in the Grade III Railbird Stakes on May 27, and then finished third as the
17-10 favorite in the Grade II Princess Stakes on June 18.
- At Santa Anita, meanwhile, Mike Pegram's Favored One -- upset winner of the
- Grade II Princess Stakes -- went five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 on a fast main track for trainer
Mike Puhich. And Brown and Brown Brothers' Predicted Glory -- fourth in the Princess
Stakes, worked five furlongs in 1:00 flat for trainer Vladimir Cerin.
- Probables for the 50th running of the Hollywood Oaks: Bello Cielo, Eddie
- Delahoussaye; Carsona, Kent Desormeaux; Favored One, Alex Solis; Predicted Glory,
Fernando Valenzuela; Sleep Easy, Corey Nakatani, and Our Summer Bid, Jose
Silva.
- FERNANDO VALENZUELA ON MAIDEN IN LANDALUCE
- Fernando Valenzuela, tied for eighth with 24 wins in the Hollywood Park jockey
- standings through Monday, will ride Woodyoubelieveit for trainer John Pappalardo in
Saturday's $100,000-added Landaluce Stakes, agent Ray Kravagna reported.
- Woodyoubelieveit, a bay Kentucky-bred daughter of Woodman, finished third in her only
- two starts.
- Trainer Linda Rice indicated Tremont Breeders' Cup Stakes winner Rosie O'Greta
- could ship in from the east for the race.
- The probable field for the Grade II Landaluce, for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs:
- Cara Rafaela, Corey Nakatani; Distinguish Forum, Eddie Delahoussaye; Ecstasy,
Kent Desormeaux; Liberty Nite, Laffit Pincay Jr.; Little Gumpher, Goncalino Almeida;
Raw Gold, Alex Solis, and Woodyoubelieveit, Fernando Valenzuela.
- EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR $500,000 SWAPS STAKES
- Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch is the marquee name for the
- $500,000 Swaps Stakes on July 23, but the D. Wayne Lukas-trainee is not
expected to have an easy time of it, based on the potential starters for the Grade II
event.
- Hollywood Park racing secretary Martin Panza expects Dazzling Falls, Mr Purple
- and Petionville, among other top 3-year-olds, to join Thunder Gulch for the 1 1/8-mile
Swaps Stakes.
- WEKIVA SPRINGS TO GO TO BILL MOTT FOR NEW YORK CAMPAIGN
- San Fernando Stakes winner Wekiva Springs, who has been jogging at Donald Dizney's
- Double Diamond Farm in Florida, will be sent to trainer Bill Mott shortly
for a fall campaign in New York, with the Breeders' Cup on Oct. 28 the ultimate goal,
trainer Bob Hess Jr. reported at Hollywood Park Tuesday morning.
- "Mr. Dizney (who owns the 4-year-old gray son of Runaway Groom along with Jim
- English) and I talked it over and decided it was best to go that route,"
Hess said.
- "He's a bad shipper and we felt it was best to keep him in New York to prepare for the
- Breeders' Cup (at Belmont Park on Oct. 28). After the Breeders'
Cup, the plan is to have him come back to the West Coast."
- Wekiva Springs has been sidelined with a minor ailment to his right front foot since
- early May, Hess said.
- Mott's owners consist of international clientele, including Allen Paulson, whose Cigar
- won the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup on Sunday.
- FINISH LINES: Hollywood Park will offer simulcast wagering on Pleasanton races
- starting at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5. There will be no live racing, but
fans wishing to enjoy Pleasanton races can do so at the Hollywood Park Casino's Finish
Line Bar, where admission and programs will be free . . . Lauren Cohen's Royal
Vale, winner of Monday's $66,500 Hidden Light Handicap, will make her next start in the
$100,000-added San Clemente Handicap (Gr. III) at Del Mar on July 29, trainer
Wally Dollase said . . . Trainer Bobby Frankel said Possibly Perfect, second to
Alpride in Sunday's Beverly Hills Handicap, will be pointed to the $300,000-added
Ramona Handicap (Gr. I) at Del Mar on Aug. 5. "They all get beat some
time," Frankel said of Possibly Perfect. "And we were giving (Alpride) nine
pounds." Frankel said Beverly Hills third-place finisher Wandesta's next start will
be against Paseana in the $300,000-added Vanity Handicap on July 23. Edmund
Gann's Metropolitan Handicap and Brooklyn Handicap winner You And I will go in either
the Bel Air Handicap (July 16) or the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.
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