TRC THOROUGHBRED NOTEBOOK

May 18, 1995

News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc. (TRC).

CIGAR TO COMPETE IN NEXT MONTH'S MASS. 'CAP

Cigar will run in the June 3 Massachusetts Handicap, trainer Bill Mott confirmed, making the five-year-old horse eligible for a $500,000 bonus if he wins the race. Cigar, winner of seven consecutive races, four of them Grade I's, is eligible for the bonus money after posting wins in the Gulfstream Park Handicap, Oaklawn Handicap and Pimlico Special, the three races, along with the Massachusetts Handicap, which comprise the 'MassCap Bonus Series.' The Massachusetts Handicap will be run at Suffolk Downs racetrack, East Boston, Mass.

'We feel it's tremendous to have a horse of this caliber planning to be here,' said Suffolk Downs Vice President of Racing Lou Raffeto Jr.

GO FOR GIN RETIRED

Last year's Kentucky Derby winner Go for Gin has been retired due to a minor injury, it was announced Tuesday. A tear in the colt's left front tendon was detected following a workout Monday. Although the injury is far from life-threatening, the decision to retire the colt came when trainer Nick Zito realized the three-month layup the colt required would prevent him from properly conditioning Go for Gin for the Oct. 28 Breeders' Cup.

Go for Gin retires with five wins, seven seconds and two thirds from 19 starts with career earnings of $1,380,866. He last raced May 6 in the Churchill Downs Handicap where he finished third.

Go for Gin will stay in Zito's Belmont Park barn for the next three weeks before being sent to Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., where he'll stand at stud.

CAN LUKAS WIN FOURTH CONSECUTIVE TRIPLE CROWN RACE?

If either Thunder Gulch or Timber Country cruise to victory in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, trainer D. Wayne Lukas will have won his fourth consecutive Triple Crown race, an unusual feat, in that his wins have not netted Lukas a Triple Crown title.

The streak began when Lukas-trained Tabasco Cat won last year's Preakness and Belmont Stakes and continued with Thunder Gulch's win in this year's Kentucky Derby. Lucien Laurin, who trained 1972 Belmont Stakes winner Riva Ridge and 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, has four consecutive Classic race victories.

JOCKEY TO RIDE IN PREAKNESS, VISIT WITH FIRST FAMILY

Ricky Frazier will be aboard longshot Itron in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, the first Triple Crown mount for the 31-year-old jockey.

On Monday, the Arkansas native will visit the White House and renew acquaintances with the First Family. 'Roger (Clinton) and I grew up together in Hot Springs,' explained Frazier. 'My whole family and Roger's are real tight (and) we knew his mother, Virginia Kelley, real well and I know the President, too. My wife and I are really looking forward to going.'

Frazier has ridden in some major stakes races, including the Jim Beam Stakes, the Super Derby and Louisiana Derby. His ride in the Preakness will be a momentous occasion for Frazier. 'Going to a race like the Preakness, it's something everyone always asks you about. They don't ask how many wins you have. They all want to know if you've ever ridden in the (Kentucky) Derby or another Triple Crown race.'

Another factor that will make the trip to Baltimore memorable for Frazier is the fact that Itron is trained by his father, Roy. 'I think it's special I'm getting to go with my dad. It's something like a dream for a horseman and a jockey just to go,' said Frazier.

RACING RETURNS TO MINNESOTA ON FRIDAY

Thoroughbred racing will return to Minnesota Friday when Canterbury Park opens for a 55-day meet following a 2 1/2-year absence. Under new ownership, the track will offer a 31-day Thoroughbred meet (May 19-July 9), a mixed meet of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing (July 13-Aug. 19) and a one-day all Quarter Horse racing on July 6. The track's new owner, Canterbury Holding Corp., is the facility's fourth owner.

Built for $80 million, Canterbury originally opened in 1985 and was successful, attracting average daily crowds of 13,162. Attendance and handle steadily declined and the track was sold in 1990 to the Ladbroke Racing Corp. for $21 million. Business plummeted under Ladbroke's ownership and the track was closed in December 1992. Canterbury was sold to Minneapolis financier Irwin Jacobs in 1993 for $8 million. Jacobs reportedly didn't plan to use the facility for horse racing, and sold the facility to the new owners last year for close to his purchase price.

CRAIGS THE NEW OWNERS OF RANCHO SANTA FE TRAINING CENTER

Sid and Jenny Craig, owners of Paseana, Exchange and Dr Devious, recently purchased the Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., training center that was previously owned by Eugene Klein. The Craigs reportedly paid $6 million for the 237-acre, full-service facility, which boasts a 3/4 mile training track and stalls for 150 horses.

Klein, who raced champions Lady's Secret, Is It True, Open Mind and Winning Colors, among others, used the facility as a base for his powerful racing stable before his death in 1990. The Craigs purchased the training center last month, according to Sid Craig, who noted he and his wife are planning to become more active in racing. The facility will be managed by Lez Fanning Jr. and horses will begin to arrive later this month.

IS POPE JOHN PAUL II HEADED FOR AQUEDUCT?

The weekend of Oct. 6-7 could be a busy one at both Aqueduct and Belmont Park in New York. Breeders' Cup Preview Day is Saturday, Oct. 7 and there are reports that Pope John Paul II will celebrate Mass at Aqueduct the day before. The Pope will be in the New York area Oct. 4 through 7 to address the United Nations. A spokesman for the Diocese of Brooklyn confirmed that Aqueduct is one of several sites being considered (Shea Stadium is another), but sources told Newsday recently that 'diocesan officials were leaning heavily toward using the racetrack, which could accommodate more people than Shea.'

CLASSIC CAR SHOW AT CHURCHILL DOWNS SATURDAY

Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky., will host the 10th annual Classic Car Show in the track's infield on Saturday, May 20. More than 400 vintage Fords, Corvettes, Chevys and Jaguars will be on display. There will also be a special exhibit from the Louisville Automobile Museum featuring classic cars, as well as the prestigious Concours D'Elegence competition for more than 100 Jaguars and other vintage British autos.

LOUISIANA DOWNS WILL GO TO THE DOGS (WEINER DOGS, THAT IS)

Louisiana Downs will be going to the dogs, literally, when the Bossier City, La., racetrack hosts the Weiner Dog Nationals on Saturday, June 3. Thirty-two dachshunds will compete in one of four qualifying heats, scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. The top two finishers in each heat will compete in the final of the Weiner Dog Nationals for fame and fortune, not to mention a year's supply of PMI Nutrition dog food and a trophy. The 32 finalists were chosen from more than 200 nominees.

One of the early favorites is 'Dicey,' owned and trained by local jockey Shane Romero. Romero has been conditioning his runner and expects her to put her best paw forward on race day. 'She's been swimming and running every day,' said Romero. Dicey's main threat will come from 'Rhett,' a dogged competitor who 'runs laps daily and is on a training diet of egg whites and Evian water to build up those weiner muscles,' according to owner Brandi Myers of Shreveport.

EQUIBASE FORMS STANDARDS COMMITTEE

A National Standards & Definitions Committee has been appointed to establish criteria for the inclusion and maintenance of Equibase Company data relating to the Thoroughbred racing industry. In explaining the decision to form the standards committee, James E. Bassett III, chairman of the Equibase Company Management Committee, observed, 'Our peers have rightfully drawn attention to the fact that, as an industry, we have the responsibility to maintain a system of accurate and informed record-keeping which keeps pace with the extraordinarily fast evolution of modern racing. ... We have assembled an ecumenical group of industry leaders familiar with the application of statistical information in their varying areas of expertise. ... Their decisions and recommendations will enable us to bring our records in line with other sports.'

The committee members are W.B. Rogers Beasley of Keeneland; Steve Crist of NYRA; Clifford C. Goodrich, president of Thoroughbred Racing Associations and of Santa Anita Park; G. Watts Humphrey Jr., a member of The Jockey Club; and Fred Grossman, former editor of Daily Racing Form. An additional committee member, from the ranks of the country's racing secretaries, will be named at a later date.

TELEVISED RACES

May 20 Preakness Stakes and Early Times Dixie Handicap, Pimlico,

4:30-6:00 p.m., ABC

RACING TO HISTORY

May 18, 1880: African American jockey George Jarret Lewis rode

Fonso to victory in the sixth running of the Kentucky Derby.

May 18, 1931: Fifteen-year-old Eddie Arcaro rode his first race,

finishing sixth, at Bainbridge Park, Ohio. At year's end, he remained winless after 36 tries.

May 19, 1961: Jockey Bill Shoemaker notched his 4,000th career

win aboard Guaranteeya at Hollywood Park.

May 19, 1964: Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. won his first race, aboard

Huelen, riding at Presidente Remon in Panama.

May 20, 1941: Seventeen days after his Kentucky Derby win and 10

days after his Preakness victory, Whirlaway raced against older horses for the first time. Carrying 108 pounds, Whirlaway defeated his four rivals in the Henry of Navarre Purse at Belmont Park.

May 20, 1916: In an unprecedented sweep, Mandarin, Gala Water and

Gala Day finished first, second and third, respectively, in the King's Plate at Woodbine for their owner, distiller Joseph Emm Seagram. Three days later, Mandarin and Gala Water again finished one-two, this time in the Breeders' Stakes.

May 20, 1954: At odds of 13-1, Rex Ellsworth's two-year-old colt

Swaps won his maiden race by three lengths at Hollywood Park.

May 20, 1977: Two-year-old John Henry won his first start ever, a

four-furlong maiden race at Jefferson Downs, by a nose. When he was retired in 1984, the gelding had 39 wins, 15 seconds and nine thirds from 83 starts, seven Eclipse Awards and earnings of $6,597,947.

May 21, 1978: John Henry made his first start for Dotsam Stable,

winning a $25,000 claiming race at Aqueduct.

May 21, 1992: Jockey Gary Stevens hit his 3,000th winner in the

fifth race at Hollywood Park, aboard Sharp Event.

May 22, 1877: African Americans Ed Brown, trainer, and jockey

William Walker, teamed up to win the third running of the Kentucky Derby with Baden-Baden. After a 20-year career in the saddle, Walker retired to become a trainer and was considered an expert in Thoroughbred breeding and bloodlines.

May 22, 1974: Locust Hill Farm's Ruffian won her first start, a

maiden race for two-year-old fillies, by 15 lengths at Belmont Park. Sent off at odds of 4-1, Ruffian completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03. She went on to tally nine additional consecutive wins before breaking down in a match race with Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure in the following year.

May 23, 1936: Rushaway, ridden by John Longden, won his second

derby in as many days, taking the 1 1/4 mile Latonia Derby at Latonia. Rushaway had won the 1 1/8 mile Illinois Derby the previous day.

May 23, 1992: Jacinto Vasquez had his 5,000th career winner,

aboard Susan Pixum, at Calder Racecourse.

May 23, 1992: Angel Cordero Jr. made his first start as a trainer,

with Puchinito, who finished fifth in the fifth race at Belmont.

May 24, 1977: At odds of 13-1, Louis and Patrice Wolfson's two-

year-old colt Affirmed won his maiden race by 4 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park, ridden by jockey Bernie Gonzalez.

May 25, 1853: England's first triple crown winner, West

Australian, won the second jewel of the trio, the Epsom Derby.

May 26, 1991: Jockey Steve Cauthen won his fourth European derby,

the Derby Italiano, with Hailsham, trained by Clive Brittain. Cauthen has also won the Epsom Derby twice, the Irish Derby and the French Derby, in addition to his Kentucky Derby win with Affirmed.