News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc. (TRC) (212.371.5911..)

ECLIPSE AWARD WINNERS (EXCEPT HORSE OF THE YEAR) ANNOUNCED
On Thursday, Jan. 11, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, via a TRC media teleconference, announced the divisional winners of the 1995 Eclipse Awards. The announcement of the Horse of the Year title, which is expected to go to Cigar, winner of all 10 of his races last year, will be announced at the Eclipse Award ceremonies Feb. 9. Winners in each of the divisional categories are as follows: Two-Year- Old Colt or Gelding - Maria's Mon; Two-Year-Old Filly - Golden Attraction; Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding - Thunder Gulch; Three- Year-Old Filly - Serena's Song; Older Horse (Four Years Old or Older) - Cigar; Older Filly or Mare - Inside Information; Sprinter - Not Surprising; Male Turf Horse - Northern Spur (IRE); Female Turf Horse - Possibly Perfect; Steeplechase Horse - Lonesome Glory; Apprentice Jockey - Ramon B. Perez; Jockey - Jerry Bailey; Trainer - Bill Mott; Owner - Allen Paulson; and Breeder - Juddmonte Farms (Prince Khalid Abdullah).

Voting for the Eclipse Awards is done by three representative organizations: Thoroughbred Racing Associations, National Turf Writers Association and Daily Racing Form. The Eclipse Awards ceremony will take place Friday, Feb. 9 at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, Calif.

(For further information contact Conrad Sobkowiak at the TRA, (410) 392-9200.)

NO INJURIES IN EARLY MORNING STABLE FIRE AT FAIR GROUNDS
An early morning fire in a backstretch barn Jan. 10 resulted in no injuries to humans or horses at the New Orleans Fair Grounds racetrack. The two-alarm fire, called in at 6:34 a.m. to the New Orleans Fire Department, was fought by a groom and a trainer until fire officials arrived. A tack room and the area directly above the tack room were destroyed. The horses stabled in the barn were moved to safety and were returned later in the day to their stalls. Fire officials determined the cause of the fire to be 'misuse of smoking material,' which was surmised as a cigarette.

WINNERS OF SPECIAL ECLIPSE AND ECLIPSE AWARD OF MERIT NAMED Jockey Russell Baze has been named to receive a Special Eclipse Award in recognition of his achievement for being the first rider in history to have won more than 400 races each year for four consecutive years. Baze, 37, has won more than 5,100 races lifetime, with purse earnings in excess of $70 million. Based in Northern California, Baze has won 22 riding titles at Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields.

Other recipients of the Special Eclipse Award include Robert J. Kleberg, C.V. Whitney, John Longden, Eddie Arcaro and Anheuser-Busch.

James E. 'Ted' Bassett III has been named the recipient of the Eclipse Award of Merit for 1995, it was announced by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations. Bassett, 74, is chairman of the Keeneland Association, president of Breeders' Cup Ltd. and president of Equibase Company. He is also a member of The Jockey Club. Bassett began his career in the racing industry in 1968, when he joined Keeneland as an assistant to then-president Louis Lee Haggin II. After Haggin's death, Bassett was appointed president in 1970. He assumed the role of chairman at Keeneland in 1986, and was elected a trustee in 1993.

Past recipients of the Eclipse Award of Merit, which was inaugurated in 1976, include Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Paul Mellon, Fred W. Hooper, Steve Cauthen, Ogden M. Phipps, Robert P. Strub and John Forsythe.

MACBETH FUND TO PRESENT SID, JENNY CRAIG WITH HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Thoroughbred owners Sid and Jenny Craig and Hall of Fame jockeys Eddie Delahoussaye, Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron and Laffit Pincay Jr. will be honored when the Commerce Casino holds its 'Achievement in Sports Awards for Horse Racing and Sports Art Auction' on Monday, Jan. 15 in Commerce, Calif. The featured artists will include Fred Stone, Bernie Fuchs, Charles Dave De Mar and David Harrington. The Craigs will receive the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund Humanitarian Award.

Tim Conway will be the master of ceremonies and proceeds will benefit the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, which assists disabled exercise riders and jockeys.

(Additional information may be obtained by contacting Tony DeFranco at (818) 789-2419.)

CIGAR HEADS LIST OF INVITEES TO $4 MILLION DUBAI CUP
Cigar, the likely Horse of the Year, heads the list of 14 international stars invited to participate in the inaugural $4 million Dubai Cup, to be run on March 27 at Nad Al Sheba in the United Arab Emirates. Participants in the world's richest race were selected by an international panel of handicappers and racing secretaries at a meeting in London Jan. 5. The panel compared the 67 nominees from five continents and selected the 14 invitees along with 53 reserves. The invitees, who have won 28 Grade I or Group I races among them, include champions from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Representing the Americas will be Cigar, Soul of the Matter and L'Carriere. The other 11 invitees are: Freedom Cry, Pennekamp and Pentire (Europe); Lively Mount and Taiki Blizzard (Japan); Jeune and Mahogany (Oceania); Annus Mirabilis, Cezanne, Halling and Moonshell (UAE). All of the UAE entrants are owned by Godolphin racing and are trained by Saeed bin Suroor. The Dubai Cup is a 1 1-4-mile event and will be run on sand.

Cigar will be shipped to Dubai after appearances in the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 10 and the Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park on March 2. Connections for all three of the European nominees have indicated they will accept the invitation to the Dubai Cup.

JAPANESE HANDLE DECLINES FOR THE FIRST TIME
Parimutuel handle declined in Japan last year for the first time since the Japan Racing Association was formed in 1954. Attendance, however, increased during the year. The JRA reported approximately $37.67 billion was wagered in Japan last year for a daily average of $131 million. That represented a 1.1 percent decline from 1994. On- track attendance totaled more than 14 million, an increase of 3.9 percent, with a daily average of 48,816. Sunday Silence, the 1989 U. S. Horse of the Year, was leading sire in Japan with progeny earnings of approximately $25 million.

CHURCHILL OFFERS RICHEST STAKES SCHEDULE -- $5.55 MILLION IN PURSES
Churchill Downs will offer the richest stakes schedule in track history with $5.55 million available for 1996 Spring and Fall meets. Headed by record purses for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, $1 million guaranteed minimum for the Derby and $500,000 for the Oaks, the track will offer a total of 37 stakes races, 21 of which are graded stakes.

'From top to bottom the 1996 stakes schedule ranks as one of the best in the country,' said Don Richardson, vice president of racing at Churchill Downs. 'Our stakes schedule serves as the cornerstone for our entire race program. The quality and success of our stakes will carry through and ensure the success of our overall racing.'

Churchill's Spring meet runs April 27 through June 30 and the Fall meet runs Oct. 27 through Nov. 30.

TRC BOARD RENEWS 'THOROUGHBRED WORLD' FOR 1996
'Thoroughbred World,' the monthly television magazine show produced by PHoenix Communications in association with Thoroughbred Racing Communications, has been renewed by the Board of Directors of TRC for 1996.

'Thoroughbred World,' hosted by Tom Durkin, made its debut in July 1993 and airs monthly on the 20 regional affiliates of PRIME Network, which is available in 40 million homes throughout the country.

'This show provides an excellent vehicle to entertain avid racing fans as well as to educate newcomers to our sport,' Tom Merritt, executive director of TRC said. 'The relationship between TRC and PHoenix also allows us the opportunity to produce ready-to-air video news features that are distributed to news organizations; maintain a video library for the sport; and contribute racing-related footage to PHoenix Communications' daily sports highlight service, Sports Newsatellite.'

In making the renewal announcement, Merritt also paid tribute to the various sponsors of the show. 'The show would not be possible without their support and I hope people throughout the sport acknowledge their contribution to racing,' he said. 'Thoroughbred World' sponsors include: Cobra Golf, Daily Racing Form, Gainesway Farm, Calder Racecourse, Fair Grounds, Hollywood Park, The Meadowlands-Monmouth Park, New York Racing Association, Oaklawn Park and Santa Anita Park. Merritt added that Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Gulfstream Park, Suffolk Downs and Turf Paradise have expressed interest in 'Thoroughbred World,' although detailed sponsorship packages have yet to be finalized.

To date, 30 editions of 'Thoroughbred World' have aired with approximately 122 features. The show has spotlighted racing charities, equine medicine, racetracks, breeding farms and various celebrities who enjoy Thoroughbred racing as owners or fans. 'Thoroughbred World' footage has been used by NBC, ABC, CNN, CBS, BBC and Australian television, among others.

ARC MAY LOSE SPONSOR IN 1997
France's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe may lose its sponsor if the Forte hotel groups, sponsor of the race for the past two years, are taken over by Granada. According to a report in Wednesday's Racing Post, Granada, if successful in the takeover, would not renew sponsorship of the Arc, one of Europe's most prestigious races. Granada reportedly raised its offer for Forte to 3.8 billion pounds, increasing the possibility of its acceptance. Forte is in the final year of a three-year contract to sponsor the race. Regardless of the outcome of the takeover, the Arc will be sponsored in 1996.

STUDENT ART SHOW AT RACING MUSEUM
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Saratoga Springs, N. Y., is sponsoring a student art show for youngsters in grades six through 12. Students are invited to submit works of art with an equine theme for the show, entitled 'Horsing Around with the Arts.' Submissions will be selected by the museum staff and then juried by members of the local arts community. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, textiles and photographs will be considered. To enter, student artists must send a photograph of their artwork to the museum by March 1. The show will take place at the museum from April 11 through June 15, 1996. Prizes will be awarded for the winning entries.

For more information or to receive an entry form, contact Margo Olsen, curator of education at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at (518) 584-0400.

RACING ON THE AIR
Jan. 12 'Racehorse Digest' midnight-12:30 a.m., ESPN
Jan. 13 'Racehorse Digest' 6:00-6:30 a.m., ESPN
Jan. 17 'Racehorse Digest' 4:00-4:30 p.m., ESPN
Jan. 20 'Racehorse Digest' 1:30-2:00 a.m., ESPN
Jan. 20 'Racehorse Digest' 6:00-6:30 a.m., ESPN
Jan. 24 'Racehorse Digest' 3:30-4:00 p.m., ESPN

RACING TO HISTORY
Jan. 11, 1950: Five-year-old Citation returned to racing at Santa Anita Park, having been sidelined by injury since December 1948. Sent off at odds of 3-20, he won easily over a sloppy surface to log his sixteenth consecutive victory. His winning margins for those races totalled 59 1-2 lengths.

Jan. 13, 1978: Seattle Slew, in training for his four-year-old seasonal debut at Hialeah, first displayed symptoms of the deadly virus Colitis X. The colt was sidelined until May 14, when he won an allowance race at Aqueduct Racetrack as the 1-10 favorite.

Jan. 14, 1932: Jockey Eddie Arcaro rode his first career winner, at Agua Caliente.

Jan. 14, 1953: Pimlico's Preakness Stakes, originally slated for May 16, was put back to May 23, allowing a three-week layover after the Kentucky Derby for the first time.

Jan. 14, 1989: Jockey Kent Desormeaux scored his 1,000th career win in the 10th race at Laurel Racecourse, aboard Eesee's Taw, in the Francis Scott Key Handicap.

Jan. 19, 1955: Swaps won the San Vicente Stakes, the first race of his 3-year-old campaign, by 3 1-2 lengths at Santa Anita Park. He went on to triumph over Nashua in the Kentucky Derby, but was in turn defeated by his rival in a $100,000 match race at Washington Park on August 31, his only loss of that year.

Jan. 20, 1972: Secretariat was shipped from Virginia to Florida to be trained by Lucien Laurin.

Jan. 20, 1979: Odds-on favorite Affirmed, with Steve Cauthen aboard, finished second in the San Fernando Stakes at Santa Anita, beaten 2 3- 4 lengths by Radar Ahead. It was their fourth consecutive defeat. Cauthen subsequently lost the mount on Affirmed to jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., who rode the horse for the remainder of its 4-year-old season, winning seven victories in as many starts. Affirmed was later voted Horse of the Year for 1979. Cauthen had ridden Affirmed to a Triple Crown sweep the previous year and the pair recorded 11 wins in their 16 races together.

WEEKEND STAKES

SATURDAY
San Fernando Stakes, 4yo, $200,000, 1 1-8 miles, Grade II, Santa Anita
Several turf horses will be trying to establish themselves a contenders for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, to be run March 2. Gold and Steel (FR) a graded stakes winner in France and the U.S., won the Grade II American Derby and Grade I Secretariat Stakes on the turf at Arlington International last summer, but hasn't started since the Aug. 27 Secretariat. Another European import is Helmsman, who has two wins and two seconds on the turf since arriving from England. He was second in the Grade I Hollywood Derby in his last start. Several good dirt horses await, including Score Quick and High Stakes Player, second and third to Afternoon Deelites in the Grade I Malibu Stakes Dec. 26. Big Sky Jim has won three straight in 18 days at Hollywood Park, starting with a $12,500 claiming win Dec. 6. Others scheduled to run are: multiple stakes winner Mighty Magee; Mr Purple, another turf specialist; Pinfloron (FR), a stakes winner in France who took a minor stakes race at Bay Meadows in his last start; Tabo ; and The Key Rainbow (IRE), 0-for-3 in the U.S. after arriving from France.

Broward Handicap, 3&up;, $75,000, 1 1-16 miles, Grade III, Gulfstream

SUNDAY

San Gorgonio Handicap, 4&up; (f&m;), $100,000, 1 1-8 miles (Turf), Grade II, Santa Anita
Alpride (IRE) returns to the races after a seven-week break following a seventh-place finish in the Grade I Matriarch Stakes. A winner of the Grade I Yellow Ribbon Stakes and Beverly Hills Handicap (where she handed champion Possibly Perfect her only 1995 defeat), Alpride (IRE) will be running in her first non-Grade I U.S. race. Wandesta (GB) has faced Alpride (IRE) three times, finishing ahead of her in the Matriarch but trailing in the Yellow Ribbon and the Beverly Hills. A Group 1 winner in France last year, Matiara was second in the Grade II E.P. Taylor Stakes and ninth in the Matriarch in her two North American starts. Yearly Tour had been in the money in all 11 of her turf starts before a ninth in the Grade II Dahlia handicap on a soft Hollywood Park turf course. Real Connection was fifth and sixth in the Yellow Ribbon and Dahlia. Fanjica (IRE) has raced in Italy, France and England but had two poor races in the U.S. in her most recent starts.

MONDAY

San Pasqual Handicap, 4&up;, $200,000, 1 1-16 miles, Grade II, Santa Anita
Best Pal, winner of $5,668,245 in his six-year career, will meet Alphabet Soup, a 7 1-2-length winner of the Grade III Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park, Dec. 23, and Luthier Fever, who beat Best Pal in the California Cup Classic on Nov. 11. Lykatill Hil has won his last two starts, his most recent a win in the Grade III William P. Kyne Handicap at Bay Meadows Dec. 9. Others entered are: Chilean champion Patio de Naranjos (CHI); trying dirt for the first time after two turf starts; Powis Castle; who has been sprinting of late, winning the six-furlong Grade III Vernon O. Underwood in his last race; and Earth Colony, third in the Grade III Stuyvesant Handicap in the mud at Belmont Oct. 28, his last start.

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