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

CAPTAIN BODGIT RETIRED DUE TO INJURY

Team Valor's Captain Bodgit, who finished third in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, has been retired after suffering a strained tendon in his left front leg. Team Valor president Barry Irwin said the injury to the second-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby was detected by trainer Gary Capuano two days after the Preakness and an ultrasound scan confirmed it was a core lesion. A colt by Saint Ballado who won or placed in all 12 career starts, Captain Bodgit earned $1,014,819.

PREAKNESS A HIT ON TV

Ratings for ABC Sports' broadcast of the Preakness Stakes were up 30 percent from last year. According to ABC media relations director Mark Mandel, the Preakness had a 14 share of the televisions in use at the time of the race, compared with an 11 share in 1996. Mandel anticipates the ratings for the Belmont Stakes would also soar to perhaps double its 1996 rating.

'There is a real buzz in New York over the Belmont,' Mandel said. 'It's really refreshing because that event really needed that kind of attention.'

WOODY STEPHENS RETIRES

Trainer Woody Stephens, who won five consecutive Belmont Stakes and two Kentucky Derbies, is leaving racing at the end of the month after more than 60 years on the track. The 83-year-old Stephens has had health problems in recent years and may move to Lexington, Ky., with his wife Lucille. Stephens won the Belmont Stakes from 1982-86 but said that his most memorable moment in racing was winning the 100th running of the Kentucky Derby with Cannonade. 'It was a 23-horse field and Princess Margaret presented the trophy,' he said. Stephens started his Thoroughbred career as a jockey before turning to training in 1936. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976, Stephens trained nine champions and won an Eclipse Award as Outstanding Trainer in 1983.

SILVER CHARM'S OWNERS HELP OPEN MONMOUTH SEASON

Bob and Beverly Lewis, owners of Kentucky derby and Preakness stakes winner Silver Charm, will be on hand when Monmouth Park, in Oceanport, N.J., opens for its 72-day meet, May 24. The Lewises raced Serena's Song, the only filly to win Monmouth's prestigious Haskell Invitational, who is being inducted into Monmouth's Hall of Champions.

BELMONT DRAW ON TV

The post position draw for the Belmont Stakes will be telecast on espn2, Thursday, June 5, from 11-11:30 a.m.

BELMONT BY THE NUMBERS One thing will be certain on June 7 when Silver Charm attempts to collect the $5 million VISA Triple Crown bonus for sweeping the three races: there will be a lot of people watching. Following is a list of the attendance for the Belmont Stakes when a Triple Crown sweep was a possibility. Horses with Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins are in parentheses followed by the Belmont winner. Horses in CAPS won the Triple Crown.
1989-64,959 (Sunday Silence, Easy Goer)
1987-64,772 (Alysheba, Bet Twice)
1981-61,200 (Pleasant Colony, Summing)
1979-59,073 (Spectacular Bid, Coastal)
1978-65,417 (AFFIRMED)
1977-71,026 (SEATTLE SLEW)
1973-67,605 (SECRETARIAT)
1971-82,694* (Canonero II, Pass Catcher)
*-Largest attendance ever at a New York racetrack

RACING: THE BEST VALUE IN SPORTS

There is no better value than Thoroughbred racing. On Belmont Stakes day, there will be three types of seating, all reserved. Preferred grandstand and clubhouse seats go for $10 and are already sold out. Grandstand seats sell for $5. If you don't mind standing, it will only cost $2 for general admission and $4 for the clubhouse.

In contrast, a seat for a Chicago Bulls' playoff game costs either $30 or $35 for the upper balcony. All other playoff seats are reserved for season ticket holders. (Note: courtside seats for the regular season went for $400; main floor seats sold for $130.) You'd rather watch hockey? The Philadelphia Flyers sell Stanley Cup tickets in mandatory 12-game strips with prices ranging from $30-$150 per game.

JOCKEY PAT DAY INDUCTED INTO WRESTLING HALL OF FAME

Jockey Pat Day will enter his second Hall of Fame as he was will be inducted into the USA Wrestling Hall of Fame, June 14, in Philadelphia. Day was selected to racing's Hall in 1991. The 100-pound rider will be inducted into the Outstanding Americans wing of the Hall of Fame along with professional football analyst Dan Dierdorf and William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States. Day wrestled in high school and credits the sport with teaching him discipline.

FASIG-TIPTON MIDLANTIC SALE POSTS HUGE GAINS

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, held May 19-20, posted impressive increases in both gross and average. The gross of $6,334,700 was up 46.9 percent from last year and the average rose 42.8 percent to $25,543. Madam Fireplace, purchased for $230,000 by agent Buzz Chace on behalf of an unidentified client, topped the sale.

SECOND ANNUAL BELMONT FESTIVAL, BIGGER AND BETTER

The Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, the New York Racing Association and Suffolk County Off-Track Betting will co-sponsor the second Long Island Belmont Stakes Festival with a series of family-oriented events on Long Island, May 18 through June 8. 'The Long Island Belmont Stakes Festival provides a great opportunity to showcase Long Island to the world through the world-wide attention that an event like the Belmont Stakes draws,' explained Barbara LaRocco, director of sponsorship and licensing for NYRA. 'Similar festivals developed around the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes have drawn hundreds of thousands of people to Kentucky and Baltimore.' LaRocco said that attendance at Belmont Park increased by approximately 10 percent last June and attributed that jump to the first festival.

Among the events scheduled are: a Beer-B-Que Kickoff Event at the Long Island Brewing Company in Jericho, N.Y.; a Triple Crown of Road Racing (5K, Mile Fun Run and Pee Wee divisions) May 18, June 1 and June 5 with the final leg at Belmont Park; a Balloon Festival and Air Show at Brookhaven Airport featuring hot air balloon rides, parachute jumping, roller blading and aerobatic flying performances; Breakfast at Belmont; the Islip Horseman's Association Country Festival; Family Fun Days at Belmont Park; a Celebrity-Charity Golf Tournament; the Belmont Ball; and the Xerox Belmont Stakes Festival Horse Show and Polo Match.

BELMONT JOCKEYS TO VISIT LOCAL SCHOOLS

Members of Belmont's jockey colony will travel to area elementary schools, Tuesday, May 27, to answer questions about their profession and the upcoming Belmont Stakes. Jerry Bailey, John Velazquez and Frank Lovato Jr. will speak at the Dutch Broadway Elementary School in Elmont at 9:15 a.m.; Jose Santos, Diane Nelson and Joe Bravo will be at the Gotham Avenue School in Elmont at 1:15 p.m.; and Richard Migliore, Mike Smith and Robbie Davis will speak at the Stewart Manor School in Stewart Manor at 2:15 p.m. They are expected to address nearly 1,000 students at the three schools.

U.S. HORSE MAY GO IN ENGLAND'S DERBY

King of Swing, owned by Frank Stronach, is 'an outside possibility' for the June 7 Vodafone Derby at Epsom Downs. The California-based colt had to be scratched from the April 19 California Derby due to a foot abcess and has missed some training. Trained by Richard Mandella, King of Swing won two starts on the dirt last year and has been second and third in two turf stakes this season. He will be asked to go a demanding 1 1-2 miles at Epsom despite never having raced past one mile. 'Every indication so far says that the distance shouldn't be a problem,' said farm manager Dan Hall.

Benny the Dip, a probable for the race, is owned by Landon Knight of Akron, Ohio, although he is based in England and trained by John Gosden.

Thirty-four nominees remain after the second forfeit stage, May 21, despite the presence of the Michael Tabor's once-beaten Entrepreneur, winner of the first leg of the English Triple Crown, the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, May 3.

RACING TO HISTORY

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.

May 27, 1823: A $20,000 match race between American Eclipse (representing The North) and Henry (representing The South) was held at Union Course, Long Island. Eclipse won in two-of-three heats, after his original jockey, William Crafts, was replaced by Samuel Purdy before the second heat. The race, witnessed by 60,000 spectators, was the first to have been timed by split-second chronometers, which were imported for the event.

May 27, 1873: A bay colt, Survivor, won the first Preakness Stakes by 10 lengths, the largest margin in the race's history.

May 27, 1878: The entire field of Preakness Stakes horses--three--was owned by a single family, the brothers George and Pierre Lorillard. George's horses finished first and third.

May 27, 1882: Trainer Robert Walden won his fifth consecutive Preakness Stakes, with Vanguard. Walden won a total of seven Preaknesses, a record for a trainer.

May 27, 1979: Jockey Chris McCarron, 24, won his 2,000th career race, aboard Stembok, in the second race at Hollywood Park.

May 27, 1981: Bill Shoemaker became the first jockey in racing history to win 8,000 races when he rode War Allied to victory in the first race at Hollywood Park.

May 27, 1985: Under strong urging from jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., odds-on favorite Spend a Buck defeated Creme Fraiche by a neck to win the Jersey Derby and earn $2.6 million, the largest single purse in American racing history. Two million dollars of the purse came from a bonus to Spend a Buck for winning the Cherry Hill Mile, the Garden State Stakes, the Kentucky Derby and the Jersey Derby. Angel Cordero Jr., the regular rider of Spend a Buck, was committed to ride Track Barron in the Metropolitan Handicap in New York on the same day and was persuaded to give up his mount in the Jersey Derby. Track Barron finished third in the Metropolitan, earning $40,620.

May 29, 1897: Scottish Chieftain, owned by Marcus Daly, became the only Montana bred to win the Belmont Stakes.

May 29, 1907: Colin began his undefeated career, breaking his maiden by two lengths at Belmont Park.

May 29, 1946: Two-year-old fillies Chakoora and Uleta became the first Thoroughbreds to complete a transcontinental flight. They were flown from New York to Inglewood, Calif., by the American Air Express Corporation, for a 2,446-mile trip that lasted 20 hours due to adverse weather conditions.

May 30, 1969: Patricia Barton won her first career race, at Pikes Peak.

May 31, 1969: Racing returned to Pennsylvania when Liberty Bell racetrack opened, near Philadelphia. The state had not had legal racing since 1802 and became the 30th state to adopt parimutuel wagering.

June 1, 1978: In his first start ever on the turf, eventual four-time champion grass horse John Henry won a $35,000, 1 1-16-mile claiming race by 14 lengths at Belmont Park. John Henry was voted champion turf horse for the years 1980-81 and 1983-84.

RACING ON TELEVISION

May 24 Racehorse Digest 6:00-6:30 a.m. ESPN
May 28 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 p.m. ESPN
May 29 Racehorse Digest 3:00-3:30 a.m. ESPN
May 31 Racehorse Digest 6:00-6:30 a.m. ESPN

Edgewood Stakes, 3yo fillies, $100,000, 1 Mile, Churchill

Honeymoon Handicap, 3yo fillies, $100,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Grade III, Hollywood

Shuvee Handicap, 3&up; (f&m;), $150,000, 1 Mile, Grade I, Belmont

Equipoise Mile, 3&up;, $100,000, 1 Mile, Grade III, Arlington

Hawthorne Handicap, 3&up; (f&m;), $100,000, 1 1-16 Miles, Grade II, Hollywood

Jaipur Stakes, 3&up;, $75,000, 7 Furlongs Turf, Grade III, Belmont

Hollywood Turf Handicap, 3&up;, $400,000, 1 1-4 Miles Turf, Grade I, Hollywood
Six horses are scheduled to run, led by Marlin, Sunshack and Sandpit. Marlin won the Grade I San Juan Capistrano Handicap and San Luis Rey Stakes with Sunshack second both times, while Sandpit, third in the $4 million Dubai World Cup, defeated Marlin in last year's San Marcos Handicap.

Metropolitan Handicap, 3&up;, $400,000, 1 Mile, Grade I, Belmont
Bob Baffert's Isitingood, second in the Oaklawn Handicap, travels east to take on Langfuhr, winner of the Grade I Carter Handicap, Churchill Downs Handicap winner Diligence, and three-year-old Richter Scale, who took the Derby Trial.

Kentucky Breeders' Cup, 2yo, $100,000, 5 1-2 Furlongs, Churchill

Los Angeles Handicap, 3&up;, $125,000, 6 Furlongs, Grade III, Hollywood

Red Bank Handicap, 3&up;, $100,000, 1 Mile Turf, Grade III, Monmouth

Soviet Problem Breeders' Cup Handicap, 3&up; (f&m;), $150,000, 6 Furlongs, Golden Gate

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