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

December 16, 1997 
Vol. 10, No. 33
NEWS, NAMES AND NOTES
NTRA ANNOUNCES BUSINESS PLAN; ABC SETS 1998 SCHEDULE FOR TELEVISED
RACES; MAYBE JACK IS WINNINGEST HORSE FOR 1997; JOCKEYS SET MILESTONES;
TRA AND JOCKEYS REACH ACCORD; CRAIG PERRET RECEIVES WOOLF AWARD; CALDER
PLANS SPECIAL DAY FOR JORGE VELASQUEZ; EQUIBASE GETS A NEW CHAIRMAN;
GRADED STAKES COMMITTEE MEETS; TRA GOLF TOURNEY WILL BENEFIT EQUINE
MEDICAL RESEARCH; COUNTESS DIANA HAS MINOR SURGERY; AND MORE.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
SMELLY CAT, A SONG AND A HORSE.
FEATURES
AUTHOR/HANDICAPPER JAMES QUINN'S LATEST EFFORT ON CD-ROM.
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SECOND SIX MONTHS OF 1997.
PLUS
RACING TO HISTORY; THOROUGHBRED WORLD SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER; RACING ON
THE AIR.
ADVISORIES: The next issue of TRC Media Update will be published Jan. 6.
The TRC Thoroughbred Notebook will not be produced Dec. 25 or Jan. 1 but
will be available on Dec. 23 and Dec. 30. The TRC office will be closed
Dec. 25-26 and Jan. 1-2.
Thoroughbred Racing Communications (TRC) will host a media teleconfence
featuring the announcement of the 1997 Eclipse Award winners Thursday,
Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. EST.
The winners in all divisions will be announced as will the three
finalists for the Horse of the Year award. Members of the media wishing
to participate may call (719) 386-9006 just prior to 1 p.m. EST.
The Eclipse Awards will be presented-and the Horse of the Year winner
will be announced-Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Westin Mission Hills Resort
near Palm Springs, Calif.
CAN'T WAIT FOR YOUR NEWS? GET TRC ON THE WEB OR BY E-MAIL
TRC's twice-weekly releases are available on the following web sites.
Some post Thursday's TRC Thoroughbred Notebook, others have Tuesday's
TRC Media Update and some have both.
Equibase Company: (www.equibase.com/home.html) under "Media and Press
Information"
The Blood-Horse: (www.bloodhorse.com/news/index.html) under "News"
ESPN Sportszone: (espnet.sportszone.com/horse/)
CBS Sportsline (www.sportsline.com/u/racing/horse/index.html)
The Running Horse, with a complete three-year archive of Notebooks:
(www.webcom.com/~alauck/)
All TRC releases can be e-mailed for immediate delivery. In addition,
Media Update can be formatted for most PC-based word processors (as well
as Word for Macintosh). Contact Howard Bass at TRC, (212) 371-5913, or
at [email protected], to receive your newsletters via e-mail.
NEWS, NAMES AND NOTES
NTRA IS UP AND RUNNING
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced the makeup of its
Board of Directors, Friday, Dec. 12, at the University of Arizona's
Racetrack Industry Program Symposium on Racing in Tucson, Ariz. Five
representatives from racetracks and five representatives from owner,
breeder and horsemen's groups will make up the board along with an
as-yet-to-be-announced CEO.
The racetrack representatives are: Bill Bork, president and COO of Penn
National Gaming, Inc.; Doug Donn, president and CEO, Gulfstream Park;
R.D. Hubbard, chairman, Hollywood Park; Tom Meeker, president and CEO,
Churchill Downs; and Kenny Noe, chairman, New York Racing Association.
Representing the owners, breeders and horsemen are: Robert Clay, board
member, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; Alan Foreman,
executive vice president, Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association; Ed
Friendly, past chairman, Thoroughbred Owners of California; Ogden Mills
Phipps, chairman, The Jockey Club; Bill Walmsley, president of the
national Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. D.G. Van
Clief will continue to act as interim CEO for the NTRA until a permanent
CEO is named.
"I'm proud of U.S. racing today," said Phipps. "We're always hearing
that American racing is incapable of working together for the common
cause. What has happened the last few days, when all segments of our
industry have rallied to the support of this worthy initiative, has
proved otherwise."
Hal Handel, president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, said,
"The NTRA business plan is solid. The short-term benefits it offers are
real. The long-term benefits are based on sound research and the
experience of almost every other professional sport. It was time for us
to stand up and be counted. It's the right thing to do."
Thirty-five tracks have signed membership agreements with the NTRA:
Arlington International, Bay Meadows, Beulah Park, Calder Racecourse,
Churchill Downs, Delaware Park, Del Mar, Ellis Park, Fair Grounds,
Fonner Park, Garden State Park, Gulfstream Park, Hawthorne Racecourse,
Hollywood Park, Keeneland, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie,
Louisiana Downs, The Meadowlands, Monmouth Park, the New York Racing
Association (Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, Saratoga Racecourse), Oak
Tree Racing Association, Penn National Racecourse, Philadelphia Park,
Pimlico Racecourse, Prairie Meadows, Remington Park, Sam Houston Race
Park, Santa Anita Park, Sportsman's Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Thistledown
and Turfway Park.
ABC SPORTS TO TELEVISE SEVEN RACES IN 1998
ABC Sports will broadcast seven three-year-old races on five telecasts
in 1998, starting with with the Florida Derby from Gulfstream Park on
March 14. The Wood Memorial Stakes from Aqueduct, Arkansas Derby from
Oaklawn Park and Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes will all be shown
on April 11-the Wood and Arkansas Derby live. ABC Sports will once again
televise the Triple Crown, the May 2 Kentucky Derby, May 16 Preakness
Stakes and June 6 Belmont Stakes.
MAYBE JACK RUNS AWAY WITH 13TH WIN IN SUFFOLK DOWNS MATCH RACE
Maybe Jack stayed close to the pace set by Pro On Ice and ran away with
a 9 1/2-length win in a match race at Suffolk Downs, in East Boston,
Mass., Dec. 14. The victory gave the four-year-old 13 victories in 1997,
one more than Pro On Ice, and the most in the U.S. this year. Usually a
closer, Maybe Jack and jockey Rudy Baez pressed the speedy Pro On Ice
from the start and the seven-year-old sprinter wilted in the stretch.
"We wanted to pressure him [Pro On Ice] right from the start," said
Baez, "and that was how it worked out. I was hoping Maybe Jack had
something left turning for home because I had asked a lot already."
Maybe Jack ran his record to 13-1-4 in 23 starts with earnings of
$137,220; Pro On Ice, whose seven-race winning streak was snapped, is
12-5-2 in 24 starts with earnings of $73,872.
JOCKEY MILESTONES SET
Jockey Russell Baze captured the sixth race at Golden Gate Fields, in
Albany, Calif., with Elusive Envoy, Friday, Dec. 12, to record his 400th
win of 1997. It was the sixth consecutive year he has won 400 races.
Baze, who recently recorded his 6,000th career win, is the only jockey
in Thoroughbred racing history to win 400 races in a year more than
three times.
Jockey Edgar Prado reached 517 wins for 1997 after taking four races,
Sunday, Dec. 14, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. Prado's 517 wins are the
third-best single-year total. Kent Desormeaux's 1989 record of 598 and
Chris McCarron's second-best of 546 in 1974, were also set on the
Maryland circuit.
JOCKEYS AND TRACKS REACH AGREEMENT
Negotiations between the Jockeys' Guild and the Thoroughbred Racing
Associations produced an agreement Thursday, Dec. 11. "Going to the last
minute is never good for our industry or our image," said Jockeys' Guild
Executive Director John Giovanni. Under terms of the contract, the
tracks will pay an additional $300,000 over two years to help fund the
insurance program provided by the Guild to its members. The jockeys will
continue to assign media rights to the TRA in return for the tracks
covering the jockeys' insurance premiums.
"The cooperative tone of the negotiations was gratifying," said TRA
President Hal Handel. "The jockeys are important contributors to racing
and it's encouraging we can work together in resolving issues."
PERRET CHOSEN AS WOOLF AWARD WINNER
Jockey Craig Perret has been named the 49th recipient of the George
Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, which recognizes a rider for bringing honor
to the sport of Thoroughbred racing and to himself.
"Of all the awards that I've won, including the Eclipse, this will be
the most emotional for me and have the deepest meaning because I was
selected by my peers, the people I work and live with for more than
eight hours a day," Perret said.  "You can win a Derby or a Breeders'
Cup, but this is different. It is an accumulation of your work over the
years as measured by your peers."
A New Orleans native, Perret, 46, started riding Thoroughbreds at age 16
and in the years since, he has won more than 4,100 races. In 1990, he
tied the record for stakes wins in a single year with 57, including the
Kentucky Derby aboard Unbridled. He has also won the Belmont Stakes
(aboard Bet Twice in 1987) and four Breeders' Cup races. Perret, who
resides in Simpsonville, Ky., now rides mostly on the Kentucky circuit.
The award, named after jockey George Woolf, who was killed in a spill at
Santa Anita Park in 1946, will be presented to Perret sometime during
Santa Anita Park's 1997-98 season, which begins Dec. 26.
CALDER PLANS SPECIAL SENDOFF FOR VELASQUEZ DEC. 31
Hall of Fame jockey Jorge Velasquez will conclude a 34-year riding
career, Dec. 31, at Calder Racecourse when the Miami track hosts Jorge
Velasquez Day to honor the Chepo, Panama, native.
Among the festivities:
* Velasquez will sign complimentary color photographs in the paddock
from 11 a.m. to noon.
* The third race of the day will be named in his honor and the Calder
jockey colony will join him in the winner's circle after the race for a
farewell group photo.
* Longtime Thoroughbred owner/breeder Fred Hooper, who was instrumental
in bringing Velasquez to the United States to ride in 1965, will be on
hand to pay tribute to Velasquez. (The $100,000 Fred Hooper Handicap
will also be run that day and the 100-year-old Hooper will present the
trophy.)
* Calder will be showing a special Jorge Velasquez commemorative video
produced by racing analyst/television producer Todd Schrupp.
Velasquez, 50, announced his impending retirement in a press conference
Nov. 19 at Aqueduct Racetrack and was honored there by the New York
Racing Association three days later.
He recently returned from a two-week vacation to Panama and has been
working horses at Belmont Park in the morning to get ready for his final
day of riding.
"Of course, I'm going to miss riding," he said Tuesday, "But I'm looking
forward to retiring. I'm ready."
Velasquez won approximately 6,800 races and countless stakes races,
including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with Pleasant Colony
and the Breeders' Cup Classic with Proud Truth. He was also the regular
rider on Alydar during the colt's epic rivalry with Affirmed in 1978.
MARZELLI NAMED CHAIRMAN OF EQUIBASE
James E. "Ted" Bassett retired as chairman of the board of Equibase
Company, it was announced on Dec. 12. Bassett had held the position
since the inception of Equibase, the Thoroughbred industry's official
database of racing information, in 1990. Alan Marzelli, currently the
president of Equibase, will succeed Bassett.
"With our original start-up loan fully paid off and the Company firmly
established and on course to meet the challenges of the next century,
it's time for the watch to change," said Bassett. "No one is better
qualified to take the helm than Alan Marzelli, whose integrity,
initiative and incisive business acumen has been such a factor in making
Equibase one of racing's brightest success stories."
"We shall sorely miss the wisdom, guidance and leadership that is Ted's
hallmark and to which we have turned so often in the moments of need,"
said Marzelli. "His legacy is a future in which Thoroughbred racing can
forever control its own destiny where the sport's records are
concerned."
GRADED STAKES COMMITTEE HOLDS THE LINE ON GRADE I RACES
There will be no new Grade I races in 1998, but 15 races have been moved
from Grade III to Grade II with 15 previously ungraded races receiving
Grade III status. Churchill Downs has eight stakes being upgraded, with
Santa Anita next at five, Belmont Park with four, Gulfstream and
Saratoga three each, Hollywood Park with two, and Bay Meadows, Calder,
Hawthorne, Aqueduct and Keeneland one each.
Sixteen stakes were downgraded, with 12 of the changes to take effect in
1998 and four in 1999. No Grade I races were affected, while six Grade
II events were downgraded to Grade III status and 10 Grade III races
were lowered to ungraded.
The North American Graded Stakes Committee consists of five members of
the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association plus seven racing
officials. The group met Dec. 8 in Lexington, Ky.
TRA GOLF TOURNEY TO BENEFIT GRAYSON-JOCKEY CLUB RESEARCH FOUNDATION
The Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA) will host the Third Annual
TRA-Eclipse Awards Charity Golf Tournament, Monday, Feb. 9, at Bighorn
Golf Club in Palm Desert, Calif. The tournament is held in conjunction
with the TRA Annual Meeting and Eclipse Awards, Feb. 8-10, at the Westin
Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage. The designated charity for the
golf tournament is the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.
The $250 entry fee includes golf, cart, greens fees, tournament shirts
and all food and beverages (a buffet luncheon before and cocktails
during the awards presentation). The Bighorn Golf Club is co-owned by
Hollywood Park chairman R.D. Hubbard and was the site of The Skins Games
several years ago. Entries and payment must be received by Jan. 30.
For additional information about the tournament, contact Nancy Kelly,
the director of development for the Grayson-Jockey Club Research
Foundation, at (212) 521-5305.
COUNTESS DIANA UNDERGOES MINOR SURGERY
Probable champion two-year-old filly Countess Diana underwent surgery to
remove a small chip from her left knee. According to trainer Patrick
Byrne, the chip was discovered when she and stablemate Favorite Trick
were given physical examinations in Ocala, Fla., shortly after their
Breeders' Cup victories on Nov. 8.
"We could have left it," Byrne said. "But we knew she'd be on a good
campaign in 1998, so Mr. Kaster [co-owner Richard Kaster] and I decided
to suck it in and have the procedure done. She'll be back in training
the first of February, light training. We won't make it to Gulfstream,
but she should be back for Keeneland, either an allowance race or the
Ashland. The ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup Distaff and the Kentucky
Oaks."
NOTES: Trainer Wally Dollase has signed on to be the private trainer for
Prince Ahmed Salman's Thoroughbred Corporation, which tried to hire D.
Wayne Lukas as its first choice. Lukas recently sent out Salman's
three-year-old filly Sharp Cat to a walkover victory in the Bayakoa
Handicap at Hollywood Park. Dollase will get to keep 10 horses for other
owners but will be giving up 28 he currently conditions...The E.P.
Taylor Fund approved nearly $100,000 in funding for seven equine
research projects concerning foal pneumonia, airway disease, tying up,
joint disease, fungal contamination and bone response in fracture
repair...Horsemen, jockeys and track patrons at Remington Park in
Oklahoma City, Okla., have raised more than $25,000 to aid jockey Jo
Hayes, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since a racing
accident on Nov. 28. Horsemen organized a dinner and auction that netted
more than $18,000; riders contributed $1,290 in mount earnings; and
racegoers placed $5,248 in collection bins located throughout the
facility. Donations to the Jo Hayes Benefit Fund can be made in care of
First Capital Bank of Guthrie, 224 E. Oklahoma Ave., Guthrie, Okla.,
73044...The American Association of Equine Practitioners' annual
convention, held Dec. 7-10 in Phoenix, Ariz., attracted a record crowd
of 4,364 attendees, including 2,438 veterinarians and veterinary
students; 688 guests and 1,238 exhibitors. The previous record was
4,100, set in 1995 in Lexington, Ky.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
SITCOM FRIENDS PROVIDES FILLY WITH A NAME
Actress Lisa Kudrow, who plays Phoebe, the somewhat off-the-wall sixties
throwback in the sitcom Friends, has become a folk hero for Generation X
with her guitar playing and singing at the local coffee shop featured in
the show. Her signature song, Smelly Cat, can best be described as
typical Phoebe fashion-a song with few words but lots of substance (in
her mind at least). It's also the name of a two-year-old filly owned by
James Karp of Louisville, Ky.
The name was not his first choice. After several attempts to give his
home-bred daughter of Mountain Cat-Elly's Quicksilver a more
"respectable" name while keeping either Cat or Elly in her name, he gave
up. In desperation, and with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor, Karp chose
Phoebe's Smelly Cat song. And to his surprise, it wasn't taken.
Smelly Cat won at first asking, Saturday, Dec. 13, at Laurel Park,
rolling to a six-length win for trainer Bill Boniface and jockey Alberto
Delgado.
"You had to hear the [Laurel track] announcer [Dave Rodman] give her a
call," said Karp. "It was pretty funny listening to him."
Should Smelly Cat turn out to be a big stakes winner, Karp said he'll
fly Lisa Kudrow to whatever track the filly is racing at and have her
sing Smelly Cat.
FEATURES
QUINN TRIES NEW TECHNOLOGY WITH CD-ROM PLAYING THE RACES
Jim Quinn has written 10 books on Thoroughbred racing, but his most
recent effort is a multimedia CD-ROM called Playing the Races with James
Quinn.
It includes two sections for beginners (The Basics and
Newcomers/Novices) and various other categories for veteran
handicappers. They include: The Handicapping Process; The Handicapping
Methods; Applications; Special Topics/Unfam-iliar Situations; Playing
the Races; The Betting; and a Handicapping Quiz.
The "Playing the Races" section includes video footage from Churchill
Downs, Del Mar and Santa Anita and is accompanied by commentary on the
running of selected races.
The CD-ROM was produced by Quinn and Carl Odiam, a CD-ROM producer from
Coto de Caza, Calif., and retails for $89.95.
"It's really an all-purpose product because there are sections heavily
aimed at the beginner or very casual fan as well as sections for the
serious handicapper," he said. "It was a two-year project and the text,
video and audio mixes really well."
Quinn, who lives in Arcadia, Calif., believes this is the first CD-ROM
devoted to Thoroughbred handicapping and he hopes to augment sales by
sending copies to racetrack marketing directors throughout the country.
1997: THE YEAR IN REVIEW (part 2)
July 7: James B. Moseley and John Hall of Sterling Suffolk Racecourse
announced that the company has purchased Suffolk Downs from Edward G.
"Buddy" Leroux's Belle Isle Limited Partnership. Cost of the facility
and its 190 acres was $30 million, plus a $10 million second note.
July 11: Breeders' Cup Ltd. announced that supplemental entry fees will
be added to the purses of Breeders' Cup Championship Day events.
Aug.10: The National Thoroughbred Alliance Planning Corp. announced that
it would be known as the National Thoroughbred Racing Association
(NTRA).
Aug. 22: The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced
the appointment of Nick Nicholson as interim Chief Operating Officer.
Aug. 23: New York Governor George Pataki signed into law legislation
extending the New York Racing Association's franchise to run Aqueduct,
Belmont and Saratoga through Dec. 31, 2007.
Aug. 24: Rex Ellsworth, owner of 1956 Horse of the Year Swaps, died at
age 89.
Aug. 25: Jockey Pat Day became the fifth rider to win 7,000 races when
Bay Harbor won the second race at Saratoga Racecourse.
Aug. 27: Forego, Horse of the Year from 1974-76, champion older male
from 1974-77 and champion sprinter in 1974, was euthanized after
sustaining a fracture in his paddock at the Kentucky Horse Park near
Lexington. He was 27.
Sept. 5: Breeders' Cup Ltd. announced that Churchill Downs has been
selected to host the 1998 Breeders' Cup Championship, to be held
Saturday, Nov. 7.
Sept. 8: Arlington International Racecourse withdrew its application for
1998 racing dates.
Sept. 11: Charles Town racetrack in West Virginia placed 224 slot
machines in operation.
Sept. 19: Chelsea Zupan set a record at Emerald Downs after winning
seven consecutive races at the Washington oval. Zupan won four on the
18th and three on the 19th. The feat was a record for consecutive
victories by a female rider.
Sept. 23: The West Virginia Lottery Commission unanimously approved
1,000 slot machines for Charles Town racetrack.
Sept. 24: Hall of Fame trainer Woodford "Woody" Stephens retired from
racing at the age of 84.
Oct. 1: The Nebraska State Racing Commission approved a $7 million
simulcast facility, to retain the Omaha market for parimutuel racing.
The Nebraska HBPA will be licensed to operate the facility.
Oct. 8: Organizers for the Visa Triple Crown Challenge announced that
the total purse money for the Triple Crown has been raised to $3
million, $1 million each for the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes
and the Belmont Stakes.
Oct. 10: Arlington International Racecourse closed and will not offer
racing in 1998.
Oct. 12: At the conclusion of its 30-day meet, Colonial Downs reported a
total handle of $5.5. million on-track-less than half the track's
projected $12 million in handle. Attendance totaled 108,690, compared
with a projected 120,000.
Nov. 3: Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker concluded his seven-year
career as a trainer.
Nov. 8: The 14th Breeders' Cup was run at Hollywood Park. Favorite Trick
won the Juvenile, finishing out his two-year-old campaign going 8-8.
Total wagering on the seven Breeders' Cup races was $72,659,391, the
fourth highest ever, representing a 7.3 percent increase over 1996;
on-track attendance was 51,161, tenth-highest in the event's 14-year
history.
Nov. 14: Jockey Eddie Arcaro, a 1958 Racing Hall of Fame inductee and
the only two-time winner of the Triple Crown, died of cancer at his home
in Miami, Fla. He was 81.
Nov. 19: Jockey Jorge Velasquez, who won nearly 6,800 races, announced
his retirement from race-riding, effective Dec. 31.
Nov. 25: Officials from Churchill Downs and the Maryland Jockey Club
announced a new method for drawing post positions for the Kentucky Derby
and the Preakness Stakes. The traditional blind draw will be held to
establish a selection order, then a horse's owner/trainer or authorized
agent will choose a post position among those still available.
Nov. 30: Jockey Edgar Prado became the fourth jockey in history to ride
500 winners in a single year. The North American record is 598, set in
1989 by Kent Desormeaux.
Dec. 2: Amidst rumors of an impending indictment by a federal grand jury
for gambling fraud, Edward DeBartolo Jr. resigned as an officer and
director of The Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, which owns Remington
Park, Thistledown and Louisiana Downs.
Dec. 3: Jockey Russell Baze became the 12th rider in Thoroughbred racing
history to win 6,000 races when he won the fourth race at Golden Gate
Fields aboard  two-year-old colt Clover Hunter.
Dec 7.: Sharp Cat became the first winner of a walkover at Hollywood
Park as she ran unopposed in the Grade II Bayakoa Handicap.
Dec. 8: Horse owner and trainer Murray M. Garren died of cancer. He was
76.
Dec. 11: James E. Bassett announced his retirement as chairman of the
board of Equibase Company. Alan Marzelli, Equibase president and
secretary-treasurer, will be his replacement.
Dec. 12: The NTRA announced its board of directors and its business
plan.
RACING TO HISTORY
Dec. 17, 1993: Fire destroyed the 122-year-old grandstand of the Fair
Grounds, the nation's third-oldest racetrack.
Dec. 18, 1983: Hollywood Park held the first $1 million race for
two-year-old Thoroughbreds, the Hollywood Futurity, which was won by
Fali Time, ridden by Sandy Hawley.
Dec. 20, 1980: In his last race, at Hazel Park, 15-year-old Bucket O'
Suds set the record for most starts by a Thoroughbred, 273. He raced
every year of his career, which began when he was a three-year-old in
1968.
Dec. 20, 1987: D. Wayne Lukas-trained Tejano became the first juvenile
millionaire when he won the Hollywood Futurity with Laffit Pincay Jr.
aboard.
Dec. 22, 1991: Jockey Kent Desormeaux, at age 21, won his 2,000th race
aboard Saron Lake, trained by Gary Jones, at Hollywood Park. He was the
youngest jockey to reach that mark and did so faster than any other
rider.
Dec. 23, 1944: James F. Byrnes, Director of War Mobilization and
Reconversion, urged that all racing in the United States cease by Jan. 3
as a means of furthering the war effort.
Dec. 25, 1934: Santa Anita Park opened in Arcadia, Calif. A
five-year-old mare, Las Palmas, won the inaugural race, the
California-Bred Handicap, before a crowd of 30,777.
Dec. 27, 1982: English trainer Michael Dickinson saddled 12 winners, a
record.
Dec. 27, 1987: D. Wayne Lukas set a single-season record for stakes wins
by a trainer, 92, when he saddled High Brite to win the Palos Verdes
Handicap at Santa Anita Park.
Dec. 31, 1966: Ogden Phipps' Buckpasser, trained by Eddie Neloy, won the
13th consecutive race of his three-year-old season after taking the
Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park. He was voted Horse of the Year and
also took top three-year-old and handicap horse honors for 1966.
Dec. 31, 1982: After a year-long battle for leading rider honors, Pat
Day edged Angel Cordero Jr. by two races, which he won after chartering
a plane to fly to Vinton, La., where he rode Dana's Woof Woof and
Miltons Magic to victory during the evening program at Delta Downs. Day
won the title-his first-with 399 wins to Cordero's 397.
Dec. 31, 1989: Jockey Kent Desormeaux set the world record for most
number of wins in a single season, 598, when he rode two-year-old East
Royalty, trained by Phil Thomas Jr., to victory in the 10th race, the
Inner Harbor Stakes, at Laurel Racecourse. He surpassed the old record,
set by Chris McCarron, by 52.
Dec. 31, 1993: Jockey Mike Smith set the record for most number of
stakes victories in a single year, 62, with a win aboard Bit of Puddin
in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes at Aqueduct.
Jan. 1, 1942: Racing in California was officially canceled. On December
16, the West Coast military authorities had requested that Santa Anita
Park postpone its meeting indefinitely due to war conditions.
Jan. 1, 1975: Secretariat was represented by his first Thoroughbred
foal, a filly named Miss Secretariat, born in Kentucky to the mare My
Card.
Jan. 2, 1945: As World War II approached its climactic finish, racing
throughout the U.S. was banned indefinitely at the request of James F.
Byrnes, War Mobilization Director. While Thoroughbreds could not be
transported in the U.S. for racing purposes, the Office of Defense
Transportation subsequently approved the shipment of racehorses to
tracks that were more than 300 miles beyond U.S. borders. The ban was
not lifted until May, causing the rescheduling of the Triple Crown
races.
Jan. 3, 1992: The Equibase Company, a partnership between The Jockey
Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America that was
formed to establish an industry-owned data base of complete racing
information, published its first past-performances, at Beulah Park.
Jan. 4, 1946: Canadian-born jockey George Woolf, known as "The Iceman"
for his coolness in the saddle, died after falling head first from his
mount, Please Me, during a race at Santa Anita Park the previous day. He
was 35. During his career (1928-1946) Woolf had 3,784 mounts, 721 wins,
589 seconds and 468 thirds, with earnings of $2,856,125. Since 1950,
Santa Anita Park has annually presented the George Woolf Memorial Jockey
Award to a rider who demonstrates high standards of personal and
professional conduct, on and off the racetrack.
Jan. 5, 1944: A bill permitting off-track betting was introduced in the
New York State Assembly. Over the next several decades, a series of
bills would be introduced in favor of OTB, which finally gained legal
sanction in New York in 1970.
Jan. 5, 1980: Spectacular Bid began his undefeated four-year-old season,
winning the Malibu Stakes by five lengths at Santa Anita. The gray colt
finished his 1980 campaign a perfect nine-for-nine.
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 16th
consecutive victory. His winning margins for those races totaled 59 1/2
lengths.
BIRTHDAYS: Jockey Randy Romero will be 40 on Dec. 22; Hall of Fame
jockey Jorge Velasquez will be 51 on Dec. 28; jockey Laffit Pincay Jr.
will be 51 on Dec. 29; trainer Jacinto Vasquez will be 54 on Jan. 4;
trainer Shug McGaughey will be 47 on Jan. 6; jockey Chris Antley will be
32 on Jan. 6.
RACING ON THE AIR
THOROUGHBRED WORLD IN DECEMBER
Thoroughbred World is produced by PHoenix Communications in association
with Thoroughbred Racing Communications and is available on many
regional sports cable networks. During the month of December on
Thoroughbred World: a tribute to Eddie Arcaro; the off-track talents and
interests of jockey Frank Lovato Jr.; a look at how Nick Caras makes
life better for backstretch employees at NYRA tracks; and Caton Bredar
hosts "The Equibasics of Racing" segment, in which she discusses how the
Equibase program helped bettors find winners on Breeders' Cup Day.
The following are the cable networks and their air times for
December-ALL TIMES LOCAL.
Comcast Sports Net: Dec. 12, 4 p.m.; Dec. 13, noon
Empire Sports Network (ET): Dec. 2, 2:30 p.m.; Dec. 15, 3 p.m.
FOX Sports Arizona (MT): Dec. 19, 4:30 a.m.
FOX Sports Indiana (ET): Dec. 9, 3:30 a.m.; Dec. 19, 5:30 a.m.
FOX Sports Midwest (CT): Dec. 9, 2:30 a.m.; Dec. 19, 4:30 a.m.
FOX Sports Northwest (PT): Dec. 19, 4:30 a.m.
FOX Sports Pittsburgh (ET): Dec. 19, 4:30 a.m.
FOX Sports South (ET): Dec. 19, 4:30 a.m.
FOX Sports Southwest (CT): Dec. 19, 3:30 a.m.
FOX Sports West (PT): Dec. 7, 12:30 a.m.; Dec. 12, 4:30 p.m.; Dec. 18,
12:30 a.m.; Dec. 19, 4:30 a.m.; Dec. 21, 3 p.m.; Dec. 22, 12:30 a.m.;
Dec. 26, noon; Dec. 29, 4:30 p.m.
FOX Sports West 2 (PT): Dec. 6, 3 p.m.; Dec. 11, 4:30 p.m.; Dec. 22, 5
p.m.; Dec. 29, 6 p.m.
SportsChannel New England (ET): Dec. 3, 5 p.m.; Dec. 22, 5:30 a.m.; Dec.
23, 2:30 a.m.; Dec. 31, 2:30 a.m. & 5 p.m.
SportsChannel New York: Dec. 8, 6 p.m.; Dec. 15, 6 p.m.; Dec. 29, 6 p.m.
SportsChannel Pacific (PT): Dec. 21, 2:30 a.m.
Sunshine Network (ET): Dec. 19, 4:30 a.m.; Dec. 25, 2 a.m.
UPCOMING NATIONALLY TELEVISED RACING (All times Eastern)
 Dec. 17 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 p.m. ESPN
 Dec. 18 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 a.m. ESPN
 Dec. 20 Racehorse Digest 5:30-6:00 a.m. ESPN
 Dec. 23 Racehorse Digest 4:00-4:30 p.m. ESPN
 Dec. 25 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 a.m. ESPN
 Dec. 26 Racehorse Digest 5:30-6:00 a.m. ESPN
 Jan. 1 Racehorse Digest 4:00-4:30 a.m. ESPN
 Jan. 3 Racehorse Digest 5:30-6:00 a.m. ESPN
 Jan. 7 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 p.m. ESPN
 Jan. 8 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 p.m. ESPN
THOROUGHBRED RACING LEADERS
Unofficial standings (subject to audit) through Sunday, December 14,
1997, as compiled by Equibase Company.
Jockey Sts-1-2-3 Purses
Jerry Bailey 1,143-269-189-177 $18,238,173
Gary Stevens 913-188-162-138 15,431,701
Mike Smith 1,257-236-197-158 14,636,952
Pat Day 1,211-264-206-170 13,890,374
Alex Solis 1,314-245-210-186 13,106,430
Shane Sellers 1,383-280-259-206 13,036,256
Corey Nakatani 788-160-118-122 10,994,946
Chris McCarron 632-125-104-90 10,459,449
Kent Desormeaux 996-172-158-134 10,158,592
Jorge Chavez 1,375-245-182-183 8,674,638
Trainer Sts-1-2-3 Purses
D. Wayne Lukas 833-172-123-106 $10,249,561
Bill Mott 611-126-115-84 9,441,440
Richard Mandella 343-61-56-51 9,312,629
Bob Baffert 418-111-74-72 8,743,586
Jerry Hollendorfer 909-220-146-135 5,006,864
Wallace Dollase 176-46-31-25 4,986,950
Mark Frostad 233-65-43-36 4,858,831
Sonny Hine 131-22-25-19 4,805,611
John Kimmel 424-95-71-55 4,349,632
David Hofmans 270-51-40-32 4,302,784
Horse Sts-1-2-3 Purses
Skip Away 11-4-5-2 $4,089,000
Gentlemen (ARG) 6-4-0-1 2,125,300
Siphon (BRZ) 6-2-3-0 2,021,000
Chief Bearhart 7-5-2-0 2,011,259
Deputy Commander 10-4-2-1 1,849,440
Silver Charm 6-3-3-0 1,598,750
Touch Gold 7-4-0-0 1,522,313
Marlin 10-4-0-2 1,521,600
Free House 10-3-2-3 1,336,910
Favorite Trick 8-8-0-0 1,231,998
Owner Sts-1-2-3 Purses
Allen Paulson 299-63-48-50 $5,200,739
Carolyn Hine 26-7-5-6 4,347,895
Golden Eagle Farm 411-106-60-62 4,329,546
Frank Stronach 511-114-77-64 4,162,695
John Franks 816-117-116-111 4,046,949
Sam-Son Farm 146-48-20-23 3,773,463
Bob & Beverly Lewis 213-40-37-30 3,064,576
Augustin Stable 376-86-60-69 2,580,042
Juddmonte Farms 132-25-14-18 2,459,769
Overbrook Farm 282-64-43-34 2,312,056