Notes on My Racing Form
January 1st, 2007by Jude T. Feld
Jockey Russell Baze
Benoit Photo
Glad to see all the neigh-sayers have quieted down after Russell Baze became the all-time leading rider. Who are these yo-yos that think his record is besmirched by riding mostly at Golden Gate and Bay Meadows? Those two tracks have racing superior to many more fashionable venues and nobody is more belly-down every day than Baze. As a matter of fact, the only guy who was even remotely close to Baze’s dedication to riding was the fellow he displaced on the top of the list – Laffit Pincay, Jr. – who might have Baze beat in that category.
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Hall of Fame trainer Grover “Buddy” Delp died last Friday night at age 74. Delp saddled 3,674 winners – none better than Spectacular Bid, winner of the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and undefeated Horse of the Year in 1980. Delp also won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top trainer for the 1980 effort.
“He worked for everything he had,” said Delp’s son, Cleve. “He said if you want to be a horse trainer, you can’t go in a classroom and learn how to be a horse trainer. You have to be with the horses and have a communication with them that you develop by being around them.”
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Several racetracks promote our sport with wall calendars and my post office box is graced with several of them every December, but the one that has stood out for the last three years is the brainchild of Turfway Park’s Media Relations Director Sherry Pinson. Nobody has done a better job of presenting horsemen and fans a true picture of the ups and downs of Thoroughbred racing from different points of view. It is a gem. Pick up a copy if you can.
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It was great to see Santa Anita so filled with fans on opening day. The Great Race Place has often resembled a morgue during my infrequent recent visits but December 26 was reminiscent of days gone by, with fans filling the box seat area and the beautiful Front Runner restaurant, cheering for their horses in every race. Hopefully this will set the tone for a big meeting for Ron Charles and his crew.
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Hated to see Gulfstream Park open without a stakes race on the card. Nowadays racetracks seem to like to lump all their stakes races into a single day’s racing. I don’t know if that really works as a way to get more butts in the seats. I personally like the “stakes-a-day” approach that Keeneland favored for many years but alas they have also gone to a few stakes-less days in favor of the multi-stakes cards. Maybe I’m just an old geezer and behind the times.
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Fans in New Orleans must just be delighted. The Saints playing great and racing returning at Fair Grounds – what a shot in the arm for a city who needed some love.
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Looking forward to Keeneland’s January Sale. The weather in Kentucky this winter has been fabulous and hopefully the sun will continue to shine for the next couple of weeks.
