Thoroughbred Racing Roundup – December 30, 2013
December 30th, 2013By ROBERT KIECKHEFER
UPI Racing Writer
Santa Anita’s late, great, shoeshine man, Eddie LoganBenoit Photo
Santa Anita kicked off its season with tributes to a star trainer and a shoeshine vendor while some owners and trainers already were looking at next fall’s Breeders’ Cup.
But for all of that, it was a relatively quiet weekend as racing, like the rest of the world, prepared to usher in 2014.
Here’s what happened, along with a little history and a little vocabulary:
Santa Anita
Enterprising rallied three-wide through the stretch run in Saturday’s $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes for 2-year-olds and got there first, 3/4 length ahead of Royal Banker. The pacesetter, Lucky Views, held on for third while the favorite, Craftsman, finished fifth in his first U.S. start after missing the break. Enterprising, a Florida-bred Elusive Quality colt, ran 1 mile on firm turf in 1:35.25 with Gary Stevens timing the move just right. He now has won two of his three starts.
“He’s going to have a very good year” in 2014, Stevens predicted, adding, “Knock on wood.”
Trainer Tom Proctor added, “I don’t know what might be next for him. I really hadn’t paid much attention. But I’m tickled to win this because Eddie Logan was special. He was the best executive in racing. He knew more than most.”
Logan was the track’s shoeshine attendant — an iconic and universally admired fixture — from Opening Day on Christmas 1934 until near his death in 2009, just a few months short of his 99th birthday. He also was a former boxer and Negro League baseball player. In his obituary, Santa Anita staff said he frequently lectured about the hazards of wearing leather footgear in the barn area.
“This leather’s got four things working against it on the backside,” the track quoted Logan. “Salt, brace, alkali and urine.”
Brace is a liniment used in rubbing down a horse.
Customer Base and Stormy Lucy both came by the leaders in the stretch run in Sunday’s $100,000, Grade III Robert J. Frankel Stakes for fillies and mares with Customer Base gutting out the win by a nose. The favorite, Gulsary, was up late to get show money. Customer Base, a 4-year-old Daughter of Lemon Drop Kid, ran 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:46.45 with Mike Smith in the irons. Proctor, who had a good final weekend of 2014, also trains Customer Base and Gulsary.
“I always thought the most of Frankel,” he said of the race’s trainer namesake. “We started out, we didn’t like each other too much. Then I got to where I really thought a lot of him. He about put me out of the business, claiming everything I had the first year training, because I was running them where they could win.”
The late Bobby Frankel saddled 17,657 starters during his illustrious career and met 3,654 of those in the winner’s circle, including victors in several Breeders’ Cup races. He won the Eclipse Award five times, including a four-year string from 2000 through 2003.
Unbridled’s Note came from off the pace in Saturday’s $100,000, Grade III Daytona Stakes down the hillside turf course, caught El Commodore at mid-stretch and won the duel to the wire by 1/2 length. Gallant Son finished well back in third. Unbridled’s Note, a 4-year-old colt by Unbridled’s Song, finished the about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:11.89 over firm going with Corey Nakatani up. He came into the race off a second-place finish in the Hollywood Turf Express on Dec. 8 and Scott Blasi, assistant to winning trainer Steve Asmussen, said Unbridled’s Note was happy to be back on the Santa Anita grass.
“He loves this course and he got a lot better trip than he did at Hollywood,” Blasi said. “We’ll have him here for the winter and hopefully we’ll have a series of races to run him in.”
Gulfstream Park
Singanothersong shadowed the pace set by Star Harbour in Saturday’s $100,000, Grade III Mr. Prospector Stakes, took the lead turning for home and had plenty left late, holding off Fort Loudon to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Star Harbour held on for third. Singanothersong, a 3-year-old Songandaprayer colt, got 6 furlongs on a good track in 1:09.92 with Juan Leyva at the controls.
“We thought he could take the lead anytime he wanted,” said winning trainer Ron Pellegrini. “We were pretty confident he would win.”
It was his second straight victory in his third race after a six-month layoff prompted by an injury.
“Now we’ll just weigh our options and see where we want to go from here,” the trainer added. “Our ultimate goal is to get him to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint next year.”
Mr. Online led from the start in Saturday’s $100,000 El Prado Stakes at 1 mile on the grass and the favorite, Salto, was just shy of catching him at the wire. The final margin was a diminishing head, with Utley 3 lengths farther back in third. Mr. Online, a 4-year-old gelding by Silent Name, finished in 1:39.60 over a yielding course with Kendrick Carmouche in the irons. Claimed for $30,000 last winter, the horse has blossomed. He was a close second behind the hard-knocking Ben’s Cat in the Laurel Dash in September and also second in the Grade I Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine in October.
Owner Tim O’Donohue said he and trainer Michael Pino had been looking for another sprint for Mr. Online and also had been hoping for firm going.
“But everything worked out for the best,” he said. “We know he can get a mile so it gives us more options.”
Calder Race Course
Saturday’s $125,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap came off the turf, which made no appreciable difference to the odds-on favorite, Twilight Eclipse. The 4-year-old Purim gelding dictated a moderate pace, put away pace-stalking Dannhauser when asked and won off by 7 lengths over that rival. Flatter This finished third, 4 3/4 lengths farther back. Twilight Eclipse, with Jose Lezcano up, ran 1 1/2 miles on the fast main track in 2:35.66.
Laurel Park
She’s Ordained rallied up the rail and caught pacesetting Five Star Momma in the late going of Saturday’s $100,000 Willa On the Move Stakes for fillies and mares and went on to win by 3/4 lengths over that rival. Lady Sabelia was a distant third. She’s Ordained, a 4-year-old Ministers Wild Cat filly, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.58 with Angel Quinones up.
“Everything was perfect,” Quinones said. “She broke very well. She was very easy to rate down the backstretch. I had a lot of horse.”
News and notes:
“Jimmy,” the 2-year-old half-brother to champion sprinter Black Caviar, was euthanized in Australia Sunday, his principals reported. The colt suffered a series of complications, culminating in laminitis, following what was believed to be a spider bite. He sold as a yearling for a record A$5 million, or about US$4.4 million. That deal, however, reportedly is in litigation unrelated to the colt’s medical issues.
On a brighter note, the New York Racing Association has announced the purse for the Grade I Belmont Stakes will be increased from $1 million to $1.5 million, matching the purse for the Grade I Preakness Stakes at Pimlico which recently received a similar $500,000 bump. The purse for the Grade I Kentucky Derby is $2 million.
