Santa Anita Park
- Alzora, who finished fifth and last in Sunday's El Encino
Stakes (gr. II), came out of the race with a bloody nose from
hitting the gate at the start.
- Anet is in training, and his quarter crack is healing.
- Fantastic Fellow, recovering from a splint bone injury, will
return to training next week.
- Gentlemen has been working and is ready for the San Antonio
Handicap (gr. II) on February 7.
- Jockey Emile Ramsammy has been riding with a broken right
hand, but has sidelined himself now indefinitely.
- The software that Santa Anita uses for its online chat room on
the television show SantaAnita.com, seen on Fox Sports West 2, has
been purchased by MTV to duplicate the success Santa Anita and Fox
have had with interactive chats on television.
- Liquid Gold, the 3-year-old maiden winner who was training to
advance into stakes company, has a quarter crack and will rest for
30 days at owner Prince Salman's ranch in Bradbury,
California.
- Trainer Wally Dollase has in his barn two other possible
sleeper candidates for the Triple Crown events. Prosperous Bid, a
half-brother to multi-millionaire Best Pal by Mr. Prospector, and
Moonlight Meeting, by General Meeting, both won races on Sunday,
January 18. Prosperous Bid broke his maiden going six furlongs in
his first start, and Moonlight Meeting won a one-mile allowance
race. Both colts are owned and bred by John Mabee's Golden Eagle
Farm.
- Souvenir Copy will run in the Santa Catalina Stakes on
February 1. Indian Charlie is headed for the San Vicente the
following weekend.
Gulfstream Park
- Coronado's Quest arrived at Gulfstream Park from Payson Park
where he was training through December and is ready for his debut
in the Hutcheson.
- Dawson's Legacy had a high white blood cell count while
training for the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) last weekend, and
missed that race. He has not bounced back well, so is likely to
skip the Hutcheson and go in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II)
on February 21 next.
- Diplomatic Jet will run in another allowance race before
trying stakes horses again. The 6-year-old finished out of the
money on January 15 in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park.
Trainer Jimmy Picou is hoping that he will be ready for the
Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIT) on February
14.
- Picou also trains Val's Prince, winner of the Hong Kong
International Cup in his last race. Val's Prince will return to
the races on March 7 in the Pan American Handicap (gr. IIT).
Golden Gate
- Thoroughbred racing media in Northern California voted their
"Best of 1997" awards to the Northern-California-based horses
which truly shone last year. Avenue of Gold collected the most
awards, being named the Horse of 1997, Best Older Filly or Mare,
and Best Sprinter. Perennially leading trainer Jerry Hollendorfer
trains the Golden Eagle Farm homebred. She won a $55,000 claiming
race and three stakes races - the Powder Room Handicap, the Desert
Stormer Handicap, and the Soviet Problem Breeders' Cup Handicap,
all at six furlongs. Other honorees were Mister Fire Eyes, Best
Older Horse; Wavy Run, Best Grass Horse; Sky Bryn, Best Claiming
Horse; Pacificbounty, Best 3-year-old Male; Fleet Lady, Best
3-year-old Filly and Best 3-Year-Old; Lazy Slusan, Best 2-year-old
Filly, and Dixie Dot Com, Best 2-year-old Male and Best
2-Year-Old.
- Real Quiet finished last in the Golden Gate Derby last weekend
at Golden Gate Fields. He never engaged in the race and trainer
Bob Baffert said that the colt sneezed afterward and mud came out
his nose.
- Kathy Walsh, trainer of Mantles Star, which finished second
behind Clover Hunter in the Golden Gate Derby, will run next in
the San Rafael Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita.
The Fair Grounds
- Silver Maiden, undefeated last year as a 2-year-old, is
training at the Fair Grounds in preparation for the Fair Grounds
Oaks (gr. III) on March 14. Silver Maiden won five races,
including the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park in her last
race. She was a contender for the 2-year-old filly Eclipse Award
until she caught a virus on the plane trip to California and
missed the Breeders' Cup showdown with eventual champion Countess
Diana.
- Cowboy Dan is also at the Fair Grounds, training up to the
Risen Star Stakes at a mile on February 22. The gelding won five
of eight starts last year, beginning in March. He finished second
by a neck to 2-year-old champion and Horse of the Year candidate
Favorite Trick at Churchill Downs on Derby Day in the WHAS-11
Stakes, and third behind that champion in the Bashford Manor
Stakes (gr. III). Cowboy Dan then won three more stakes before
being sidelined with a quarter crack. After the Risen Star, the
goal for Cowboy Dan is the Louisiana Derby (gr. III) on March
15.
- On January 10, the Fair Grounds set a record for the largest
handle in its 126-year history. $5,555,057 was wagered on-track,
in-state, and out-of-state on the day's card, which broke the
previous record of $4,937,618 set last year on March 31.
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