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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