At The Track
August 4, 1998

CHURCHILL DOWNS

• Leo's Gypsy Dancer missed the River Downs Breeders' Cup Handicap on July 18 because of an inflamed suspensory ligament. She was out of training for 12 days, but trainer Hal Wiggins feels she's fit enough to get back to breezing again.

TURFWAY PARK

• Jim McIngvale, who made waves this spring when he took his horses, including several promising 3-year-olds, from trainer Nick Zito, has stepped into the void left when Jim Beam withdrew its sponsorship of the Jim Beam Stakes (gr. II). His Gallery Furniture store in Houston will be the new sponsor of the 1 1/8 mile stakes for 3-year-olds, now renamed the Gallery Furniture.com Stakes. The new race will be worth $750,000, putting it on a par with the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and Florida Derby (gr. I). McIngvale, who entered racing in 1996 by spending $1 million on five yearlings, wants to increase his business via the Internet and feels that sponsorship of races will do it. He will also sponsor the 1998 Kentucky Cup Juvenile (gr. III), both races for a contract length of three years.

DEL MAR

• Champion Silver Charm worked on the turf on Monday, August 3, but is still not expected to return to the races -- on any surface -- anythime soon.
• Favored Labeeb acted up in the gate going into the Eddie Read Handicap (gr. IT) on August 2. He suffered minor injuries and was scratched by the track veterinarian. He worked seven furlongs the following day.
• Eternity Range skipped the Eddie Read because he has not trained well. A foot problem has caused a setback.
• Old Topper worked on the grass to see if he would like it, but trainer Noble Threewitt was unhappy with the results and opted to keep the 3-year-ol on the dirt for now.
• Touch Gold is at Del Mar, having arrived on August 1 in preparation for the $1 million Pacific Classic (gr. I) on August 15.
• Corey Nakatani is tearing up the jockey standings at Del Mar. In the first 10 days fo the meeting, he had two three-win days and one four-win day.
• Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. is recuperating well from his spill which caused multiple fractures.

MONMOUTH PARK

• Kentucky Derby and Preakness (gr. I) winner Real Quiet will miss the $1,000,000 Buick Haskell Invitational (gr. I) on August 9. Stifle soreness will force the colt out of training for 30-60 days, thus making him miss most of the major races left this year.
• Tale of the Cat worked between races at Monmouth Park under Julie Krone on July 28 in preparation for the Whitney Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga.

SARATOGA

• Hempstead Handicap (gr. I) winner Mossflower missed the Go For Wand Stakes (gr. I) because of a filling in her ankle.
• Skip Away will work between races on August 16 in preparation for the Philip H. Iselin Handicap (gr.II) at Monmouth.
• Tomisue's Delight was battling a lung infection when she finished off the board in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (gr. II) at Monmouth Park. It was discovered later, and trainer Neil Howard had been training her carfully up the Go For Wand.
• Chip, a multiple stakes winner owned by Caroline Hine and trained by her husband, Sonny, of Skip Away fame, cracked her cannon bone in an allowance race at the end of the Belmont Park meeting. She'll be away from the races for a few months, but is in light training and the Hines are relieved it is not a serious injury.
• Three Chimneys Farms Santaria went from John Dowd's barn to John Kimmel's shortly before the Test Stakes (gr. I). Among the changes the new trainer made were opening up her blinkers.
• Raffie's Majesty is a cut below the top 3-year-old colts right now, according to his trainer, H. James Bond. But Bond thinks the colt is improving rapidly and could be at the level of Victory Gallop, Real Quiet, and Coronado's Quest very soon. Raffie's Majesty will run in a stakes restricted to New York-breds on August 20 in preparation for the Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) on August 9.
• Doc Martin bled when finishing some 40 lengths behind Grand Slam in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. III), but is now headed to the Jim Dandy and the Travers (gr. I).
• Rodeo returned to the races after a 10-month layoff. Trainer Stanley Hough said the 3-year-old lost a shoe while finishing third in an allowance race.

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