February 16, 1998

Santa Anita Park

• Team Valor's Tenbyssimo will make his U.S. debut March 4 in the $100,000 Baldwin Stakes (gr. III) 6 1/2 fur. on turf, then make his dirt debut 17 days later either in the Gotham Stakes (gr. III) or Rebel Stakes (gr. III). Neil Drysdale is the trainer for Tenbyssimo and Kent Desormeaux will be his rider. The colt won 3 races in a row in Italy, 3rd in only start in France in Group 3 Prix des Chenes behind 2nd and 3rd highest rated colts on Timeform. Tenbyssimo is a son of leading British freshman sire Tenby.
• Gary Stevens, who scheduled a press conference at Santa Anita today, has been given another week to make his decision about choosing which horse he will ride in the Santa Anita Handicap, Silver Charm or Gentlemen
• El Angelo, last seen finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. I), has returned to training at Santa Anita.
• Superlative fractured a pastern bone and will be out until the summer.
• Jockey Emile Ramsammy has returned to riding after taking himself off mounts for three weeks to heal a broken hand.
• Simon Magnier, who was Neil Drysdale's longtime assistant, started his first horse on his own on Friday the 13th. The unsuperstitious trainer finished third with Margiot Bay.
• Neuilly (Fr) fractured his left cannon bone in a workout on Feb. 12. Trainer Ron Ellis reported that surgeons put screws in the leg and Neuilly will return next year as a 5YO.
• Anet will run in a turf race down the hill at Santa Anita at about 6-1/2 furlongs on Feb. 16.

   

Gulfstream Park

• Maxzene is back in training at Gulfstream.
• In the Fountain of Youth (gr. II) on Saturday, February 21, Jerry Bailey will ride Lil's Lad, Kent Desormeaux will ride Cape Town, and Pat Day will remain on Halory Hunter.

Oaklawn

• Winning Lady fractured both sesamoids in her right front leg during the Paseana Stakes on February 8 at Oaklawn Park. Dr. Milton McClure saved the mare, and she will be a broodmare at David Beard's farm in Orrville, Texas.
• The North end of Oaklawn's track washed out after a storm dumped several inches of rain within a few hours during the night of Tuesday, February 10. Track Supervisor Donnie Ellison and Track Superintendent Ray Russell closed the track for training Wednesday morning, and rebuilt the track surface at that end. Their efforts had the track ready for racing by post-time Wednesday afternoon.

The Fair Grounds

• Time Limit is at the New Orleans track training for the Risen Star Stakes.
• Dance Brightly, the promising 3YO from Sam-Son Farms stabled at Fair Grounds took a bad step in training and suffered a condylar fracture to his right front foot. He will not race again this year and his future is uncertain beyond that.

The Fair Grounds

• Turfway Park has raised its purses twice in the last two weeks. On February 1, officials announced that all claiming races will be increased 5% and allowance and maiden special weight races increased between 8-13%, for an average increase of 7%. On February 14, an average increase of 5% was added to the previous augmentation. Better than expected business was credited with being the catalyst for the raise.

Miscellaneous

• Hall of Fame rider Sandy Hawley has announced that this will be his last year as a jockey. The Canadian, currently undergoing his annual treatment for melanoma cancer, will resume riding this March when Woodbine opens, and will return on the day of the Canadian Oaks (gr. I) in June unless he has a good mount for the Queen's Plate (gr. I), Canada's equivalent of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) run in August. Hawley, 48, won Eclipse Awards in 1969 and 1970, and was the first jockey to win 500 races in a single year, in 1976. He has approximately 6,500 victories total.
• Burley Cocks, a Hall of Fame trainer of steeplechasers and mentor to many Thoroughbred trainers, died in his sleep on February 8 at the age of 82. Among the beneficiaries of Cocks' teaching were Hall of Fame steeplechaser Zaccio and Billy Turner, trainer of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.
• An update on Tale of the Cat: a nuclear scan revealed that a stress fracture caused his bad steps after a workout on February 4. He will be sidelined for three months.

   

   

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