A Dec. 22 Blood-Horse story by Deirdre B. Biles details L.A.C.F.A. president and CEO Jim Henwood’s vision for Fairplex in California racing.

With the impending demolition of Hollywood Park, a large void will be left in the racing calendar and many horsemen will be left without a place to train their horses. Fairplex Park officials want to expand the main track and add at least one turf course, among other upgrades.

From Biles’ story:

“Henwood would like to see Fairplex Park turned into an operation that would be a cross between Keeneland and the Palm Meadows training center in Florida.”

Some quotes from Henwood:

“We need to make certain that our racing programs (in California) are best suited to serve those two preeminent racing organizations [Santa Anita and Del Mar]. What we want to be is a great partner with them.”

“But the idea would be to create a facility that wouldn’t fall to land development interests. Its value would be based on its use for Thoroughbred racing and its importance for the economy in the state of California.”

Click here to read the full story.

On the undercard, Toro Bonito and Majormotionpicture broke their maidens and are now being pointed to stakes races at Oak Tree at Santa Anita. The Pacific Classic day maidens have yielded future stars in past years, including Colonel John in 2007, and Black Seventeen and Monterey Jazz in 2006. Martin Pedroza was the rider aboard Majormotionpicture, and also won race 3 on Don’t Ya Lovett. He currently has 2,996 wins with seven racing days remaining at Del Mar.

Lewis Michael sprung a mild upset in the Pat O’Brien (Gr. II). The full brother to champion filly Dreaming of Anna stalked the leaders and charged down the stretch to win in 1:21:17. Rebellion was second, and Barbecue Eddie was third. Second-choice In Summation faded to fourth down the lane. The favorite, Midnight Lute, was backed out of the gate after acting up, and got off to a slow start. His trainer Bob Baffert also reports that he was injured from grabbing a quarter during the race. Unfortunately, this means that this lightly raced, troubled horse will continue to be lightly raced, if at all.

Two of the stakes races belonged to trainer John Sadler, who won the Rancho Bernardo (Gr. III) with Dearest Trickski and Del Mar Mile Hcp. (Gr. II) with Whatsthescript. Dearest Trickski was guns ablazin’ from the start, holding off a late charge from Tiz Elemental to win her third stakes race this year. Favored Magnificience did not make a run until very late in the race, finishing fifth. In the Mile, Storm Military and the favorite Daytona led the field, but in a typical turf cavalry charge, Whatsthescript came flying off the final turn and found the finish first. Bold Chieftain was second by 3/4 length, and longshot Global Hunter was third, a neck behind. Sadler’s plans for Dearest Trickski are to head straight to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and Whatsthescript will run in the Oak Tree Mile (Gr. II) and Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr. I).

Jockey Garrett Gomez had a smashing weekend, topped off by a win aboard Go Between in the Pacific Classic (Gr. I). On Saturday, he won the $1 million  Travers Stakes (Gr. I) aboard California-shipper Colonel John, as well as an undercard maiden special weight. On Sunday, he was the jockey aboard the aforementioned Whatsthescript, and won his second million dollar race in the Classic. Go Between was the favorite off of his prior synthetic surface success, and his win made him a #1 favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr. I) over Pro-Ride at Santa Anita. Well Armed was second by a neck, and Hollywood Gold Cup (Gr. I) winner Mast Track ran third for owner/trainer Bobby Frankel.

Del Mar is sure to be packed this Sunday for another sunny edition of Pacific Classic day. Four graded stakes races offer up a total of $1.9 million in purses and “Win and You’re In” berths to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

The Rancho Bernardo Handicap (Gr. III) has a generous $200,000 purse. The race takes on an added importance with a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (provided that the horse is nominated) and its importance to the Filly/Mare Sprinter Eclipse Award division. Both the BC race and Eclipse Award are in only their second year of existence. Three fillies are coming from the June 28^th A Gleam Handicap (Gr. II) at Hollywood Park - winner Dearest Trickski, runner-up Magnificience, and fifth-place Tiz Elemental. If Lethal Heat starts, it will be her third race since August 8^th. The field of ten also has Makor’s Love, Silky Smooth, La Tee, Society Hostess, Spring Awakening, and Highland Torree.

The $300,000 Pat O’Brien (Gr. II) is run at seven furlongs and can offer the winner a guaranteed trip to the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint (Gr. I). Last year’s BC Sprint and Eclipse Award sprint champion Midnight Lute makes his first race since November 24^th, 2007. He recently broke the seven furlong track record in a workout. In Summation, most recently second in the Bing Crosby Hcp. (Gr. I) is a top favorite. Rebellion won the Commonwealth (Gr. II) over the Polytrack at Keeneland, and has successfully shipped west win a win in the Ack Ack Hcp. (Gr. III) at Hollywood Park. Another east coast shipper, Lewis Michael, is making his second start of the year. Hewitts, How’s Your Halo, Hurry Up Austin, Tall Texan, Doppio, Decado, Barbecue Eddie, and Arson Squad round out the field of twelve.

The Del Mar Mile Handicap (Gr. II) contains a $400,000 purse and an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Monzante, Whatsthescript, and Storm Military are coming of first, second, and third place finishes, respectively, in the Eddie Read Hcp. (Gr. I). One Union is coming in off victory in the ungraded Wickerr Hcp. The favorite could be Irish-bred Daytona, despite a disappointing run in his last race. He has won a grade 3, two grade 2’s, and a grade 1 so far in 2008, and this race will be his last before a run at the BC Mile at Santa Anita. The other Del Mar Mile entrants are Porto Santo, Dark Islander, Global Hunter, and Stoneside, and Willow O’ Wisp is on the also-eligible list.

The featured race is the eighteenth running of the $1 million Pacific Classic (Gr. I), at 1 1/4 miles. It is Del Mar’s top race and one of California’s most prestigious. This year marks the second time the race will be run on Polytrack. Defending champion Student Council is back, as well as last year’s second-place finisher Awesome Gem. Morning line favorite Go Between won the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic on Santa Anita’s Cushion Track and ran second in the Santa Anita Handicap (Gr. I) and Hollywood Gold Cup (Gr. I). Mast Track, the winner of the latter race, is expected to be a frontrunner. Well Armed, winner of the San Diego Handicap (Gr. II) is also a speedy horse. The others in the field are Surf Cat, Delosvientos, Mostacolli Mort, Zappa, Barcola, and the eight-year-old McCann’s Mojave.

All four races will be broadcast live on ESPN2 starting at 5 p.m. PST, and on TVG.

In 2007, Del Mar’s new Polytrack surface was the talk of the town…for a bad reason. There was an infamous clash between prominent owner Ahmed Zayat and track president Joe Harper, and complaints from various trainers, including Zayat’s principle west coast trainer Bob Baffert. Morning workout times were close to those over the previous dirt, but the afternoon race times were pitifully dawdling. Lava Man’s final time in the 2006 Pacific Classic (Gr. I) was 2:01:62 for 1 1/4 miles over fast dirt. That was the slowest time in the history of Del Mar’s signature race, until Student Council smashed the anti-record in the 2007 edition, winning in 2:07.29 over the Polytrack. All race distances, especially the longer ones, had much slower times on Polytrack, and front running horses had slim chance of winning.

However, Del Mar did accomplish its main goal - a safer surface for the horses. Fourteen horses suffered fatal injuries on the main track during workouts and races during the 2006 meet, but that was reduced to six in 2007.

This year, track management decided to water the surface several times during the afternoon to lower the temperature and keep it consistent with the morning surface. As a result, times are significantly faster at all distances, and horses that break track records barely get their fifteen minutes of fame. Del Mar’s print shop can barely keep up. Monday’s race program listed Chief Teddybear’s 1:09:29 six furlong record from July 20, 2008 as the current record, but Street Boss ran the same distance in 1:08.67 in the Bing Crosby (Gr. I) on July 27th.

Trainers Doug O’Neill and Barry Abrams both called Del Mar’s current surface their favorite synthetic surface. Abrams thinks “it’s the real McCoy, the real synthetic surface everybody talks about.” O’Neill echoed that sentiment, saying, “Del Mar’s pretty darn good. It’s a short sampling, but it’s been very consistent and we’ve been very happy with it.”

The Grade I, $300,000 Bing Crosby Handicap at Del Mar has a field fit for a tribute to one of the track’s co-founders. The six-furlong sprint features a battle between two of California’s top sprinters this year, Bruce Headley-trainee Street Boss (pictured above) and defending champion In Summation. Street Boss began the year with three allowance wins at Santa Anita, but quickly developed into a grade I favorite and winner. Trainer Christophe Clement found In Summation’s niche on synthetic surfaces when he shipped in and won the Crosby last year. At Santa Anita, he set a new track record for 5 ½ furlongs (1:01.27) in the El Conejo Handicap (Gr. III). A third grade I winner, Johnny Eves, won the Malibu Stakes (Gr. I) at Santa Anita last December but has disappointed since.

Three horses with Fairplex Park ties have a shot at winning. Barbecue Eddie finished seventh in the 6 ½ furlong Foothill Stakes on September 10, 2007. Trainer Brian Koriner and jockey Aaron Gryder are hoping for better in the Crosby. Most recently, Barbecue Eddie won wire-to-wire in a $70,000 allowance optional claimer at Hollywood Park. Prior to that he traveled to Dubai and finished fourth in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (U.A.E.-I).

Sailors Sunset won the 2006 Foothill Stakes. He is a multiple grade III winner, his last victory coming in the 2007 Los Angeles Handicap (Gr. III). Jungle Prince won the 2005 and 2006 Governor’s Cup Handicaps at 6 ½ furlongs on the Fairplex Park dirt. On Monday, his trainer Juan Garcia officially retired and handed over his stable to his son Victor Garcia.

Spot The Diplomat and Silver Stetson Man both scratched out of Thursday’s race 7 at Del Mar to run for the Crosby’s $300,000 purse. Spot The Diplomat had stakes-level success at age 2, but fell down the ladder and is now trained by Peter Miller, who has his best success at Del Mar. Silver Stetson Man, a son of Silver Charm, comes off a $58,000 sprint win at Hollywood Park for trainer Bob Baffert.

Another Silver Charm offspring, Winsome Charm, is the lone 3-year-old in the field. He has had mixed success at the allowance level, coming off a win over Hollywood’s Cushion Track.

1 Street Boss (KY) 4 Colt 121 David Romero Flores

2 Barbecue Eddie (MD) 4 Gelding 116 Aaron T. Gryder

3 Jungle Prince (KY) 7 Gelding 115 Joel Rosario

4 In Summation (FL) 5 Horse 121 Corey S. Nakatani

5 Silver Stetson Man (KY) 4 Colt 113 Victor Espinoza

6 Winsome Charm (FL) 3 Colt 108 Tyler Baze

7 Sailors Sunset (KY) 5 Gelding 114 Rafael Bejarano

8 Spot the Diplomat (CA) 4 Gelding 110 Michael C. Baze

9 Johnny Eves (CA) 4 Gelding 116 Garrett K. Gomez

The Bing Crosby (Gr. I) is race 8, and post time is 5:30 p.m. Pacific.

Racing fans in California and beyond are familiar with the big, dark bay/brown gelding with the black and fuchsia diamond silks, black blinkers, and red shadow roll. Lava Man began his racing career with an inauspicious fourth-place finish in a $12,500 claiming race at the San Joaquin County Fair. He has since become a multiple California-bred champion, the only horse to win a Grade 1 on three different surfaces, and the richest former-claimer in history, among other impressive accomplishments. While he has been lambasted for his failure to win outside of the Golden State, his racetrack exploits have won the hearts of thousands.

On Sunday the Lava Man bandwagon was rocked by his last-place finish in the Eddie Read Handicap (Gr. I) at Del Mar. His owners STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood, and trainer Doug O’Neill, are considering retiring their star that has won $5,268,706. The Blood-Horse reports that they will “huddle up and decide to do what’s best for the horse.” Thoroughbred Times’ headline reads “Multiple Grade 1 Winner Lava Man Retired,” and quotes O’Neill as saying that Lava Man is “unofficially retired.” The Daily Racing Form reports that the owners want to “rest on it for a week and reflect.”

Lava Man’s last six races have been disappointing to his connections and legion of fans. In lieu of dwelling on the present letdowns, remembrance of his heyday is in order. Lava Man’s first stakes win came in the 2004 Derby Trial Stakes right here at Fairplex. In the 2006 Pacific Classic (Gr. 1) he became the first horse to win California’s three major handicap races in the same year. His last stakes victory came by a nose in the Hollywood Gold Cup (Gr. I), in which he tied fellow California-bred Native Diver for a record three-straight victories.

Beside his racing highlights, the following that Lava Man gained was rare, especially in modern times. With their Lava Man hats, custom T-shirts, and cameras pressed to their faces, the horse was sure to have someone cheering him on at every step, race after race. This fan-made video captures some of the enthusiasm. Though his gallery of fans is no longer the size of Tiger Woods’, he is sure to always have visitors wherever he may reside.

July 16, 2008. It was the best of times, it was the worst of Times.

On Wednesday, Del Mar had a record opening day crowd of 43,459 attend its nine-race program. It was the largest ever for opening day, and the second largest in track history. Records were also broken on the Polytrack oval. Plan For Fun started the meet on the right note in the first race, running 1 mile in 1:37:82. Carona Time and I’m In The Mood added excitement to the day with a dead heat over 6 furlongs in 1:10:37, and two-year-old Miguel’s Mascot ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04:48, becoming the first winner for his sire Marino Marini. If these times are any indication, Del Mar’s new practice of adding water to the Polytrack surface will produce faster times and provide more consistency from morning workouts to afternoon races. More Polytrack records may be lowered this Saturday as California-bred three-year-old fillies run in the 7 furlong Fleet Treat Stakes and older males run in the 1 1/16 mile San Diego Handicap (Gr. II). Also on the slate for Saturday is the Osunitas Handicap, and on Sunday Lava Man heads the Eddie Read Handicap (Gr. I) at 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

While Wednesday may have been a huge day at Del Mar, horse racing fans further North received sobering news. The Los Angeles Times announced that they would no longer publish charts and results from Del Mar, but would report on “major events” during the meet. If you were one of the many that found yourself asking, “Where are the Del Mar results?,” here is your
answer.

Citing falling ad revenue in tough economic times, 150 news staff were cut, including the paper’s last remaining horse racing reporters Larry Stewart and Bob Mieszerski. Breeders’ Cup officials cited the Los Angeles media market as one of their reasons for choosing Santa Anita Park as the host site for both the 2008 and 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, but if the region’s largest news source is axing its coverage, one has to wonder how helpful the media will be in promoting horse racing’s championship days.

That was the sound heard throughout racing on Saturday.  It was a disappointment to say the least but that is why you have to run the race.  The Belmont Stakes is a grueling race as is the whole Triple Crown.  According to the press, Big Brown has come out of the race relatively unscathed but it seems that the quarter crack and possible affect on his training regimen prior to the race may have been more than we thought.  So, on to next year!

But hey, all is not forlorn in the world of horse racing and particularly if you are in So. Cal.  We have some great racing at Hollywood Park coming up with the Hollywood Gold Cup on June 28 followed by the American Oaks and Cash Call Mile on July 5th.  Then it is on to Del Mar, seven of the best weeks of racing in the world beginning July 16. 

Of course after that we have the “Funnest” racing in North America at the Los Angeles County Fair.  We open September 5th and race everyday but Tuesday through September 24.  We have a lot on tap for this year’s meet so stay tuned.

Finally, don’t forget about Oak Tree and the first of two years of the Breeders’ Cup in So. Cal.  As of this point, we are hoping to be able to offer some great tickets to the Breeders’ Cup for fans who come out to live racing during the Fairplex Park meet so keep an eye out for that as well.

See, it isn’t all doom and gloom.  Big Brown did a great job captivating the world for awhile.  We have great horses just like him racing in California every weekend!  Come out and enjoy them.