Four of the last fifteen Kentucky Derby winners were started (i.e. broke to ride and gotten ready to the races) or sold at Two-Year-Old in Training Sales by consignors (i.e. sellers) that will have horses in the 2009 Barretts May Sale. The only one who didn’t consign the Derby Winner to a sale (was Stephens Thoroughbreds) which prepared the home-bred BARBARO for the races for his owners. This is a very high number from the small number of consignors in the sale.

2006 BARBARO (Stephens Thoroughbreds)

2001 MONARCHOS (Murray Smith)

1997 SILVER CHARM (Hartley/De Renzo)

1995 THUNDER GULCH (Jerry Bailey)

Triumphant Flight won his 3-year-old debut in the $70,000 San Miguel Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday. The California-bred colt (Chullo x Jetinwith Kennedy) is a half-brother to stakes winner Jet West. Tyler Seltzer is the winning owner, Eric Kruljac the winning trainer, Victor Espinoza the winning jockey, and Applebite Farms the winning breeder.

Triumphant Flight was purchased for $36,000 at the October 2007 Barretts California Yearling sale  under the advice of bloodstock agent Larry Zap (see video below). The dark bay/brown colt won the 2008 $130,000 Barretts Juvenile right here at Fairplex Park and then ran second in the $125,000 California Cup Juvenile at the Oak Tree meet.

-Marcie Heacox

Besides the two stakes races this Saturday at Santa Anita, there are two other races of special note.

In race 2 (post time 1 p.m.), Great Legacy will make his second attempt at a career debut. He is a 3-year-old son of the recently pensioned sire Storm Cat, but the most notable name in his pedigree is multiple grade 1-winner Affluent. Great Legacy is her first foal. He was supposed to make his first start on February 7 but was scratched in the gate. Also in race 2 is Turk, trained by Bob Baffert and owned by his wife Jill Baffert. The bay colt, sired by the late Vindication, has been knocking at the door for a win.

The sentimental pick in race 4 (post time 2:02 p.m.) is Return of the King. The 7-year-old gelding was featured in local print and television news reports recently when he won for the family stricken by the Christmas Eve massacre in Covina. David Bernstein trains and Joe Talamo rides in place of the injured Martin Pedroza. Also in the field is one-time grade 1-runner Valiant Effort.

The Ortega family will hold a fundraiser in the infield on Saturday, according to Daily Racing Form notes.

Saturday’s Entries

-Marcie Heacox

I have held “reality” shows in low esteem for a while now. Unfortunately, the first two episodes of Animal Planet’s “Jockeys” series (which I got a sneak peek at online) did nothing to change that.

The six-week series premieres this Friday, February 6, at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific. The confirmed stars of the show are Jon Court, Aaron Gryder, Mike Smith, Alex Solis, Kayla Stra, Chantal Sutherland and Joe Talamo.

The lead-in to “Jockeys” is an episode of “Untamed and Uncut” about racetrack mishaps. Great.

I wonder if PETA is foaming at the mouth for this show to air and show people the “reality of horse racing.” Already there are calls to ban the show and boycott Animal Planet. If you went only by the commercials and/or first episode, most races have falls. If that were the reality of racing, I would not be writing this blog and would greatly dislike the sport. The reality is that falls are rare and an exception to the norm.

For your viewing information, I spotted these faults in Episode One:

• In the Ralph M. Hinds at Fairplex, they cut to reaction shots of people…at Santa Anita.
• There are shots of multiple races mixed into what is supposed to be the Ralph M. Hinds, and the shots from the Hinds are all mixed up and not chronological.
• In the race voice-over, it is Freesgood pushing Booyah, not Sensational Score.
• The horse Matto Mondo’s name is misspelled Motto Mondo on the graphic.
• The loose horse they show being caught at Santa Anita opening day is not the horse who fell (it was a turf race). Easy on the Eye was caught on the turf course.
• In The Morvich At Santa Anita, they cut to a reaction shot…at Fairplex.
• There is a staged race mixed into the title shots and other places. It seems the camera angles are from a truck driving alongside the field of horses, and that would never happen in a real race. Also…Gryder and Talamo throwin’ down on the track near the end - totally staged.

The mixed up time/location shots and staged racing shots continue in episode two. Hystericalady’s name is repeatedly misspelled (Hysterical Lady).

It appears that episode three will be on another rosy topic - eating disorders.

In an NTRA teleconference, jockey Aaron Gryder says, “Well, the one thing I would say to anybody that feels that way is make sure you watch all 12 episodes and not just, you know the commercial that you’ve seen…it’s very well balanced as far as not being just about spills.”

We’ll see. And I hope so.

To see the first two full episodes, go to this special link and go to “Footage.”

The official website for “Jockeys” is http://animal.discovery.com/tv/jockeys/.

- Marcie Heacox

“When you got the leather, we’ll get together” - Eddie Logan

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 31, 2009)—Eddie Logan, Santa Anita’s iconic shoeshine attendant since opening day, Dec. 25, 1934, and a former boxer and Negro League baseball player, passed away at his home in nearby Monrovia early Saturday morning at the age of 98. Born in 1910, he would have been 99 on May 20… full Santa Anita press release.

A special winners’ circle ceremony honored Logan with a song from Jay Cohen and moment of silence. His shoeshine stand in the outdoor hallway at the west end of the grandstand was covered, accompanied by a special wreath and flowers left by visitors.

HRTV Video about Eddie Logan

Saturday features two notable racing debuts on opposite coasts, starting with Nicanor:

Nicanor is a 3-year-old full-brother to the storied Barbaro. Like his older sibling, media have focused a tremendous amount of attention on him. Nicanor runs in race 8 at Gulfstream Park in Florida, a $40,000 maiden special weight at one mile on the dirt. Post time is 4:43 p.m. Eastern, 1:43 p.m. Pacific. The race is sandwiched between the Holy Bull Stakes (Gr. III) and Donn Handicap (Gr. I). Like Barbaro, Nicanor is bred and owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson, trained by Michael Matz, and ridden by Edgar Prado.

Sweet Thoughts is the first foal out of 2004 Champion Juvenile Filly Sweet Catomine. The 3-year-old bay filly is sired by A.P. Indy. Sweet Catomine was retired under less-than-ideal circumstances. After winning five straight races she ran against the males in the Santa Anita Derby (Gr. I). Unfortunately, she finished fifth, beaten by Buzzard’s Bay and eventual Kentucky Derby (Gr. I) winner Giacomo. What followed was an unforgettable controversy that ultimately ended with owners Pam and Marty Wygod and trainer Julio Canani severing ties and Sweet Catomine being retired and bred at age three. The Wygod’s also own Sweet Thoughts, but John Shirreffs is the trainer and Garrett Gomez the jockey.

Sweet Thoughts runs in the fourth race at Santa Anita at 2:02 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The race is a maiden special weight at one mile on the turf. Free live video is available at Calracing.com.

-Marcie Heacox

The Sunshine Millions, one of the first major racing events of the year, is held jointly at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla. and Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Each track runs four races that pit the best California-breds and Florida-breds against each other.

Ironically, the event coincides with Southern California’s wet season and is often an overcast day. There is a chance the seventh annual Millions will not contain sunshine. Weather.com predicts a 10 percent chance of precipitation and partly cloudy afternoon skies. Gulfstream’s outlook is a bit rosier.

A storyline involving Fairplex Park and Barretts Equine Ltd. is that of All Saint (pictured left), who runs in the Sunshine Millions Dash at Gulfstream. The gray or roan colt was bought by owner Eddie Gamez of Pomona for only $2,700 at the 2007 Barretts October mixed sale. He has now earned $122,400, easily paying for his purchase price and upkeep. He is coming off a victory in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes, which was his trainer Triphon Dahl’s first stakes win. All Saint regularly trains on the dirt surface at Fairplex Park. For more of All Saint’s story, click here.

Todd Pletcher-trainee Icy Atlantic (pictured right) has run third and second in the Sunshine Millions Turf and is taking another stab at it. He was best known as champion English Channel’s “rabbit” before successfully branching out on his own. He is an 8-year-old un-gelded horse, an extreme rarity, especially for a stakes-level runner.

The Sunshine Millions Sprint boasts two grade I winners - In Summation and Georgie Boy. Georgie Boy comes into the race off of a third-place finish in the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes (Gr. I), and In Summation returns from a fourth-place run in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (Gr. I).

California-breds are poorly represented in the Florida races, with only seven horses total in four races. Trainer Barry Abrams has the lone Cal-bred in the Filly and Mare Turf, Bel Air Sizzle, and one of two Cal-breds in the Classic, Medzendeekron. Doug O’Neill-trainee and grade I winner Mistical Plan is one of two Cal-breds entered in the Filly and Mare Sprint. She won the 2007 Sunshine Millions Oaks.

The California-breds are once again the underdogs. There are less foals born each year in California than in Florida and less Cal-breds entered in the Sunshine Millions. It is also common for Florida-breds to be based in California, but not vice versa. Several Florida-breds who have always been based in California have good chances of winning their respective races, including Backbackbackgone in the Dash, Wild Promises in the Filly and Mare Turf, Dearest Trickski in the Filly and Mare Sprint, and Emmy Darling in the Oaks.

Past Performances:

Dash (pre-entries) (Gulfstream - 1:07 p.m.*)
Dash (nominations PP’s)
Filly & Mare Turf (Gulfstream - 1:36 p.m.)
Filly & Mare Sprint (Gulfstream - 2:05 p.m.)
Turf (Santa Anita - 2:23 p.m.)
Classic (Gulfstream - 2:45 p.m.)
Oaks (Santa Anita - 2:54 p.m.)
Sprint (Santa Anita - 3:26 p.m.)
Distaff (Santa Anita - 3:57 p.m.)

*All times Pacific Standard Time

-Marcie Heacox

Lava Man half-brother makes debut

Enriched, a half-brother to the legendary California-bred Lava Man, makes his career debut in Saturday’s first race at Santa Anita, a maiden race over 6 1/2 furlongs for older horses …Full DRF Story .

 Trumpet Player Jay, named for Southern California track bugler Jay Cohen, broke his maiden today in the first race at Santa Anita, a $45,000 maiden special weight.

“It was just about the greatest day I’ve ever had at the track,” said Cohen.

Cohen played “The Call to the Post” with his “heart  pumping so hard” before the race and watched the race with the owners, Ellenay Racing, in their box seats.

After the win he celebated by playing “Happy Days are Here Again.”

According to the official Equibase results chart, Trumpet Player Jay “chased a bit off the rail then between foes on the turn, bid outside the runner-up past the eighth pole, gained the lead and won clear under a left handed crack of the whip and a strong hand ride.”

The bay colt won by two lengths in a quick time of 1:08:12 for six furlongs. Joel Rosario gave the winning ride and Mark Glatt is the winning trainer.

Bettors who had Trumpet Player Jay on their tickets got $7.00 to win, $3.80 to place and $2.60 to show. Cohen said he had about $40 worth of bets on the horse.

“It was the first time in probably 10 years that I’ve bet while working,” said Cohen.

After cashing all of his tickets, Cohen wants to round up an uncashed ticket to add to his scrapbook of Trumpet Player Jay memorabilia, which includes programs and losing tickets from his two previous races.

-Marcie Heacox

The road to the Kentucky Derby started today with The Pamplemousse’s win in the San Rafael Stakes (Gr. III) at Santa Anita. The gray or roan colt’s final time for one mile on Pro-Ride was 1:35.31. In his stakes debut he beat Grade I-winner Square Eddie and European import Ryehill Dreamer, among others. The winning owners are Bienstock and Winner Stable, Alex Solis II, Strauss, et al. Alex Solis (whose son is a co-owner) is the winning jockey and Julio Canani is the winning trainer. The Pamplemousse is named after a restaurant across the street from Del Mar Racetrack. Click here for more video of the race from Larry Zap.

In the previous race Alpha Kitten started a possible trail towards the Kentucky Oaks with victory in the Santa Ynez Stakes (Gr.II). Her owners Jerry and Ann Moss went from highs to lows in one day when their colt Madeo was pulled up with possible minor injuries in the San Fernando Stakes (Gr.II), which was won by Nownownow.