BONUS BABY : LUTHIER FEVER'S GOLD CUP PRESENCE RAISES QUESTIONS.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer Purse bonuses encourage owners to enter their horses in marquee races. Since horses and contentious races are in ever-shorter supply, almost everybody in the sport thinks this is a good idea, particularly if a sponsor or its insurance company foots the bill. But is the sport - and its bettors - well served when an owner runs an overmatched horse in a major race mainly to satisfy the fine print of a series-bonus contract? This is the issue raised when the handlers of Luthier lu·thi·er n. One that makes or repairs stringed instruments, such as violins. [French, from luth, lute, from Old French lut; see lute1.] Noun 1. Fever said they entered the 20-1 long shot in Sunday's $1 million Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions. because they can earn all or part of a $500,000 bonus if the horse starts all three legs of the inaugural MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. Grand Classic Crown. Luthier Fever finished second at 64-1 odds in the March 2 Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during ; now he must run in the Gold Cup and the Aug. 10 Pacific Classic at Del Mar Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
``We decided to go mainly to keep him alive for the bonus,'' Ted West Jr., his father's assistant trainer, said Friday on the phone from their Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
Luthier Fever's soundness is not in doubt. But his fitness is questionable considering the Wests urged owners Alfonso and Jose Antonio Lanzagorta of Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi to forget about the Gold Cup after a slow workout June 21. That was the 5-year-old California-bred's fifth workout since missing a month of training with a cracked hoof hoof, horny epidermal casing at the end of the digits of an ungulate (hoofed) mammal. In the even-toed ungulates, such as swine, deer, and cattle, the hoof is cloven; in the odd-toed ungulates, such as the horse and the rhinoceros, it is solid. following a sixth-place finish in the Oaklawn Handicap The Oaklawn Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Oaklawn Park each year. The race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. A Grade II event, it carries a purse of $500,000. in Arkansas. ``He just didn't go the way we wanted him to go,'' West said. ``We recommended to the owners not to run because we didn't think he was 100 percent.'' But the owners, who race as Cuadra TYT Inc., put off the decision until Luthier Fever's next workout. And on Thursday, the horse rolled through a :47 2/5-second half-mile, the second-fastest of the morning at Santa Anita. Only then did the Lanzagortas pay the $7,500 entry fee. ``I just think he's a work or two away from running his best race,'' said West, whose father was in Mexico City with the owners and unavailable for comment. ``(But) he's not going to run a half-mile and quit or anything.'' The Gold Cup is 1-1/4 miles. Kent Desormeaux Kent J. Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970, in Maurice, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year. is scheduled to ride Luthier Fever. The Gold Cup winner will earn $600,000, the next four finishers smaller amounts. To stay eligible for a bonus, all Luthier Fever has to do is come out of the starting gate starting gate n. Sports 1. A series of stalls with interconnected doors that open simultaneously at the beginning of a race. 2. . The same applies to Santa Anita Handicap winner Mr Purple and fourth-place finisher Helmsman, the only other horses from that race in this one. Mr Purple can win a $2 million bonus if he sweeps the three-race series. The smaller ``participation bonus'' will be divided up based on points earned by horses who start every race - $250,000 to the top performer, $125,000 for second, $75,000 for third. Mr Purple has 10 points, Luthier Fever seven, Helmsman three going into the Gold Cup. West said the intention is to win the Gold Cup. ``We're sure giving it our 100 percent,'' West said. ``We just don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what the horse is capable of doing.'' Such an admission is unusual for trainers, whose pre-big-race assessments usually run the gamut from ``he's working great'' to ``he's never been better.'' Nobody is rushing to criticize Luthier Fever's owners or trainer, but honesty in circumstances similar to theirs has drawn something less than praise in the past. In 1993, trainer Gary Jones Gary Jones is the name of:
Coincidentally, Jones trained Luthier Fever before parting with the Lanzagortas a few days before the Santa Anita Handicap. Friday, Hollywood Park racing secretary Martin Panza praised West for being ``honest and up-front.'' ``I think Ted West is doing what is economically practical for his owners to make money in this game,'' Panza said, choosing his words carefully. ``Ted West is a good enough horseman that he won't run a horse who's got something wrong with him. ``Obviously a gambler has to take (form questions) into account.'' However he finishes, the horse could be a tactical factor in the race because of his early speed, which has put him in the lead after half a mile in 13 of his 23 races. ``If he's feeling good and has some speed, anything can happen,'' said Gene Short, the agent who accepted the mount for Desormeaux. Horses coming off layoffs must demonstrate fitness to racetrack stewards in workouts. Luthier Fever - unraced in 85 days, missing hoped-for starts in the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap The Mervyn LeRoy Handicap is a race for Thoroughbred horses run at Hollywood Park Racetrack each year. Open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt, the Mervyn LeRoy is a prep to the Hollywood Gold Cup. and the Californian - has far exceeded the requirement: two workouts, including one of at least 5 furlongs. ``He (West) is a good horseman, and I see no reason to think he'd run a horse who wasn't ready to run his best race,'' said Darrell McHargue, one of the three Hollywood Park stewards. But McHargue said the younger West's remarks raise ``a fair question for any bettor.'' Notes: Los Alamitos' ``jockey challenge'' tonight will feature thoroughbred riders Kent Desormeaux, Chris Antley, Corey Nakatani and Russell Baze, and quarterhorse riders Joe Badilla, Kip Didericksen, Eddie Garcia and Roman Figueroa in two quarterhorse races. Desormeaux was the points winner the past two years. . . . Flying in the Lane, drawn outside going 5-1/2 furlongs on turf, is favored in the $100,000 Valkyr Handicap for fillies and mares today at Hollywood Park. . . . The races will start at noon, an hour earlier than usual, on Sunday. The Hollywood Gold Cup, the fifth race, at 2:10 p.m., will be on ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network . . . . Larry the Legend worked again (5 furlongs in 1:01 1/5 at Santa Anita) en route to a comeback. . . . Chris Antley wound up with five winners Thursday, his California best. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Luthier Fever isn't in optimal fitness for t he Hollywood Gold Cup, but potential bonus money impacted the decision. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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