BREEDERS' CUP NOTEBOOK: FORGET THE MUSIC, HEF'S THE HORSE.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer Among the runners in Saturday's Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982 by a consortium of North American racing organizations, led by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. races are a 3-year-old sprinter named Stravinsky and a 2-year-old colt named Brahms. A 2-year-old colt named Bach didn't make the cut. Odd, but the horses named for classical composers aren't piquing quite the same curiosity as a 2-year-old colt called Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (born April 9, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois), also referred to colloquially as Hef,[1] is the founder, editor-in-chief, and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises[2]. He is the majority owner of Playboy Enterprise Inc. . ``For a horse that's 30-1 (on the Juvenile morning line), there's been a lot of attention,'' said trainer Marty Jones Marty Jones (born September 26, 1945) is a retired English professional wrestler best known for his work in All Star Promotions throughout the 1980s and 90's. Jones was also responsible for training Darren Matthews[1]. , who, as a single man of 28, understands. The horse was named for the Playboy founder by breeder-owner Ed Nahem, a former art and antiques dealer who's a Playboy Mansion party-goer. ``People asked to name horses for him for 30 years, and he said no,'' Nahem said. ``But I wrote him a letter and told him this horse had the potential to be exceptional.'' Hugh Hefner ran away with a Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
As of 2006, Nakatani has won more than 3000 races including the Kentucky Oaks twice, the Canadian International Stakes, the Dubai Golden will ride him here. No, neither the horse nor the jockey will wear pajamas pajamas Noun, pl US pyjamas pajamas npl (US) → pijama msg; piyama msg (LAM . But enough about Hef the horse. Hef himself is expected at Gulfstream for the race - ``and they say he's got entourage,'' Jones said Thursday morning with a gleam in his eye. ``I was going to dress my groom up like a Playboy bunny A Playboy Bunny was a waitress at the Playboy Clubs (open 1960–1988). They wore a costume called a bunny suit inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot, consisting of a corset, bunny ears, a collar, cuffs, and a fluffy cottontail. ,'' Jones said. ``He didn't think much of the idea.'' After the stakes victory, Nahem and Jones were invited to Hefner's Halloween party. But Jones didn't get to meet Hefner. ``He was busy,'' Jones said. ``He had his hands full.'' Don't worry about him: Gary Stevens is pleasantly surprised to have six Breeders' Cup mounts, three for Saudi Prince Ahmed Salman's Thoroughbred Corp., for which he rides under contract. The contract, which brought Stevens back from England this summer, has cut into his business with other clients, notably Bob Baffert's barn. ``But that's something I took into consideration before I signed,'' Stevens said. ``The tradeoff's been well worth it.'' The contract gives Stevens security, a future in Thoroughbred Corp. management, and the satisfaction of helping to develop 2-year-olds like Anees (Juvenile) and Spain (Juvenile Fillies). Kid stuff: Owner Trudy McCaffery (Free House, Bien Bien) of Bradbury doesn't have a horse in the Breeders' Cup. She's at Gulfstream to chaperone chaperone /chap·er·one/ (shap´er-on) someone or something that accompanies and oversees another. molecular chaperone four kids - ages 9 to 16 - whose trips to the event are sponsored by racing associations and other donors. The ``Kids to the Cup'' program grew this summer out of various racing fan clubs on the Internet. ``To me it's very important. They're our (sport's) future,'' McCaffery said. ``We don't want to lose these kids to NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. .'' Information: horsesetc.com. Is this the year? Alex Solis has ridden in 27 Breeders' Cup races and never won, although he finished second aboard Bertrando (against Arazi in the 1991 Juvenile), La Spia (jumping shadows in the 1991 Juvenile Fillies) and three other horses. ``I don't believe in (jinxes),'' Solis said. ``You've got to see things the way I do. I come from a tiny town in Panama with 2,000 people. I see how far I've come, and I have nothing but gratitude.'' Solis' mounts Saturday include Ecton Park (Classic), Dixie Union (Juvenile) and Kona Gold (Sprint). Leave your hat on: The television audience might see jockeys and trainers wearing caps advertising Youbet.com, the internet wagering concern, in postrace interviews. They're paid as much as four figures for national shows like the Breeders' Cup. |
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