HORSE RACING; BIG PEGASUS PRICE: A PLUS OR PROBLEM?Byline: Kevin Modesti Horse Racing horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with INGLEWOOD - The sale of Fusaichi Pegasus Fusaichi Pegasus (pronounced [ɸɯ.sa.i.tɕi]) (foaled April 12, 1997) was purchased as a yearling for $4 million by Fusao Sekiguchi. for a record price reported at $60-70 million is either really, really good news or really, really bad news for horse racing fans. But cool your celebration or hand-wringing. One thing the sale is not is part of a trend. It took a combination of circumstances - unlikely to be repeated soon - to produce the extraordinary price promised by the Kentucky branch of an Irish breeding operation for the right to stand the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. winner at stud near Lexington starting in 2001. --Fusaichi Pegasus isn't just any Derby winner but an unusually impressive one, and the first winning Derby favorite since Spectacular Bid in 1979. --The colt has raced only seven times - winning five - and hasn't exposed weaknesses that a longer career would inevitably give away. --The death of Mr. Prospector Mr. Prospector (1970-1999) was a thoroughbred racehorse who won half of his 14 career starts, but whose descendants have come to dominate the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. An also-ran in the year the great Secretariat won the Triple Crown, Mr. at age 29 last year might have increased the demand for his bloodline blood·line n. The direct line of descent; a pedigree. , and Fusaichi Pegasus is a son of that great stallion. --Fusaichi Pegasus' owner, Fusao Sekiguchi of Japan, was looking to part with the horse completely, not to retain a share of the breeding rights, and had no connection with any breeding farm. Thus he cared about nothing but the sale price. --The rising popularity of standing stallions in the Southern Hemisphere during the Northern Hemisphere breeding offseason has increased potential revenue, giving farms the chance to turn profits on ever-more-enormous investments. --The growth of horse-owner partnerships has increased the number of mare owners willing and able to pay the $200,000-per-foal fee that Ashford Stud, a division of John Magnier's Coolmore Stud, reportedly will demand for Fusaichi Pegasus' services in Kentucky. --Interest in the colt produced unusually frenzied, auction-style bidding among breeding farms in Kentucky and overseas. --The breeding market in general is relatively healthy right now. This sale, which bested the 1983 price of $40 million for Shareef Dancer, reflects the widely upbeat attitude about racing economics, and that's why some view it as good news for the industry. ``A lot of people say racing is done, but it isn't done if people are willing to pay that much money for a stallion,'' said Joe Orseno, the trainer of Red Bullet, the colt who upset Fusaichi Pegasus in the Preakness Stakes. ``I don't think it says every Derby winner is going to be worth $60-70 million,'' said Todd Pletcher, who trained four of the horses Fusaichi Pegasus outran out·ran v. Past tense of outrun. in the Derby. ``I think it says that the market is healthy enough that when the right horse comes along, there are going to be people who are willing to pay $200,000 to breed to him.'' Why might it be bad news? Because the biggest star in North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. racing is going to be retired at the end of his 3-year-old season so his purchasers can begin to recoup their purchase price. The plan apparently calls for Fusaichi Pegasus to remain under Sekiguchi's ownership and Hollywood Park-based trainer Neil Drysdale's management through the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs. Unraced since a minor 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. injury kept him out of the Belmont Stakes, Fusaichi Pegasus is expected to resume training in the next week, and race at least once before the Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. . ``I think it's great,'' said Jim Bond, the trainer of Behrens, about the Fusaichi Pegasus deal. ``The only problem I have with it is the thought that a horse can have one or two (major winning) races and command this amount of money. It just seems that durability has nothing to do with it anymore. I 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. if that's good for our industry. I like to see horses who stay around for a while.'' Behrens certainly is one of those, which is Bond's point. Behrens is 6 years old, has won 9 of 23 starts, and is the richest active thoroughbred with more than $4.2 million in purses. But nobody is talking about $60 million for his future in the breeding shed. ``Durabilitywise, he'd be worth twice as much as this,'' Bond said. --The weekend: Hollywood Park has scheduled six stakes during the holiday racing week that began Thursday and runs through Tuesday, the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. . Expected highlights include Saturday's Affirmed Handicap (with Dixie Union prepping for the July 23 Swaps), Sunday's Beverly Hills Handicap The Beverly Hills Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late June at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The Grade II un over a distance of 1 ¼ miles on turf, the race is open to fillies and mares three years of age and older. (with Happyanunoit, Astra and possibly Spanish Fern fighting for the top of the local fillies-and-mares turf division), and Tuesday's American Handicap (led by Dark Moondancer). Out of town, Tuesday's Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park is the week's big race. Behrens, in his first start since finishing second to Dubai Millennium in the Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Horse Racing Authority (EHRA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, , faces Lemon Drop Kid Lemon Drop Kid (foaled 1996) is a Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse. He is among many stakes-winning Thoroughbreds to be descended from Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. Seattle Slew is the sire of his dam, Charming Lassie. and others. --Looking ahead: K One King, last week's big addition to the 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. , is this week's big dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human after coming up with a right foreleg injury. But Bond-trained Pleasant Breeze has been added to the field for the $1 million Gold Cup on July 9. The 5-year-old son of Pleasant Tap finished second to Golden Missile in the Pimlico Special before finishing seventh in the Massachusetts Handicap. The Gold Cup probables (until further notice): Big Ten, Cat Thief, Chester House, David, Early Pioneer, General Challenge, Out of Mind and Pleasant Breeze. OUT OF THE GATE HOLLYWOOD PARK LEADERS (Through Sunday) JOCKEYS Victor Espinoza 41 wins Corey Nakatani 36 David Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the 27 Laffit Pincay 26 Kent Desormeaux 25 TRAINERS Bob Baffert 19 Clifford Sise 16 Richard Mandella 15 Bobby Frankel 13 Vladimir Cerin 11 PINCAY UPDATE Laffit Pincay posted his third stakes victory of the Hollywood Park season when Squirtle Squirt won Sunday's Haggin Stakes for 2-year-olds. Pincay now has ridden exactly 100 winners more than Bill Shoemaker's old record of 8,833. THE STAKES SCHEDULE HOLLYWOOD PARK Saturday $125,000 Affirmed Handicap 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles $75,000 Valkyr Handicap California-bred fillies and mares 3 and up, 5 1/2 furlongs on turf Sunday $250,000 Beverly Hills Handicap fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/4 miles on turf $75,000 Arbor Vitae Stakes 3-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs Monday $75,000 Harry Henson 3-year-olds, 6 1/2 furlongs Tuesday $150,000 American Handicap 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles on turf. BELMONT PARK/New York Saturday $250,000 Mother Goose 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/8 miles Tuesday $500,000 Suburban Handicap 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/4 miles. MONMOUTH PARK/New Jersey Saturday $350,000 United Nations Handicap 3-year-olds and up, 1 3/8 miles on turf Tuesday $200,000 Molly Pitcher Handicap fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/16 miles. MILEPOSTS Jockey Robbie Albarado announced he will ride at Hollywood Park and Del Mar after the Churchill Downs meet closes July 9. The Louisiana-born Albarado, 26, has won titles at Arlington, the Fair Grounds and Oaklawn, and has ridden horses in the Midwest for several California trainers, including Captain Steve for Bob Baffert in the Kentucky Derby. . . . Stephen Foster Handicap The Stephen Foster Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run in mid June at the end of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The Stephen Foster Handicap is run on the dirt at a distance of one and one-eighth miles. winner Golden Missile has taken the No. 1 spot from Fusaichi Pegasus in the NTRA NTRA National Thoroughbred Racing Association NTRA National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (Egypt) NTRA National Training Reform Agenda NTRA Nano Technology Research Association (Korea) poll. . . . The Los Alamitos quarterhorses run tonight through Monday this week. Monday's program will start earlier than usual at 5:30 p.m. The Orange County track plans its fourth annual ``Rumble at the Races'' on Saturday, July 8; six four-round boxing matches will be held between races. - Kevin Modesti CAPTION(S): box Box: OUT OF THE GATE (see text) |
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