THESE DAYS, JUST CALL HIM BOB BAFFLING.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 - A lot of turf writers are knocking Bob Baffert Bob Baffert (born January 13, 1953 in Nogales, Arizona) is an American horse owner and trainer. He graduated from the University of Arizona's Racetrack Management Program with a Bachelor of Science degree. these days. They should be thanking him. Before last Saturday, those of us with Eclipse Awards ballots were unsure how to vote this year in the Outstanding Trainer category. Then Baffert entered Officer in the California Cup Juvenile and Bobby Frankel became an easy choice. Frankel and Baffert, both Southern California-based former Eclipse winners, are lengths in front of their rivals around the country with two months left in the season. Let's compare their barns' performances in 2001. Wins - Edge to Baffert, 114-92, as the racing week began. Winning percentages - Edge to Frankel, 26.7 to 20.7 percent. Earnings - Baffert, $15.1 million to $13.1 million. Earnings per race - Frankel, $38,267 to $27,522. Stakes wins - Frankel, 43-25 (unofficial count). Grade I stakes wins - Frankel, 14-10. Triple Crown wins - Baffert, two (Point Given's Preakness and Belmont) to zero. 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. wins - Frankel, one (Squirtle Squirt's Sprint) to zero. Horses getting votes in latest NTRA NTRA National Thoroughbred Racing Association NTRA National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (Egypt) NTRA National Training Reform Agenda NTRA Nano Technology Research Association (Korea) poll - Frankel, five (Lido Palace, Squirtle Squirt, Aptitude, Skimming, Flute) to one (Officer). And the clincher clinch·er n. 1. One that clinches, as: a. A nail, screw, or bolt for clinching. b. A tool for clinching nails, screws, or bolts. 2. ... Bonehead plays - Edge to Frankel, zero to one. Training and managing horses is all about making decisions. Even great trainers blow a few. But Baffert's decision to bring Officer back on short rest in the Cal Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of - is the horse-racing equivalent of letting a World Series ground ball skip between your legs. Officer and jockey Gary Stevens finished second to Yougottawanna and Laffit Pincay in the 1 1/16-mile race restricted to Cal-breds, looking nothing like the colt who began with five victories by a combined 26 easy lengths. Having rationalized his decision before the race by saying Officer didn't run hard while finishing fifth at the Breeders' Cup, Baffert rationalized it afterward by saying the son of Bertrando will benefit from the experience of trying to come from behind in a 12-horse field. From the outside, Baffert looked like a gambler who loses a bet on a sure thing, thinks the racing gods owe him one and doubles his wager. This isn't a second-guess, either. Writers and other trainers questioned Baffert's judgment before the Cal Cup. Now Baffert indicates he'll run Officer again this year in the Dec. 15 Hollywood Futurity. Feel free to speculate on whether the lack of a winter break will hurt the colt many had - as recently as two weeks ago - touted for the 2002 Kentucky Derby. The only injury so far is to the trainer's reputation. --Hold all tickets: In the battle for the leading-jockey honor at the Hollywood Park autumn meet a year ago, Pincay finished in a second-place tie with Alex Solis with 31 victories, one fewer than Victor Espinoza. Or so they thought at the time. Officially, the standings aren't settled yet. In May, the California Horse Racing Board revealed that a filly named Phone Love tested positive for the sedative sedative, any of a variety of drugs that relieve anxiety. Most sedatives act as mild depressants of the nervous system, lessening general nervous activity or reducing the irritability or activity of a specific organ. meprobamate meprobamate (məprō`bəmāt'), tranquilizing drug that acts as a depressant of the central nervous system and is commonly used in the treatment of anxiety and sometimes schizophrenia. following a Dec. 20, 2000 victory at Hollywood Park. In August, the Del Mar stewards stripped Phone Love of the victory. The ruling is under appeal. But if it stands, the disqualification of Phone Love, ridden by Iggy Puglisi, would make a winner of runner-up Desiraes My Candy, ridden by Pincay. The victory would lift Pincay into a 32-32 tie with Espinoza for the co- championship. If Pincay gets credit for another title, it will mean he has led the past five meets held at Hollywood Park and Santa Anita. Such a streak at the major Los Angeles-area tracks has been accomplished only once since the Hollywood Park autumn meet debuted in 1981. Solis led five in a row in 1996-97. --Hangin' 'em up: Fantastic Light, the Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. The race's current title sponsor is John Deere. winner, has been retired at age 5 and will begin stud duty in Newmarket, England. The Godolphin-owned horse competed in five countries during a 25-race career that produced 12 victories and $7,434,321 in earnings. Having run a few times on this continent, Fantastic Light qualifies for the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. all-time earnings list, ranking third behind Cigar ($9,999,815) and Skip Away ($9,616,360). His retirement affects plans for two Southern California horses. With Fantastic Light out of the Japan Cup on Nov. 25, Timboroa will be sent to that $4.3 million race by Frankel. And as long as Frankel is sending Timboroa, he figures he might as well send Lido Palace to a $2.3 million race at the same track the day before. Other post-Breeders' Cup retirees include Aptitude, Albert the Great, Galileo, El Corredor, City Zip and Brahms. --Crime rate down? Going into Wednesday's Hollywood Park opener, there hadn't been a postrace inquiry or objection at a Southern California track since Sept. 29, when Roman Dancer was disqualified dis·qual·i·fy tr.v. dis·qual·i·fied, dis·qual·i·fy·ing, dis·qual·i·fies 1. a. To render unqualified or unfit. b. To declare unqualified or ineligible. 2. from third to fourth for interference in the Norfolk Stakes. Just when the stewards thought they could relax, the law of averages caught up with them. In Wednesday's fifth race, stewards Tom Ward, David Samuel and George Slender disqualified two of the five horses for interference. Penalized pe·nal·ize tr.v. pe·nal·ized, pe·nal·iz·ing, pe·nal·iz·es 1. To subject to a penalty, especially for infringement of a law or official regulation. See Synonyms at punish. 2. were first-place Tavasco and third-place Martel. Forest Camp became the winner. In Thursday's fifth, the stewards rejected an interference claim by Tyler Baze, rider of runner-up California Sage, following the victory by Thrillion. And in Thursday's seventh, they let another result stand despite an interference claim by Goncalino Almeida, rider of runner-up Sissi Song, after the win by She Rocks. OUT OF THE GATE SANTA ANITA STANDINGS Oak Tree final leaders Jockeys Wins Laffit Pincay 33 Alex Solis 31 Kent Desormaux 25 Jose Valdivia Jr. 16 Eddie Delahoussaye 15 Martin Pedroza 15 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 14 Mike Smith 13 Trainers Wins Bill Spawr 13 Richard Mandella 10 Jack Carava 9 Bob Baffert 7 Bobby Frankel 7 Bob Hess Jr. 7 Mike Machowsky 6 Jack Van Berg John Charles Van Berg (born June 7, 1936 in Columbus, Nebraska) is an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his father is Hall of Fame trainer, Marion Van Berg. 6 PINCAY WATCH Laffit Pincay, who has won 277 stakes at Hollywood Park, and Chris McCarron, who has won 278, can surpass Bill Shoemaker's record 280 during the 31-day season that opened Wednesday. Pincay's all-time record wins total stands at 9,253. ON THE STAKES SCHEDULE Hollywood Park Saturday --$100,000 Matiara Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/8 miles on turf Sunday --$70,000 Steinlen, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles on turf Aqueduct Saturday --$150,000 Long Island Handicap The Long Island Handicap is a race for Thoroughbred horses held each November at Aqueduct Racetrack. The race is for fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race the one and one-half miles on the turf. , 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/2 miles on turf Churchill Downs Saturday --$150,000 Cardinal, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles on turf Sunday --$150,000 River City Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles on turf A WEEK AT THE RACES At The Races is a British television channel, originally co-founded with Channel 4, but now owned by a partnership between British Sky Broadcasting, Arena Leisure PLC and 28 (out of the 59) UK racecourses. The bottom line had a familiar slant at the Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American not-for-profit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. History In 1968, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club the operators of Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California decided to meet that ended Monday at Santa Anita: Overall wagering was up (3.6 percent, to $10.1 million a day), and on-site attendance was down (5.7 percent, to 10,532 a day). The betting handle of $19.9 million on last Saturday's California Cup races set a Cal Cup record. The announced attendance of 37,184 is misleading because of the track's sweatshirt giveaway. ... Wagering from all points on the Oct. 27 Breeders' Cup dipped 2.3 percent to $98.7 million, but the on-site betting of $13 million at Belmont Park was a new high for the New York track. ... Breeders' Cup TV ratings hit a new low, down 5.5 percent from 2000. NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. blames competition for viewers from the Oklahoma-Nebraska football game. ... Bobby Frankel can add to his nation-leading stakes-wins total at Hollywood Park in Saturday's Matiara Stakes (Heads Will Roll, Waki Music) and Sunday's Steinlen (Auction House, Blu Air Force). ... Tiznow's repeat victory in 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. sent him back to the top of the NTRA poll. Turf winner Fantastic Light is No. 2, Classic runner-up Sakhee No. 3. ... Retired trainer Tony Chavez died last week at age 77. Chavez saddled only 24 winners, but one of them made history. El Toreo gave Laffit Pincay his 8,000th victory in 1993 at Del Mar. ... Victor Espinoza, along with eastern-based Edgar Prado, will represent the United States in the World Super Jockeys Championship in Japan Dec. 1 and 2. ... Bonnie Heath, co-owner of 1965 Kentucky Derby winner Needles and a pioneering Florida breeder, died Sunday in Ocala at 85. ... Hollywood Park racing starts at 7 p.m. today. Next Friday's program also will be under the lights. - Kevin Modesti CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: no caption (Laffit Pincay) Box: OUT OF THE GATE (see text) |
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