WANTED: HONEST LADY; NIKKI STEVENS READIES FILLY FOR SANTA ANITA.Byline: Fred J. Robledo Long before she married Gary Stevens
Any member of the ungulate family Equidae, which includes the modern horses, zebras, and asses, all in the genus Equus, as well as more than 60 species known only from fossils. Equines descended from the dawn horse (see Eohippus). College. That training will come in handy Verb 1. come in handy - be useful for a certain purpose be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" Saturday, when Nikki will have dual interests in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. . In addition to rooting for her husband, who will be aboard the Bob Baffert-trained General Challenge, Nikki will keep an eye on the only filly filly young female horse up to first breeding or 4 years, then a maiden mare. Called filly foal up to weaning, then weanling filly to 1 year, then yearling filly to 2 years. in Saturday's race. Honest Lady, the first filly to start the Santa Anita Derby since Sharp Cat in 1997, is trained by Bobby Frankel. He credits Nikki for getting the horse into top racing form rac·ing form n. An information sheet about horseraces. . ``She was the one who got (Honest Lady) to the point where she wanted to train,'' Frankel said of Nikki. ``I haven't been around her too much, but she did a nice job with this filly and certainly deserves credit for that.'' Nikki, who said she started riding Honest Lady in a gentle manner, says there was no secret, just a female touch. ``I treated her like a woman,'' Nikki said with a laugh. ``We all know what we're like. ``She has the ability, but things all have to go right. She's not invincible, but she will give you 100 percent.'' This week has special meaning for the couple, especially for Nikki. ``For exercise riders, this is what it's all about, to get one that ends up being good,'' Nikki said. ``I went over to Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
``But obviously, my priorities are with my husband. I'm behind him all the way and he supports me all the way.'' And what does Gary Stevens think of Honest Lady's chances? ``You know, he's a good judge,'' Nikki said. ``But if he felt she was going to win, I'm sure he would have pushed to get on her.'' One might say Stevens pushed to marry Nikki. They dated for all of two weeks before becoming engaged. They were married last May. ``We just went out one night and that was it,'' remembers Nikki, who says she was friends with Stevens for a long time prior to their first date. The two spent countless mornings at the Arcadia track. For Stevens, having Nikki nearby day and night relieves some pressure for one of the nation's most accomplished jockeys. ``She makes (life) easier for me,'' Gary said. ``She knows the pressures that I'm under from her close connections with the sport and is understanding of the travel that I do. To have somebody I can talk to about it and having her understand all of that is really helpful to me.'' ``Being with Gary is great because we have so much in common,'' Nikki said. ``We'll sit in the bath late at night and go on talking and talking about our thoughts. ``I've been through Equine College so I know my stuff. Most of my (knowledge) is through the books and Gary's is like first-hand experience. We swap our ideas and both of them seem quite logical.'' Owned by Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a famous and award-winning horse breeding farm, owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.[1] Juddmonte Farms consists of a variety of individual farms, comprised of three in England, two in Ireland, and one in Kentucky. , Honest Lady has won 2 of 3 starts and $85,480. She finished fifth, beaten by a length, in the Feb. 28 San Rafael Stakes The San Rafael Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park, located in Arcadia, California. The race is a Grade II event with a purse of $150,000 and is open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. , won by Desert Hero. Stevens, who admits he will be rooting for Nikki as well, will have these thoughts as he leaves the gate. ``She's obviously got a big interest in Honest Lady,'' Gary said. ``But should my horse not run well or something, then I would be rooting for her. ``I'm real proud of her. She's a great horsewoman, and to see somebody else have faith in what she does on a horse makes me real proud.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) Honest Lady, ridden by Marco Ramirez after a workout Workout Informal repayment or loan forgiveness arrangement between a borrower and creditors. workout 1. The process of a debtor's meeting a loan commitment by satisfying altered repayment terms. , will run in Saturday's Santa Anita Derby. Benoit Photo/Associated Press |
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