Haynesfield broke alertly under Ramon Dominguez and stalked pacesetter Redding Colliery from close range through moderate opening fractions of 24.25 seconds and 48.84. He wrested command approaching the stretch, just after six furlongs in 1:13.46, drew clear through midstretch after a mile in 1:37.51, and was under mild urging to win by 4 1/2 lengths as the third choice in a field of five.

     “He was very relaxed,” Dominguez said. “When it was time to pick it up, he was there for me. Once he’s on his game, he can be in front, or when the pace is right, he can sit just off. He’s very versatile.”

      Bad Action, coming off a win in the Grade 3 Pegasus, finished gamely and edged 3-5 favorite Gone Astray for second by a neck as the longest shot in the field at 14-1. Gone Astray was a bit reluctant to load into the gate, and the 122-pound highweight came up empty when set down at the quarter pole. Redding Colliery faded to fourth. Birdrun, the 5-2 second choice, stumbled badly at the start and trailed throughout.

     Haynesfield ($9.90), trained by Steve Asmussen, ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.10 over a fast main track. He improved to 6-1-1 from 9 career starts, including three stakes wins on the inner track last winter.

       “He’s definitely grown into himself,” assistant trainer Toby Sheets said.

QUALITY ROAD PASSES MORE TESTS

          Quality Road had a dress rehearsal Saturday morning for a potential start in the Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile, and the reviews were favorable. He was shipped over from Belmont at about 6 a.m., spent several hours in the receiving barn, was saddled in the paddock, jogged down to the chute under John Velazquez, and loaded into the gate several times without incident under the supervision of former NYRA starter Bob Duncan.

      “He handled it the same way he’s handled schooling all week – perfectly,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.

ROSARIO HEARING GRAGS ON

       Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form reports, a long-delayed hearing into charges by the California Horse Racing Board that jockey Joel Rosario “did not put forward his best effort riding his horse to the finish line” in a race at Del Mar on Sept. 6 began Thursday at Hollywood Park. But testimony dragged and only three witnesses were called in nearly two hours before the hearing was adjourned until Dec. 3.

     Luis Jauregui, a former jockey who is now the local safety steward, testified as a witness for the racing board, while retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens – now a trainer – and Darrell Haire, the Western regional manager for the Jockeys’ Guild, testified on behalf of Rosario.

     The charges were filed by the state racing board more than two months ago, following a complaint by John Glenney, who trains and co-owns Cedros, Rosario’s mount in the 11th race on Sept. 6. According to the race’s official chart, Cedros “fell back some leaving the second turn and angled in, continued along the rail in the stretch and was edged for the show.” He finished a head behind the third-place finisher, Never.

      Glenney at the time said that Vic Stauffer, Rosario’s agent, called him after the race and inquired whether Cedros was for sale.

     “After an exchange of unpleasantries, a remark was made as to whether Mr. Glenney would sell the horse,” Kenneth Jones, the attorney general prosecuting the case, said during his opening remarks Thursday. “We are not presenting this case as involving a larger conspiracy. The focus is on the ride in question.”

     After viewing video of the race from several angles, Jauregui testified that, in his opinion, Rosario “wasn’t giving it down the lane.”

    Stevens said he thought Cedros “was green, lacking experience,” and cited several points in the race where he believed Cedros was trying to lug in.

     Tom Ward, Ingrid Fermin, and Scott Chaney were the stewards at Del Mar this summer. Ward and Chaney are stewards at Hollywood Park this fall, along with Randy Winick. Chaney is scheduled to testify as a witness at the hearing. Ward was not put on the panel by the racing board. The stewards hearing the case are Winick, along with Albert Christiansen and Kim Sawyer, both of whom are currently working at Los Alamitos.

     “Don’t know yet,” Pletcher said at his Belmont Park office. “He will go to Aqueduct today to school in the paddock around 11 a.m., and he’ll go in the starting gate around 11:15. He’ll probably breeze on Sunday, and we’ll see how that goes.”

     Owned by Edward Evans, Quality Road threw a fit before the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, balking at loading into the gate and cutting himself, necessitating a scratch.

      Several days later, he resisted attempts to be loaded onto a plane returning to New York. He wound up being vanned from coast to coast with a stopover at Churchill Downs.

      Pletcher said Quality Road has been “perfect” since returning to Belmont, patiently enduring gate schooling supervised by Bob Duncan, the former starter for the New York Racing Association, and current members of the gate crew.

      “Since shipping, he’s handled everything and done as well as we could hope for,” Pletcher said. “Obviously, this wouldn’t be the way you would draw it up.”

      Pletcher is also pointing Munnings to the Cigar Mile. A 3-year-old, Munnings has run third in his last three outings, all Grade 1 stakes: the Haskell Invitational, the King’s Bishop, and the Vosburgh.

      The Cigar Mile would be Munnings’ third race beyond seven furlongs, but Pletcher pointed to the Haskell, a 1 1/8-mile race, as evidence he could handle the distance.

      “He was right there at the eighth pole,” Pletcher said. “He was just beaten out for second by Summer Bird. Obviously, Rachel Alexandra was an impressive winner, but I thought he held in there well.”

      The Cigar Mile is the main event among the six graded stakes here over Thanksgiving weekend.

TINY WOODS 9-TO-5 FAVORITE IN GOLDEN NUGGET STAKES

     Tiny Woods was favored in his first two races and he’s expected to be the betting choice again today when he competes in the $50,000 Golden Nugget Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Albany.

       The Golden Nugget is a six-furlong race for 2-year-olds that attracted a field of eight.  Tiny Woods, a colt who hails from the powerful barn of Bob Baffert, is the 9-to-5 favorite on the morning line.

         Tiny Woods went off as an 8-to-5 favorite in his debut at Del Mar on July 25 and lived up to expectations, winning a 5 1/2-furlong maiden allowance dash by a head in a game effort.

      Tiny Woods was shipped across the country for his next race, the Grade 2 Saratoga Special at Saratoga Race Course in New York on Aug. 20.  Sent to the starting gate as a lukewarm 5-to-2 favorite, Tiny Woods set the pace in the 6 1/2-furlong feature before tiring in the stretch to finish seventh, beaten 21 1/4 lengths by winner D’Funnybone.

      Tiny Woods has had plenty of time to rebound from the Saratoga Special and a recent workout – six furlongs from the gate in 1:12 2/5 handily – indicates he is entering the Golden Nugget sharp.

       Tiny Woods is a Florida-bred son of Roman Ruler who was purchased as a yearling for $180,000.  Owned by Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable, Tiny Woods will be ridden in the Golden Nugget by Southern California-based jockey Jose Valdivia, Jr.

       The 5-to-2 second choice on the Golden Nugget morning line is Sourdough Sam, who has won both of his starts in impressive fashion.  Sourdough Sam overcame tons of trouble to win his debut by six lengths and then proved the victory was no fluke when he won an allowance sprint with an explosive late kick.

     Dean Pederson trains Sourdough Sam, a California-bred son of Decarchy who races for owner-breeder John Nicoletti.  Sourdough Sam will be ridden by Inoel Beato.

      The field for the Golden Nugget, in post position order with riders and morning-line odds, is as follows: Our Minesweeper, William Antongeorgi III, 5-to-1; Shudacudawudya, Francisco Duran, 4-to-1; R El Jefe, Leslie Mawing, 15-to-1; Sourdough Sam, Beato, 5-to-2; Tango Tango, Russell Baze, 10-to-1; Seven Torrents, Mario Gutierrez, 20-to-1; Very Fair, Frank Alvarado, 12-to-1; and Tiny Woods, Valdivia, 9-to-5.  All of the starters carry 119 pounds.

NICK’S PICKS: 1. Tiny Woods (third $2.60). 2. Sourdough Sam (second $3, $2.20). 3. Our Minesweeper (fourth). 4. Shudacudawudya (first $21.40, $7.40, $3.60). If you boxed all four the superfecta would have paid $262.30)

HOLLYWOOD PARK - 28th running of the $100,000 Hollywood Prevue, a Grade II going seven furlongs on the all-weather surface.

NICK’S PICKS - 1. Macias (fourth). 2. Seattle Ruler (third $6.80). 3. Indian Firewater (fifth). 4. American Lion (first $3.40, $2.80, $2.60).

NOTES OF INTEREST FROM THE CHRB MEETING

      The commissioners and industry leaders discussed at length two proposed 2010 racing calendars for Northern California, focusing on the summer fair schedule. One proposal submitted jointly by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), and Golden Gate Fields would allocate a disputed week of racing that includes Labor Day, September 6, 2010, to Golden Gate. An alternative calendar submitted by the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) would allocate that week to Pleasanton as part of CARF’s meet at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The two proposed calendars agree in all other respects.

     Chairman Harris introduced another consideration when he suggested that the Humboldt County Fair meet in Ferndale, which always has run overlapped with at least one other fair or thoroughbred meet in Northern California, perhaps should have an opportunity to run at least one of its two weeks without overlap. This would allow Ferndale to be the host track that week and make them more self-sufficient, and also give most other horses in the circuit a break that would help increase field sizes at other meets. Harris commented, “Ferndale is a very historic and well-liked racing venue and deserves some consideration. Racing needs some new ideas.” To provide a non-overlapped week at Ferndale could require shifting the dates of other meets, and primarily for that reason, the Board delayed approving the Northern California thoroughbred and fair meets calendar. A meeting has been tentatively scheduled for December 17 to consider and approve a final 2010 calendar.

 Jean Anderson contributed to this report

     Baze won three races Thursday – the ninth straight racing day in which he has won at least two races.  Baze is averaging two wins a day through the first 20 days of the fall/winter meeting and tops the rider standings with 41 victories.

       Jockeys Frank Alvarado and William Antongeorgi III both had riding doubles Thursday and rank second and third, respectively, in the jockey standings.  Alvarado has won 26 races; Antongeorgi 16.

    In recording his riding triple, Baze won the first race with Luberon ($4.00), the fifth with Bonita Birdie ($7.00) and the seventh with Venatrix ($5.60).

     Alvarado took the third race with Moon Quist Rose ($5.80) and the eighth with Griffinstown ($5.40), while Antongeorgi captured the fourth with Peek a Boop ($17.80) and the sixth with Wrath of Evan ($10.20).

     Steve Sherman, who trains both Luberon and Peek a Boop, took sole possession of first place in the trainer standings with the victories. Sherman holds a 15-13 lead over Jerry Hollendorfer.

      Racing continues at Golden Gate Fields Friday.  Post time is 12:45 p.m.

 ZENYATTA CONNECTIONS HONORED

       According to Matt Megarty of the Daily Racing Form, the Turf Publicists of America has named the human connections of 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Zenyatta as the recipients of the organization’s Big Sport of Turfdom Award, the organization announced on Thursday.

     The recipients will include Zenyatta’s owners, Jerry and Ann Moss; her trainer, John Shirreffs, and his wife, Dottie, who is the Mosses’ racing manager; and the mare’s jockey, Mike Smith, the publicist’s group said. Zenyatta raced five times this year and won all five starts, culminating with the Classic win over 11 male horses on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita. She is being retired with an undefeated record of 14 wins and career earnings of $5,474,580, a record for a filly or mare.

     The Big Sport of Turfdom award is given annually by the Turf Publicists of America”to a person or group of people who enhances coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with the media and Thoroughbred racing publicists” The organization had previously given the award to the human connections of a specific horse in 1996, when it designated “Team Cigar” for the award. Cigar was a two-time Horse of the Year campaigned by Allen Paulson, trained by Bill Mott, and ridden by Jerry Bailey.

     The recipients will be presented the award on Dec. 8 at a luncheon held in conjunction with the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing in Tucson, Ariz.

     “He gave me so many great rides,” Solis said of Frankel. “From Ryafan to one of my all-time favorites, Megahertz. He was good to me for many, many years.”

      Humberto Ascanio, Frankel’s long-time assistant, saddled Life By R R. Beginning Thursday, when he ran Porfido in the seventh race, Ascanio will be listed as the trainer of Frankel’s former horses. Ascanio spoke to Frankel daily and knew how grave the situation had become.

     “When he died, I actually felt relief, because he wasn’t suffering any more,” Ascanio said. “It was relief, not that he died, but that he’s not suffering anymore. I learned a lot from him. We had a long run. He made my life better. He took care of my family. He was good to all his help.”

     Life By R R was claimed out of the race by trainer Doug O’Neill, who has been sending horses from this circuit to Philadelphia Park to take advantage of the lucrative purses offered to mid-level claiming horses there. Philadelphia Park has purses enhanced by slots revenue, which is not the case in California.

QUALITY ROAD EARNING STRAIGHT A’s 

        Steve Haskin of  Bloodhorse.com reports, Quality Road, whose exploits have been followed closely since his traumatic encounter with the starting gate before the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) cleared a major hurdle Wednesday, schooling at Belmont to the satisfaction of trainer Todd Pletcher and starter Bob Duncan.

     “Todd and Bob reported that Quality Road did everything very well,” said Chris Baker, farm manager for owner Edward Evans. “He went in and out of the gate with the doors open and the doors closed – all good.”

     Baker said further schooling was scheduled for Thursday morning, with the possibility of shipping the colt to Aqueduct to school over the weekend.

     ”Starting in a race will be the real test, as the colt has always schooled well in the mornings,” Baker said. “Both Todd and Bob are optimistic that we don’t have a long-term problem on our hands at this point in the process.”

     The important aspect of Wednesday’s schooling was that it showed the incident at Santa Anita apparently has not left any emotional scars as far as the actual gate goes. How Quality Road handles additional stress placed on him in future sessions and how he handles a race atmosphere will determine his future this year as it pertains to the Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Nov. 28.

 MORE ON 12-YEAR-OLD MARE

          Ed DeRosa of the Thoroughbred Times reports, owner-trainer Kathleen Costello will not let the paddock scratch of her 12-year-old Quiet American mare Grand Forks deter her from running the mare this year even though the mare’s next start would be her first in more than nine years.

       Stewards scratched Grand Forks from the fifth race on Wednesday at Churchill Downs out of concern for the bettors and the mare. Grand Forks was listed as 50-to-1 on the morning line in the 6 1/2-furlong race for $5,000 claimers but was bet down to around 20-to-1 with 14 minutes to post.

       “Because she hasn’t run in a long time, they were skeptical,” Costello said after the scratch. “She passed a vet’s inspection twice, the identifier looked at her twice, and the stewards gave me the ‘okay’ three times before changing their minds in the paddock.

      “It’s fine and that’s their decision; I just wish they would have told me they weren’t going to let her run before I shipped her,” added Costello, who has yet to start a horse as an owner or trainer.

      “We decided to err on the side of caution to protect the animal and the betting public,” said retired Racing Hall of Fame trainer and Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Chief Steward John Veitch. “While Grand Forks passed veterinarian inspections twice prior to the race, we felt it was in the best interest of both the betting public and the horse that we get more information before she is allowed to run again.

      “We told Costello that we’d like to inspect the horse before and after a workout before allowing Grand Forks to return to the races. It was a tough call, but we made our decision with the betting public and the horse in mind.”

      Going into Wednesday’s race, Grand Forks had three published workouts at the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, including a gate workout in :50 for four furlongs on November 7 and another gate workout five days later going five furlongs in 1:06.

      Costello acquired the mare from Rick Trontz’s Hopewell Farm this spring after Grand Forks went five consecutive years without producing a foal. She delivered a Skip Away filly in 2004, but the foal died a month later.

      “[Hopewell] basically gave up on her because she couldn’t carry a foal to term,” Costello said. “They were looking to give her away this spring, and I got the bug to start riding again.”

        “She loved to gallop and had so much spirit, so I decided to give her a shot and took her to the track.”

      Ian P. D. Jory claimed Grand Forks for Trontz for $32,000 on August 7, 2000, at Del Mar. Trontz retired her soon thereafter. She won three of 11 starts, including a pair of stakes races at Turf Paradise, and earned $80,900.

       “[Costello] was working for me, and we let her go, and she wanted to keep [Grand Forks], and I said that was fine because we couldn’t get her into foal,” Trontz said. “She came back to the office because she wanted the papers. I had made her sign something saying she wouldn’t breed her, but I never thought she’d tried to race her. I don’t think [Grand Forks] should be racing. I think it’s kind of cruel to do it, but that’s up to [Costello]. It’s definitely her horse.”

     Costello said that a phone call from Michael Blowen of Old Friends, a Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, was the only one she received regarding retiring the horse. She turned him down, saying that Grand Forks is not only her racehorse but also her pet, and the mare will always have a home with her.

      Does this bother anyone else or is it just me? I loved all my race horses, but I never considered them pets. Sure it’s her right to race the mare, but what about the animal?

JOCKEYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO BRIMO FUND

    Bloodhorse.com reports, on Nov. 28, jockeys across North America will be asked to contribute one mount fee to the Julia Brimo Fund, set up to assist with her expenses during rehabilitation for her injuries.

     Brimo suffered head and back injuries in a spill at Keeneland on Oct. 30 and is currently a patient at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Early next week, she is expected to be transferred to the Lyndhurst Centre, a leading spinal cord rehabilitation facility also in Toronto.

     In honor of Brimo and to raise awareness of the plight of seriously injured jockeys, riders across North America will wear two patches on their boots that day. One patch will feature her name, “Julia”, on it while the other will highlight the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

     The Julia Brimo Fund was established at Fifth Third Bank by Cindy Werner, the wife of trainer Ronny Werner. Contributions can be made to the Fund by sending a check made out to the Julia Brimo Fund and sent to Cindy Werner at 1116 Flat Rock Road, Louisville, KY 40245.

      Grand Forks, whose last race had come Aug. 7, 2000, at Del Mar, was 15-1 with 11 minutes to post for the $5,000 claiming race when chief steward John Veitch conferred for several minutes with owner-trainer Kathleen Costello, ultimately informing her that the mare had to be scratched. Costello, 27, broke into tears, denied of her chance to make her debut as a trainer.

     “I can’t afford to bring her down here and not run her,” Costello, based in Lexington, said between sobs.

      Rick Trontz, a central Kentucky breeder who had claimed the horse for $32,000 from the Del Mar race but had no luck with her as a producer, said Tuesday he gave the mare to Costello, a former employee, but only with the stipulation that Grand Forks be used strictly as a pleasure horse.

      John Odom, who was assisting Costello in the care of the horse Wednesday, said: “The bill of sale only says the mare cannot be bred. It doesn’t say anything about not racing her. Nothing was ever said about that.” When he learned the mare would not be permitted to run, Odom screamed at Veitch: “Why is she scratched?!”

     Costello, who got her trainer’s license several months ago, had put Grand Forks through three recorded workouts this month at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, but Veitch told Costello the mare would have to work in front of a state veterinarian before being permitted to race.

      Said Odom: “We met all the requirements posted,” including the standard pre-race physical examination by the state veterinarian. “They should have told us we were scratched before we went through all this.”

      Veitch released a statement that read in part: “We decided to err on the side of caution and to protect the animal and the betting public . . . It was a tough call.” He conceded that no specific rules were broken.

      Veitch said later: “We’ve told Ms. Costello that we would be willing to work with her but that we need more information about the health and well-being of the horse.”

       He said the delay in scratching the horse was because he and the other stewards “had not been fully appraised of the situation” and that other commitments delayed their informing Costello of the scratch.

       Costello had worked for about six months with broodmares when employed by Trontz at his Hopewell Farm in Midway, Ky., before being laid off in June.

       Trontz said Tuesday that he was dismayed that Costello would attempt to race Grand Forks and that he feared for the well-being of the horse, considering her advanced age and the length of time since she had raced.

     Trontz said Grand Forks, by Quiet American, had failed to get in foal almost every year, although “she did have a baby that I believe died at a very early age after some sort of accident.” After so many years of futility, Grand Forks became a riding horse, and when Costello was laid off, according to Trontz, she asked to take the horse with her, and he agreed.

      Trontz said Costello later contacted him to get the Jockey Club registry papers for the mare, assuring him it was for the purposes of entering her in a dressage event, so he gave her the papers.

     “This is all very disturbing to me,” Trontz said.

     Grand Forks was scheduled to be ridden Wednesday by Bonnie Castaneda. A crowd of curiosity seekers had gathered around the paddock to take a look at the horse when the unusual scene unfolded.

    Veitch said he would “look into reimbursing some expenses” incurred by Costello and Castaneda.

    This is why we have stewards. Ms. Costello lied and mostly likely would have cheated the public if her horse Grand Forks, a 12-year-old mare who just so happened to have been away from racing for nine years, would have been allowed to race.

     I wonder if she would have shed a tear if  Grand Forks was injured or just dropped dead during the race?

    What’s also disturbing is that Grand Forks was 50-1 in the morning line and was bet down to 15-1 prior to the scratch.  These race fans were more than hoping this old brown mare was more like she used to be.

     Grand Forks has won three of 11 career starts. Her three wins were consecutive triumphs at Turf Paradise.  She broke her maiden in Dec. 1999 and then won the Sun Devil and Arizona Oaks in January and Feburary of 2000. From Feb. 27th until she stopped racing Aug. 7 , 2000 at Del Mar, she finished fifth by seven as the beaten favorite; sixth by 24 1/2 as the beaten favorite; sixth by 23 1/2 at Golden Gate Fields with jockey Frank Alvarado aboard; fourth by 37 lengths at Pleasanton and lastly, third by 9 1/4 at Del Mar.

    Her latest works  were 1:06 at 5 fur. from the gate; :50 from the gate for 4 fur. and and 1:04 breezing for 5 furl.

     During her career she’s earned $80,900.

     Maybe she could just close out her career as a riding horse? Where have I heard that before?

SOURDOUGH SAM AMONG 8 ENTERED IN GOLDEN NUGGET STAKES

     Sourdough Sam, who has been visually impressive in winning both of his starts, is among the eight 2-year-olds entered in Saturday’s $50,000 Golden Nugget Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Albany.

    The Golden Nugget, a six-furlong sprint, is the featured eighth race on a nine-race program that begins at 12:45 p.m.  Golden Gate Fields is holding a canned food drive Saturday and fans participating in the event will receive a club house pass for each canned food item donated (maximum 10 passes per person).

     Sourdough Sam opened a lot of eyes in his career debut when he overcame trouble to win a 5 1/2-furlong maiden allowance race by six lengths on Sept. 
19.  Leaving from post position one, Sourdough Sam broke last in a field of 12 and then ran into some traffic approaching the stretch.  Undaunted by the obstacles, Sourdough Sam rolled home once he found clear sailing in the stretch.

       Sourdough Sam made his second start in a six-furlong allowance race on Oct. 31 and rallied from last in a field of seven to defeat Shudacudawudya by three-quarters of a length in 1:09.48.  Shudacudawudya is also in the Golden Nugget lineup.

       Sourdough Sam, a dark bay son of Decarchy, was bred in California by his owner, John Nicoletti.  Dean Pederson trains Sourdough Sam and Inoel Beato is the gelding’s jockey.

      The field for the Golden Nugget, in post position order, is as follows: Our Minesweeper, William Antongeorgi III rides; Shudacudawudya, Francisco Duran; R El Jefe, Leslie Mawing; Sourdough Sam, Beato; Tango Tango, Russell Baze; Seven Torrents, Mario Gutierrez; Very Fair, Frank Alvarado; and Tiny Woods, Jose Valdivia, Jr.  All of the starters carry 119 pounds.

      Our Minesweeper has three wins in four career starts, including two stakes victories.  Trained by Michael Lenzini, Our Minesweeper has posted wins at three different distances: four furlongs, six furlongs and one mile.

      Tiny Woods hails from the Bob Baffert barn and is shipping in from Santa Anita for the Golden Nugget.  A $180,000 yearling purchase, Tiny Woods made a winning debut at Del Mar on July 25 but has been idle since finishing seventh as the favorite in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special at Saratoga on Aug. 20.

Jean Anderson contributed to this report

       The colt, who was recently retired to the Aga Khan’s Gilltown Stud in Ireland after 6 consecutive group one wins, also received the title of three-year-old colt of the year.

      The Cartier Racing Awards, which are in their 19th year, recognise excellence in horse racing. They took part in front of an audience of 200 at Claridge’s Hotel in Mayfair.

      The eight awards are awarded by points earned through races combined with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists, as well as votes from readers of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph.

      Other winners were Goldikova, St Nicholas Abbey, Special Duty, Yeats, Sariska and Fleeting Spirit.

        Sea The Stars’s trainer John Oxx was also lauded on the night and was presented with the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award Of Merit.

       This award is for the person who, in the opinion of the 18-strong Cartier jury, has done most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.

       Other winners include: 

Horse of the Year – Sea The Stars
Three-year-old colt -Sea The Stars
Older Horse – Goldikova
Two-year-old colt – St Nicholas Abbey
Two-year-old filly – Special Duty
Three-year-old filly – Sariska
Stayer – Yeats
Sprinter – Fleeting spirit
Award of Merit – John Oxx

         I propose a name change to the above awards. How about European Awards. Horse of the Year makes it sound like they believe they’re voting for the top horse in racing overall.

        Sea the Stars, I’m sure is very deserving winner if you include Euro runners only.

       Sorry, but we have a number of superior horses on this side of the pond.

OUR MINESWEEPER TAKES AIM AT GOLDEN NUGGET STAKES
            Our Minesweeper will try for his third stakes victory Saturday when he competes in the $50,000 Golden Nugget Stakes at Golden Gate Fields at Albany.

         Entries for the Golden Nugget, a six-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds, were taken  today.  Trainer Michael Lenzini said Our Minesweeper will definitely be among the entrants.

       Our Minesweeper, bred and owned by Art and Betty Suitter, won his first three races.  The Idaho-bred son of Cause Ur Mine broke his maiden in a four-furlong dash at Golden Gate Fields on June 13 and then captured the six-furlong Cavonnier Juvenile Stakes at Santa Rosa on Aug. 1.

    Our Minesweeper made his first start around two turns in the one-mile Bart Heller Stakes on Sept.12 at Golden Gate Fields and scored a determined victory, defeating Court Mischief by three-quarters of a length.

    Our Minesweeper suffered his lone defeat in his most recent outing when he finished last in a field of four in the six-furlong Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 31.  Our Minesweeper, who battled for the lead to the stretch before tiring, was only beaten   2  1/2 lengths by winner Macias.

      The Golden Nugget serves a steppingstone to the Gold Rush Stakes, a one-mile contest that will be run Dec. 21 at Golden Gate Fields.

    Jean Anderson contributed to this report.

    A crowd of nearly 400 attended the service, including a who’s who of racing personalities. In addition to local Hall of Famers such as trainers Neil Drysdale and Ron McAnally and jockeys Eddie Delahoussaye, Laffit Pincay Jr., and Gary Stevens, those flying in on short notice for the service included trainers Rick Dutrow, one of Frankel’s closest friends, and Chad Brown, a former assistant.

     Others who attended included owners Jerry and Ann Moss and Marty Wygod, racing executive Bill Thayer, famed veterinarian Dr. Jack Robbins, Juddmonte Farms’s Garrett O’Rourke, and several of Frankel’s longtime employees, including assistant trainers Humberto Ascanio and Ruben Loza, and exercise rider Jose Cuevas.

     Eulogies were delivered by Frankel’s daughter, Bethenny, as well as Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre and O’Rourke. Others who later spoke included trainer Julio Canani, retired trainer Gary Jones, and jockey agent Scotty McClellan.

     “His eyes would light up when he would talk about horses, dogs, baseball, and his baseball card collection,” Torre said.

     “There was a lot to him,” Torre said. “The last couple of months he was really hurting, but he never wanted to concern anyone with his issues. He was very private.”

     O’Rourke told a story of how Frankel, after winning a stakes race at Keeneland with Tates Creek, was seething minutes later as he watched on television as a horse of his racing in California got taken down via disqualification. After making a scene in the director’s room, O’Rourke cautioned Frankel about putting O’Rourke in an uncomfortable position in front of his hometown acquaintances.

     “You know what, though,” Frankel said, according to O’Rourke. “Those guys at Keeneland will think twice about taking us down now.”

INTERPATATION, JUST AS WELL ARRIVE IN JAPAN

        According to Alan Shuback of the Daily Racing Form, Interpatation and Just as Well, two of the three American-trained horses who will be running in the $5.9 million Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 29, arrived in Japan at Narita International Airport near Tokyo in good order on Monday. After a 17-hour journey from New York with a stopover in Anchorage, the two horses were transported to the Japan Racing Association Horseracing School Quarantine Center in Shiroi, about 40 miles from Tokyo Racecourse.

     The two will remain in quarantine at Shiroi, which is equipped with a seven-furlong dirt training track, until next Wednesday, when they move to Tokyo Racecourse.

     “No problems at all with transportation” said Robert Sigoulin, the assistant to Interpatation’s trainer Robert Barbara who accompanied the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic winner on his trip. “He won’t go to the track [Tuesday], but will just walk around the stable area. We’ll pick up the pace of his training each day.” Interpatation concluded the American portion of his training schedule with a 1:01.12 breeze on the Belmont training track on Monday, Nov. 9.

     As for the Northern Dancer Stakes winner, Just as Well, “The horse is relaxed after the trip, in great shape,” reported Barry Wiseman, assistant to trainer Jonathan Sheppard. A half-brother to 2008 European juvenile filly champion Rainbow View, Just as Well had worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 breezing at Fair Hill on Saturday before leaving for Japan.

     The third American horse in the 1 1/2-mile Japan Cup, the Neil Drysdale-trained Marsh Side, was scheduled to leave for Japan from Los Angeles International Airport today.

JOCKEY DUNKELBERGER’S CONSECUTIVE WIN STREAK ENDS

      The Daily Racing Form reports, jockey Travis Dunkelberger won his ninth race in a row over a period of five days at two tracks on Sunday. The ninth win came aboard Citigambler in the third race at Charles Town, and the streak was snapped when he rode odds-on favorite Springs Girl to a second-place finish in race 7.

     Dunkelberger’s winning streak started Wednesday with a victory by Trophy Collector ($9) in the sixth race at Laurel Park. He followed that with a hat trick Wednesday night at Charles Town, scoring with Imanheiress ($3.20), Covert Action ($5.80), and Mr. Synfuel ($3.20). He won Thursday with Dixieland Melody ($5) at Laurel and Friday at Charles Town with Lolibop ($7.20).

      On Saturday, Dunkelberger guided Love’s Blush ($7.40) to her first stakes victory in the $50,000 All Brandy for Maryland-bred fillies and mares at Laurel Park. He opened the Sunday card at Charles Town with a victory aboard Never Mined ($5.20) in Race 1 and then scored with Citigambler ($2.60) to complete the streak.

     Dunkelberger missed a large part of the 2009 season due to a neck injury he suffered in a training spill in April.

     Night racing under temporary lights was offered on three occasions at the 2009 spring meet and met with spectacular results, drawing an average of nearly 30,000 per night. Aside from the four spring dates for the 2010 spring meet, Churchill also has scheduled two nights for the 2010 fall meet.

      Kevin Flanery, president of the Churchill Downs racetrack, said at a media conference that any discussion of holding the Kentucky Derby or Oaks under the lights would be premature. “We never say never,” said Flanery. “First, we need to see how the lights perform operationally, and second, we want to make sure these night programs have an impact.”

      Flanery said any consideration of a Derby or Oaks under lights would have to involve other parties besides Churchill, including television-rights holders, horsemen, the City of Louisville, Churchill employees, and neighbors. “We’ll worry about all that at a later date,” he said.

     The 2010 dates for night racing are June 11, June 18, June 25, July 2, Oct. 31, and Nov. 19. All but Sun., Oct. 31, are Fridays.

     Musco Lighting, the Iowa company that has installed lights at numerous major venues throughout the world, was awarded the contract for the Churchill job, which track officials estimated at about $4 million.

    Don’t be surprised if an evening Breeders’ Cup is scheduled down the road.

    RUIDOSO DOWNS MIGHT HAVE TO MOVE DOWN THE ROAD

        The Associated Press’ Barry Massey reports, Ruidoso Downs is asking a state regulator to allow the horse racing track to move to Las Cruces, the state’s second-largest city.

    Ruidoso Downs General Manager Ann McGovern said Monday the track and its casino have been losing money because of competition from two Indian casinos near the small resort community of Ruidoso in southern New Mexico.

      “The population of Ruidoso really can’t support three casinos,” McGovern said in a telephone interview.

     The track is the home of the All American Futurity, the richest event in quarter horse racing.

     The state Racing Commission, which approves licenses for horse racing, was notified of the relocation proposal last Friday. A formal application to have racing start in Las Cruces in 2011 will be submitted to the commission this week, according to McGovern.

     Racing Commission Executive Director Julian Luna said there’s no deadline for the commission to decide whether to approve the move. However, he said commissioners probably will discuss how to handle the track’s application for a license transfer during a meeting Thursday in Albuquerque.

    McGovern said the track will again seek a tax break from the Legislature next year and wants to stay in Ruidoso if the measure is enacted. The track’s tax proposal passed the House earlier this year but died in the Senate. A similar proposal failed in 2008.

    “In case that we’re not successful again, we needed to get this process started so we didn’t lose another year before we could move forward with what I’ll call plan B,” McGovern said.

    The Mescalero Apache Tribe has a casino at its Inn of the Mountain Gods resort just outside Ruidoso and another in a travel center on U.S. 70 within about five miles of the track.

     “Our ownership, our management, we love Ruidoso. We do not want to move. But we also don’t want to go out of business,” McGovern said. “You have to be a viable business in order to stay operating, and currently we’re not.”

     Las Cruces is about 115 miles southwest of Ruidoso, a community of about 9,000.

     McGovern said the track has looked at several possible sites in Las Cruces but she declined to provide details. If the track moved to Las Cruces, it would be within about 50 miles of a race track and casino at Sunland Park.

TYLER BAZE WILL TAKE TIME OFF FOLLOWING SURGERY

     Jockey Tyler Baze will be sidelined until opening day of the Santa Anita winter meet, Dec. 26, as he recovers from surgery that was scheduled for Tuesday on his left pinkie finger. Consistently among the circuit’s top five riders by wins, Baze broke his finger during a post-parade accident this past summer at Del Mar.

     Baze, 27, finished second in the Del Mar standings, but admits the injury compromised his strength.

     “I need to be able to whip left-handed,” Baze said Sunday after riding his final race at Hollywood Park. “I can, but not like I should,”

     Baze, whose left pinkie is twisted, said the finger would be re-broken during outpatient surgery, and screws would be inserted to speed the healing process.

     “I knew I needed to get it done sometime, and now is the time to do it,” he said.

     Three choice mounts will become open while Baze recovers. He is the regular rider for Blind Luck, the 2-year-old filly expected to be among the favorites Dec. 20 in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet; Ever a Friend, the Grade 1 winner scheduled to run Nov. 27 in the Grade 1 Citation; and Battle of Hastings, a leading contender for the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 29.

Trainer Bobby Frankel, center right / AP photo

The Thoroughbred Times’ Pete Dank reports, racing Hall of Fame and five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Bobby Frankel died on Monday at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, after a lengthy battle with leukemia.

    A native of Brooklyn, New York, Frankel started his career in racing as a hotwalker at Belmont Park and Aqueduct during the mid-1960s. He received his trainer’s license in 1966 and soon gained a reputation as “King of the Claimers” for his ability to develop claiming horses into stakes runners.

      Frankel moved to California in 1972, and his training ability shined through immediately in his new surroundings. Frankel won six consecutive training titles at Hollywood Park from ’72 to ’77, seven Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park titles between ’73 and ’82, and five Santa Anita titles between ’75 and ’82.

    Frankel led all North American trainers in earnings ($8,882,252) for the first time in 1993 when he won the first of his five Eclipse Awards as outstanding trainer. His then-record 33 stakes victories also led the country.

     His stable included champion older male Bertrando and Grade 1 winners Marquetry, Possibly Perfect, and Toussaud in 1993.

     One of Frankel’s specialties was his ability to figure out individual horses, and he took particular pride in his work with the notoriously difficult to train Toussaud, calling her neck loss to champion Flawlessly in the Matriarch Stakes (G1) his greatest accomplishment of the year.

    Toussaud went on to become a foundation mare for Juddmonte Farms, producing five graded winners including 2000 Arlington Million Stakes (G1) winner Chester House and ‘03 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Empire Maker—both trained by Frankel. Frankel was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1995, but his career had far from peaked at that point.

     Frankel began a run of four consecutive Eclipse Awards in 2000 when his barn won 22 graded stakes at ten different tracks and finished second in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with Aptitude.

    In 2001, Frankel increased his graded stakes victories to 49—including 18 Grade 1s—and broke his 0-for-38 run in the Breeders’ Cup when Squirtle Squirt won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Belmont. In 2002, Frankel won 43 graded stakes, including 14 Grade 1s, and added another Breeders’ Cup win with Starine (Fr) in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) at Arlington Park.

     Frankel somehow raised the bar again in 2003 when he won a record 25 Grade 1 races and purse earnings of $19,143,289. Frankel said Empire Maker’s win the Belmont was his biggest thrill in racing.

     Frankel collected his sixth Breeders’ Cup win when another Juddmonte homebred, the Chester House mare Ventura, won the Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita in 2008. Ventura finished second in this year’s Filly and Mare Sprint, with Frankel listed as trainer.

Horse racing lost one of its greats today. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Frankel family.

RAIDERS FAN SHOWS FEMININE SIDE

      Mike Farrell of the Daily Racing Form reports, while it is tough to root for the NFL’s Raiders during another dismal season, Raiders Fan should elicit plenty of support Monday afternoon in the $52,000 feature at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

     She puts a two-race winning streak on the line going a mile in the second-level allowance/$28,000 optional claimer for New Jersey-bred fillies and mares.

     Raiders Fan is coming off a career-best effort, a blowout 13-length win against first-level statebreds at the Meadowlands on Oct. 31. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 85, easily topping the best lifetime numbers posted by her eight rivals.

    Even if Raiders Fan bounces off her top Beyer Figure, she has room to regress and still get the job done. Elvis Trujillo is back aboard for trainer Peter Walder.

    These have been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Walder and his girlfriend, trainer Diane Alvarado. They were at Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup, where Alvarado saddled Eldaafer to a seventh-place finish in the BC Marathon. They came back east, packed up at Delaware Park, and sent their horses – with the exception of Raiders Fan – down to Florida before heading off on a cruise.

     Raiders Fan, 5, started moving in the right direction over the summer, picking up a win and three seconds in claimers and starter allowances.

     That solid run got owner David Lengel looking long and hard at returning Raiders Fan to New Jersey and its lucrative statebred allowances. He was rewarded when Raiders Fan delivered the lights-out win over a sealed track.

    “My owner kept pushing me to run in that race,” said Walder who watched the romp from California. “He felt the 60 Beyers she was running would make her competitive. It turns out he was right. There were a couple of favorable scratches and the race kind of fell apart, and she relishes the slop. That night, she was all that.”

     This will be a relatively short turnaround, but time, and the New Jersey Thoroughbred season, is growing short.

    “She’s doing good,” Walder said. “That’s the last horse I’m running up north, so it would be nice to go out a winner for an owner who has been good to me all summer.”

    Cosmic Dance has been knocking at the door, running second in her last four races, with the latest her best this season. She earned a 71 Beyer.

ZENYATTA GOES HOLLYWOOD

     The Thoroughbred Times also reports,  Hollywood Park will salute undefeated champion Zenyatta on November 29, the final day of the Inglewood, California, track’s 18th annual Turf Festival.

     Zenyatta, who has been stabled at Hollywood with trainer John Shirreffs throughout her career, will be paraded between races on the card, which features the Hollywood Derby (G1) and Miesque Stakes (G3).

     Fans attending will receive Zenyatta, A Living Legend—a DVD featuring each of her 14 career victories. She capped her career with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on November 7 at Santa Anita Park video.

     Additionally, the TVG/Betfair Breeders’ Cup World Championships “Girl Power” poster will be reprinted with her lifetime past performances on the back. Both giveaways will be available while supplies last.

Owners Jerry and Ann Moss, Shirreffs, and Racing Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith all will be on hand for the festivities.

     Receiving a smart ride from jockey Luis Martinez, who had his mount
save ground throughout the one-mile contest for fillies and mares, Kilkenny
Creek defeated Tactful Response by a half-length in 1:39.29.  Not Unusual,
the even-money favorite, finished third.

     Kilkenny Creek, a 3-year-old daughter of Skimming, returned $40.40
after recording her second straight victory on Golden Gate Fields’ Lakeside
Turf Course.  Trained by Michael Larson, Kilkenny Creek broke her maiden in
a 1 1/16-miles race on the lawn on Oct. 25.

     Kilkenny Creek, purchased as a yearling for $1,200, earned $12,960
Sunday and has made $29,823 in eight career starts for owner Selina Galick.

     Racing resumes at Golden Gate Fields Wednesday.  Post time is 12:45
p.m.

Jean Anderson contributed to this report