NEWS
Big Ten scores in Californian
Posted: Saturday, June 17, 2000
Retired jockey Fernando Toro guides Chilean-bred to Richard Mandella's barn
When Fernando Toro retired as one of Southern California's most popular jockeys about ten years ago, he turned down an offer to be an assistant to trainer Richard Mandella
Californian S. (G2)
Hollywood Park, June 11, $250,000, 11/8 miles, fast, 1:49.22
1—BIG TEN (Chi), h. 5, Barkerville—=Chispita (Chi), by Chairman Walker.
2—Early Pioneer, g. 5, Rahy—Golden Darling, by Slew o' Gold.
3—Mojave Moon, c. 4, Mr. Prospector—East of the Moon, by Private Account.
"I tried it for a while," Toro said, "but I didn't want to have to wake up early every day for the rest of my life."
Ten years later, he is still helping Mandella, though not in the mornings.
When the owners of Big Ten (Chi) were planning last year to send the five-year-old from Chile to the United States to continue his racing career, Toro arranged for his old friend to become Big Ten's trainer.
"I go down there at least once a year to look at horses that might be successful in the U.S.," said the Chilean-born Toro, 59, a grandfather of eight who lives in retirement in a big house in the hills above the track at Del Mar.
Big Ten certainly earned his first major success in the U.S. after holding off Early Pioneer for a three-quarter-length victory in Hollywood Park's $250,000 Californian Stakes (G2) on June 11.
Ridden by Alex Solis, Big Ten, a big chestnut who stands nearly 17 hands, stalked pacesetter Scooter Brown to the far turn, opened daylight in midstretch, and then held off the late move by Vladimir Cerin-trained Early Pioneer, the 7-to-10 favorite in the field of five older horses. Big
Ten, 4.10-to-1, ran the Californian's 11/8 miles in 1:49.22 on a fast track.
"After yesterday's disappointment, this was a nice reward," said Solis, who finished second on favored Aptitude in the Belmont Stakes (G1).
Big Ten, who ran fourth in a Hollywood Park turf race on May 10, his only previous U.S. start, is the third stakes winner from Chile that Toro has sent Mandella's way.
Memo (Chi) won the San Bernardino Handicap (G2) at Santa Anita Park in 1996 and Malek (Chi) won the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in '98.
Said Mandella, who has turned such other South American stakes winners as Siphon (Brz), Gentlemen (Arg), and Sandpit (Brz) into American stars: "We weren't quite sure what to expect today, but it's nice to see him run like this."
The primary owner of Big Ten is Francisco Bertin of Santiago, who races as Stud Old Dog. Francisco and Theresa Cortez, the majority owner of Malek, also own an interest in the Californian winner.
Big Ten will join stablemate Out of Mind (Brz)—who ran second in the Massachusetts Handicap (G2) on June 3—in the field for the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G1) on July 9.
Mandella won Hollywood Park's richest race with Siphon in 1996 and Gentlemen in '97.
The 47th Californian will not go down as anywhere near the best fields ever assembled in the history of the race. The $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap G2), to be run on June 17 at Churchill Downs—whose parent company owns Hollywood Park—lured away some runners who otherwise might have contested the Californian.
Of the five horses who went to post for the 2000 Californian, only Early Pioneer—who upset General Challenge in the San Bernardino Handicap—had won a stakes this year.
David Copperfield's Cinema
John Shirreffs says he would love to run David Copperfield in the $500,000 Swaps Stakes (G1) on July 23, Hollywood Park's most important race for three-year-olds. There is one problem: Shirreffs might not be training the dark bay son of Halo by the time that race is run.
Cinema H. (G3)
Hollywood Park, June 10, $107,600, 11/8 miles, turf, firm, 1:47.73
1—DAVID COPPERFIELD, c. 3, Halo—Bannockburn, by Count Brook.
2—Duke of Green (GB), c. 3, Warning (GB)—=Wild Pavane (GB), by Dancing Brave.
3—Silver Axe, c. 3, Silver Ghost—Athabasca, by Dewan Keys.
David Copperfield, who won the $107,600 Cinema Handicap (G3) on June 10 in his turf debut, is one of the horses owned by the late Marshall Naify's 505 Farms scheduled to be sold at Barretts Equine Ltd. in Pomona, California, on July 22.
Here is where it gets tricky: Entries for the 11/8-mile Swaps will be drawn on July 21.
"I don't know what the sales company will have to say about it," Shirreffs said. "But I'd sure like to run him in the Swaps."
Shirreffs trained privately for Naify, so technically he will be unemployed once the 217 horses under 505 Farms' banner are sold. He said he is not feeling any pressure.
"I was on the front line in Vietnam," the former Marine said. "I can deal with this."
David Copperfield, the only one of the six Cinema starters who had not previously raced on grass, led wire to wire under jockey Victor Espinoza and won by four lengths in 1:47.73 over 11/8 miles on firm turf.
CLOSERS—Theresa's Tizzy won for the first time in six months, scoring by four lengths in the $108,300 Desert Stormer Handicap for 89-year-old trainer Noble Threewitt and 53-year-old jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. The six-year-old California-bred roan daughter of Cee's Tizzy covered six furlongs in 1:09.30 on a fast track. "She's the kind of professional that makes it fun to still go to the barn every day," Threewitt said after Theresa's Tizzy's 13th victory in 30 career starts. ... Juanita Delahoussaye, jockey Eddie Delahoussaye's wife, has two aneurysms, including one on the right side of the brain, that will require surgery. ... Fusaichi Pegasus is doubtful for the Swaps Stakes, said trainer Neil Drysdale. But War Chant, Drysdale's other Kentucky Derby (G1) runner, is a possible for the race. ... General Challenge, third in the San Bernardino Handicap on April 9, is being brought up to the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup on July 9 on workouts. The four-year-old gelding won the Santa Anita Handicap on March 4. ... Exercise rider Abel Herrera, 29, suffered severe internal injuries and a badly broken right arm after jumping off Wild Card, a Caesar Dominguez trainee, at Hollywood Park on the morning of June 4. The momentum of Herrera's landing apparently carried him into the outside rail, eyewitnesses said of the incident. "A totally freak accident," Dominguez said. ... Team Valor's Elegant Ridge (Ire), unraced since January because of foot problems, should jump into stakes company at Del Mar after winning a 11/16-mile turf allowance race by 3½ lengths here on June 10. It was the first U.S. victory for the five-year-old Irish-bred mare, who won 1-of-10 races in Europe in 1997-'98. Drysdale now trains her. ... Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Commendable will remain in the East, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said, but High Yield will represent his barn in the Swaps Stakes. ... Fighting Falcon, winner of the 1999 Cinema Handicap, is being given a month off by trainer Wallace Dollase to rest sore ankles. Dollase said his long-range goal for the four-year-old colt is the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Churchill Downs in November. ... Arabian Light, for whom The Thoroughbred Corp. paid $700,000 at a Barretts two-year-olds in training sale, won his career debut by two lengths on June 11. The son of Fly So Free ran five furlongs in :58.25. Bob Baffert trains the colt.
Larry Bortstein covers racing for the Orange County Register.
