When 2004 Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Birdstone arrived at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, Ky., after 15 years as a stallion at Gainesway Farm, it took him longer than most retirees to the farm to get acclimated. Old Friends founder Michael Blowen said most stallions run the fence a few times in their new paddock, settle in, and get used to the good life of a steady stream of carrots. But Birdstone, a 19-year-old by Grindstone, was plagued by anxiety during his first week at Old Friends.
Month: December 2020
Flood Of Northern California Horses Swells Fields, Boosts Wagering During Los Alamitos Meet
Large fields, a record Pick 6 pool and payoff, and a fourth consecutive sweep of the Grade 1 Starlet and Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert were among the highlights of the 11-day Los Angeles County Fair Winter Thoroughbred meet, which concluded Sunday at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.
Buoyed by an influx of more than 200 horses from Northern California – due to the current suspension of racing at Golden Gate Fields – the average field size for the season was nearly nine runners per race, compared to 6.97 for the 2019 Winter meet. There were 854 participants in 98 races during the season.
This led to a sizable boost in terms of business. The average daily handle on races run at Los Alamitos was up 36% over 2019 and average daily handle increased 20% on a comparable basis to last year's Winter season.
“This meet was an unprecedented one,'' said F. Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. “In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases in California and elsewhere, racing was conducted safely thanks to the excellent compliance by all participants with the preventative measures in place.
“As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak at Golden Gate Fields, trainers and caregivers were not permitted to accompany their horses to Southern California. Los Alamitos management and the connections of those horses from Northern California are indebted to the local trainers who stepped up and assumed the training and care of those thoroughbreds.
“Without their help, the meet would not have been as successful and the owners of the shippers from Northern California wouldn't have had the opportunity to race.
“The Southern California Off-Site Stabling and Vanning Fund also helped mitigate this situation by covering the costs of transporting horses from Golden Gate to Southern California. The efforts of many contributed to how well things went during these three weeks.''
A five-day Pick 6 carryover led to a record total Pick 6 pool – and payoff – Dec. 18. Chasing a carryover that had swelled to $423,178, bettors wagered $1,809,485 for a total pool of $2,232,663. The previous record of $1,558,329 was set Dec. 17, 2016.
There were six perfect tickets two days ago and each was worth $228,816, bettering the previous best of $110,732 Dec. 12, 2014.
Baffert's latest successes in the Starlet and Los Alamitos Futurity were provided by, respectively, 17-1 shot Varda and 19-10 second choice Spielberg. The nose victory by Spielberg over 33-1 shot The Great One was Baffert's seventh in a row in the Futurity and his 13th overall. He won it six times at Hollywood Park between 1997-2013.
The meet's other graded stakes – the Grade 3, $100,000 Bayakoa – was captured by Proud Emma for trainer Peter Miller and owners Gem Inc. and Tom Kagele.
The two other stakes were for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. Sensible Cat won the $100,000 Soviet Problem for Irvin Racing Stable and trainer Carla Gaines while 13-1 shot Play Chicken won the $100,000 King Glorious for owner-breeder J. Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing LLC and trainer Doug O'Neill.
Baffert, O'Neill and Jonathan Wong shared the training title with five victories.
Baffert had the most wins (nine) for the year at Los Alamitos, combining the Winter meet with the Summer Thoroughbred Festival (June 27-July 5). O'Neill was second with eight and Steve Miyadi third with seven.
A closing day triple enabled Abel Cedillo to win the jockey title. He finished with 13 victories, one more than Juan Hernandez and two more than apprentice Jessica Pyfer.
For the year at Los Alamitos, Hernandez finished with 16 wins, one more than Cedillo. Edwin Maldonado was third with 13.
Daytime thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2021. The first of three meets is scheduled to begin Thursday, June 24 and continue through Sunday, July 4, followed by the Los Angeles County Fair season (Sept. 10-26) and the Winter meet (Dec. 2-12).
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California-Bred Play Chicken All Heart In King Glorious At Los Alamitos
Play Chicken, a 13-1 outsider, held off Moving Fast, another longshot at 16-1, to win the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes Sunday, the final day of the Los Angeles County Fair Winter meet at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.
Under jockey Mario Gutierrez, the son of Square Eddie and the Distorted Humor mare Smoove was reserved just off the pace, gained the advantage with an eighth of a mile to run and held sway by a neck in the race for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California.
The win was the third in the King Glorious for Gutierrez, owner-breeder J. Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing LLC and trainer Doug O'Neill. They teamed to win back-to-back runnings with Found Money (2015) and Ann Arbor Eddie (2016).
Making his first start in blinkers, Play Chicken completed the mile in 1:38.10 and returned $29, $10.60 and $7.80. He's now won twice in three races and earned $94,000. He broke his maiden at the King Glorious distance on turf in his debut Oct. 17 at Santa Anita.
“I thought it was great,'' said O'Neill assistant Stephanie Murray. “He showed a lot of heart. He was very gutsy, couldn't have asked for him to do anymore. We just wanted to play the break and see how the race unfolded.
“It was kind of his (Gutierrez) decision from the get go, so I think Mario gets all the credit.''
Moving Fast, who drew into the race from the also eligible list after the scratch of Positivity (he ran in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday), rallied after breaking last in the field of 10 to outfinish 15-1 shot Club Cal by a half-length. He paid $11 and $7.20 after his initial race in blinkers while the show price on Club Cal, a four-length maiden winner two weeks earlier in his Los Alamitos debut, was $5.80.
Mister Bold, the 19-10 favorite and the pacesetter, wound up fourth, a nose in front of 2-1 second choice Good With People. Tacoflavoredkisses, From the Get Go, Ascot Storm, Wedding Groom and Govenor's Party completed the order of finish.
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‘Lovable Loser’ Zippy Chippy Still Winning Over Fans At Old Friends At Cabin Creek
As Zippy Chippy nears his 30th birthday, fans of the lovable loser will be reassured to know he has not lost a step. Then again, he never had a step to lose.
The oh-so-slow bay gelding has been retired for the last 10 years at Old Friends at Cabin Creek in Greenfield Center, N.Y., where the infamy of falling short in all 100 of his starts has given way to fame.
Before the pandemic, scores of visitors wanted to spend time with Zippy Chippy, to get a glimpse of the horse that sometimes stood still while opponents charged from the starting gate. On other occasions, he would attempt to nip at rivals as they sped by. Such antics allowed him to make People magazine's list of the Most Interesting Personalities in 2000.
Foaled in 1991, the son of Compliance endured the ignominy of being acquired by owner and trainer Felix Monserrate in 1995 in exchange for a seven-year-old Ford truck. He performed so poorly that he was banned from numerous tracks that included Finger Lakes, which banished him after he failed to break with the rest of the field for the third consecutive start in racing's version of “three strikes and you're out.”
Monserrate retired Zippy Chippy in December, 2004, approximately three months after the horse hit the century mark in defeats in a race at Northampton Fair in Northampton, Mass. Fittingly, he finished last.
After a stint as a pony for an outrider at, of all places, Finger Lakes, Zippy Chippy ultimately made his way to the division of Old Friends named for Bobby Frankel, the late Hall of Fame trainer, in upstate New York. It is there that he found a soulmate in Red Down South, a chestnut New York-bred gelding. And it is there that he enjoys rock-star status.
Feed time for Zippy Chippy (right) and Red Down South
“He's brought so many people here and made them aware of how long horses live and all of their needs,” said JoAnn Pepper, who oversees the 40-acre retirement facility.
Like racing itself, celebrity did not come easily to Zippy Chippy. As part of its grand opening a decade ago, Old Friends at Cabin Creek set up a winner's circle with the idea that he would parade around the enclosure to the delight of fans who never saw that happen in reality.
This went as badly as many of his races.
As soon as Zippy Chippy and Red Down South were separated from the paddock that only the two of them share, trouble began.
“He was about 20 feet away from Red and they both went crazy not being together for 10 minutes,” Pepper said. “We had to put Zippy back in the paddock. That was after he kicked over the (winner's circle) sign and threw a fit. He hated every minute of it.”
Zippy Chippy celebrating his birthday
Zippy Chippy got loose approximately eight years ago. Not surprisingly, he did not run far. He was breathing heavily at the end.
“Maybe that was part of it, that he couldn't breathe as good as he should have while he was racing,” Pepper suggested.
There is no reason to think Zippy Chippy will run anywhere any time soon. To be sure, he goes at his own sluggish pace. Red Down South, only somewhat faster as a winner of two of 32 starts, has been known to bring his hay to him. When it rains, Red will force his best buddy to seek nearby shelter with him. In other instances, he will put pressure on him to walk, perhaps sensing that his roommate is 10 years older and will benefit from light exercise.
Zippy Chippy will make his way to the paddock fence, but do not come empty handed. “It's all about the candy,” Pepper said. “He eats a lot of candy for his age, but he seems fine with it.”
He will tolerate picture-takers. Well, somewhat. He often sticks out his tongue.
There is something about Zippy Chippy in retirement that makes him as endearing off the track as he was on it. Rosanne Frieri, 68, a professional photographer from Richmond, Mass., cannot get enough of him.
“There is something about an underdog. I migrate toward them,” said Frieri. “When I found out about Zippy Chippy with his record, I fell in love with him.”
She donates $100 per month to aid in his care. She delivered knitted Christmas stockings for Zippy and Red (“I didn't want either one to feel left out.”) She hopes to be able to safely hold a Kentucky Derby party to benefit Old Friends.
“I just love going up there,” Frieri said. “I love petting him and talking to him.”
Zippy Chipp (left) and Red Down South often express displeasure at photographers
Two authors found him equally captivating. Humorist William Thomas wrote “The Legend of Zippy Chippy: Life Lessons from Horse Racing's Most Lovable Loser.” Artie Bennett wrote a children's book illustrated by David Szalay: “The True Story of Zippy Chippy: The Little Horse That Couldn't.”
Bennett was enthralled by the horse that couldn't as soon as he heard the name. “It's like straight out of a nursery rhyme – Zippy Chippy,” he said.
He views Zippy Chippy's career as an inspiring tale for his impressionable audience.
“Children can learn from that, the importance of trying,” he said. “They can learn to give things their best shot, and not everyone can excel at everything. We mustn't let fear of failure keep us from trying new things.”
As Zippy Chippy relishes the idyllic setting that is home, as he takes comfort in Red's company, perhaps he reminds stressed-out adults of the value of taking life at a gentler pace.
Tom Pedulla wrote for USA Today from 1995-2012 and has been a contributor to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Blood-Horse, America's Best Racing and other publications.
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