Tag: People

Veteran trainer Howard Zucker, a well-respected Southern California horseman with a small barn, passed away Thursday at USC Keck Hospital in Los Angeles at age 74.  Zucker, who had not been feeling well over the summer, had undergone a heart procedure last week and had apparently struggled to recover post-surgery.

Based in New York prior to coming to Southern California circa 1980, Zucker trained for a brief time for Lakers owner Jerry Buss.  Born May 20, 1948, Zucker saddled his last winner on July 24, as his talented 3-year-old filly Gracelund Gray won the 11th race at Del Mar.

Affable and a dedicated Yankees fan, Zucker was also a staunch advocate for the horse, evidenced by his multiple leadership roles with California Retirement Management Account (CARMA).  Zucker joined the board of directors of CARMA in May 2009 and served in many leadership positions including as CARMA president from 2016-'19.

“I am devastated by the news of Howard's passing yesterday,” said Lucinda Lovitt, CARMA executive director.  “He was a tireless champion for the horses and believed so strongly in CARMA's mission, I just can't imagine our board without him.  I know I speak for the entire CARMA Board of Directors when I say he will be greatly, greatly missed.”

Zucker's top horse was Crafty C.T., who won the Grade 2 San Rafael Stakes with Eddie Delahoussaye up on March 2, 2001, and was subsequently second to Point Given in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.

By Crafty Prospector, Crafty C.T. was owned by Carl Grether and retired with earnings of $832,652 from an overall mark of 18-4-5-5.

Other graded stakes winners conditioned by Zucker were Well Monied, Queen Ofthe Catsle, and Madame Pietra.

Zucker had 2,223 career starts as a trainer and 246 wins.

Howard Zucker is survived by his wife Lorraine.  Memorial services are undetermined at this time.

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It's often said that racing's grooms, hotwalkers and exercise riders are the unsung heroes of a game that requires its equine athletes be cared for on a 24-7 basis. No one better exemplifies the dedication, work ethic and love of the horse that's required at all times than Felipe Mendoza, who has worked for some 48 years as a groom for Hall of Fame conditioner Richard Mandella.

So recognized this past Thursday, Oct. 13 at Keeneland Racecourse, Mendoza, 70, was presented with the NTRA-sponsored “Dedication to Racing” Award in a ceremony that was attended by both Mandella and Mendoza and was emceed by Santa Anita's Frank Mirahmadi.

“It was one of the best days of my life,” said Mandella. “The excitement and the satisfaction for both Felipe and I, it was one of the best days I've had in a long time. Felipe's worked for me for 48 years and he's part of the family. When I was just starting out, he was a hotwalker at that time for a barn that I took over, Braugh Ranches.

“He's just been a great person, a great employee all these years. He's there every day, on time and horses love him. He takes good care of them, he just couldn't be better. I tried to move him up, into an assistant's job years ago and he gave it try but he asked me to put him back with his horses. That's were he wanted to be.”

When asked about some of the “big horses” that Mendoza has been entrusted with, Mandella responded:

“We'll go back to the beginning, with my first stakes winner, Bad 'n Big. He had Phone Trick, Rock Hard Ten, Dare and Go, Soul of the Matter and others.”

A native of Jalisco, Mexico, Mendoza came to the United States at age 21 and currently resides in nearby Eagle Rock with his wife Irene. They have two grown children and six grandchildren.

“Yes, I'm very proud to win this award,” said Mendoza Thursday morning at Mandella's Santa Anita Barn 4. “Working for Mr. Mandella all these years has been a great pleasure. He's a good man and he's been a great boss. I love working with the horses and as long as I'm feeling healthy, I want to keep working. I love what I do.”

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Recently retired Daily Racing Form National Correspondent and Racing Hall of Fame inductee Jay Privman will be honored on Saturday at Santa Anita, as the track has named Saturday's fourth race in his honor and will present him with a plaque acknowledging his 40-plus years of covering the Sport of Kings.

Inducted into the Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in August, 2021, Privman began his journalistic journey in racing while an undergrad at Cal State Northridge.

“I've been to many racetracks all over the world and there's no more beautiful place to watch a race than Santa Anita,” said Privman, who currently resides in Carlsbad, Calif., with his wife Anne.

A Los Angeles native, Privman began covering high school football on a part-time basis for the LA Daily News while enrolled as a journalism student at CSUN in the winter of 1979-80. With no one regularly assigned to cover horse racing, Privman requested to cover some big races that winter at Santa Anita.

The primary reason Privman sought the racing assignment? His name was Spectacular Bid. An imposing Maryland-bred colt, grey in color and trained by the irascible Grover G. (Bud) Delp, “The Bid” had won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and had taken up residence at The Great Race Place in advance of his 4-year-old campaign.

Spectacular Bid would go on to have a winter for the ages, winning four graded stakes–the Grade 2 Malibu on Jan. 5, 1980, the G2 San Fernando on Jan. 19, the G1 Strub on Feb. 3, and the G1 Santa Anita Handicap under 130 pounds on March 2, all in combination with a jockey named Bill Shoemaker and on all four occasions with a gutty California-bred named Flying Paster checking in second.

From that point forward, it's safe to say that through an incredible career that saw him cover racing for the Daily News full-time for 10 years beginning in 1981, serve as West Coast editor for the Racing Times from 1991-92, West Coast correspondent for the New York Times from 1992-98 and finally as National Correspondent for DRF from 1998 until his retirement this past September, Privman's love for and devotion to racing never waned.

“We're honored to be able to name a race for Jay and to acknowledge his contributions to racing,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Jay's love of the game and his professionalism through these many years are what made him stand out. He covered our sport with a steady hand and was always fair.

“Although we certainly miss him in print and as a regular voice on radio, we're happy that with all of his newly found free time as a retiree, he'll be able to spend significant amounts of quality time with us as a fan and horseplayer. He's truly a Hall of Famer and we wish him and Anne all the best in the years to come.”

In all, Privman, 62, whose resume also includes television assignments with CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBCSN and as the Saturday morning radio host of “Thoroughbred Los Angeles” on KLAA, AM 830, covered 39 of the past 41 Kentucky Derbies dating back to 1982 and 37 of the 38 runnings of the Breeders' Cup World Championships beginning at Hollywood Park in 1984.

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Soft-spoken with an unassuming manner, Leonel Reyes has steadily established himself as one of Gulfstream Park's most respected jockeys while still managing somehow to ride under the radar of some horsemen and racing fans.

The 36-year-old jockey had a much higher profile in his native Venezuela, where he was a two-time national champion before venturing to the U.S. in 2016. He arrived in South Florida with little fanfare and has had to prove himself, quietly and steadily, as a solid member of the Gulfstream Park jockey's room.

“When you move to another country, it's difficult in the beginning,” said Reyes, who was a nine-time titlist at National Racetrack Valencia while riding more than 1400 winners in Venezuela. “Now, I'm happy here.”

Although it wasn't easy to make a fresh start in the U.S. after reaching such lofty heights in Venezuela, Reyes has never looked back in his quest to build a better life for his family, his wife Daniela, and daughters Leona (12), Donna (9) and Lea (1 ½).

While learning the English language, Reyes let his riding speak to his abundant talent, showing himself to be an astute judge of pace when riding closers and front-runners. His win-rate hovered around 10 percent for the first few years in the U.S. – a figure that includes four months riding against the best riders in the world during Gulfstream's Championship Meet – but he has regularly ranked among the top jockeys based on average-win payoff.

“I ride here at Gulfstream all year and, naturally, the winter meet is a very good meet,” he said. “I try my best on every mount. I don't care if I'm on the favorite or not.”

Reyes' patience and quiet confidence in his abilities are paying off in 2022, during which he has ridden the winners of 128 races and nearly $4.5 million in purses. He branched out from South Florida for the first time during the summer months, riding at Gulfstream's Royal Palm Meet and Colonial Downs in Virginia. He ranked second during both meetings while finishing behind Miguel Vasquez with 85 winners at Gulfstream and introducing himself to the Mid-Atlantic with 18 winners, seven behind titlist Jevian Toledo.

“It's been an amazing year. It's a dream. I had a good year at Colonial Downs. I finished second. Here, it's been amazing too,” said Reyes, who expressed appreciation for his long-time agent, Jose Sanchez. “I'm very happy.”

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher named Reyes to ride his first starter of the current Sunshine Meet, and the low-profile jockey gave Hoax a high-energy ride to prevail aboard the juvenile daughter of Practical Joke by a nose in an Oct. 7 optional claiming allowance.

“Mr. Pletcher is a great, great trainer,” Reyes said. “I was very happy to win that race for him.”

Reyes hasn't made it to the top of the jockey's standings at Gulfstream quite yet but his heightened success in 2022 has him feeling on top of the world.

Reyes is named in eight of nine races when Gulfstream resumes live racing Friday with a 12:35 p.m. first race post.

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