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Longtime California Racing Executive Peter Tunney, 83, Passes

Peter Tunney, born into a family of racing and sports officials and who led Golden Gate Fields in Northern California for three decades, died on Wednesday at his home at Piedmont, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was 83 and, according to Daily Racing Form, had suffered from Lewy body dementia.

Son of a Southern California racing official, Jim Tunney Sr., Tunney's first job was as a parking lot attendant at Hollywood Park while attending Occidental College in Los Angeles. Upon graduation he started working at the track full-time, first as an official and then in the racing office, including a three-year stint as Del Mar's racing secretary in the 1970s. He worked in numerous capacities at Santa Anita and Hollywood, and Tunney eventually settled in at Golden Gate Fields, serving as general manager for 30 years.

Tunney ran track and was a running back for the Occidental College football team, according to Daily Racing Form's Steve Andersen, who noted that Tunney was a 13th-round draft choice by the Detroit Lions in 1960. He played on the same college team as eventual NFL star quarterback Jack Kemp, who would later go on to a career in public service. Tunney sustained a non-football leg injury that cut short his athletic career and caused him to walk with a limp for the rest of his life, his wife, Anian, told DRF.

Tunney's brother, Jim, is known as the “dean of NFL referees,” working in that capacity from 1967-'90.

Trainer Bob Hess recalls when his late father, Bob Hess Sr., headed the Northern California horsemen's group and had ongoing interaction with Tunney. “Peter was always a gentleman, an intelligent and great man who always put horses and horse racing first.” said Hess.

Alan Balch, a former longtime track executive and now executive director of California Thoroughbred Trainers, worked alongside Tunney at both Southern and Northern California tracks.

“One of racing's good guys, Peter Tunney was at home anywhere on the track — whether in the garage at Hollywood Park, to the overflow parking lot at Santa Anita, to a Paris restaurant during Arc week, any Stewards' stand, Racing Office, or the executive suite at Golden Gate Fields,” said Balch. “He was a gifted raconteur and bon vivant whose droll sense of humor is unforgettable, and was a big part of his success as a management leader.”

Santa Anita, which like Golden Gate Fields is owned by The Stronach Group, issued the following statement: “Peter Tunney has been a constant, calming and classy tiller for California racing for over 40 years. His heart was as big as his smile and his handshake, which always was as good as his word. For most of the last 30 years, he has been synonymous with Golden Gate Fields and we will miss his guidance. Everyone involved in California racing, whether they personally knew Peter or not, has lost a dear and decent friend who was a champion for our sport, as his touch reached all aspects of the business. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family during this difficult time.”

Services were not known at time of writing.

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King Of Positivity Kendrick Carmouche Hopeful For Big Late Kicks From Bourbonic, Maracuja

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche could be a walking, talking advertisement for optimism.

Here's the proof. The other day, Carmouche was asked what's his best finish he has ever had in the Pennsylvania Derby? The 37-year-old rider smiled – he's always smiling – and snapped back.

“Saturday,” he said. “It will be on Saturday.”

For the record, Carmouche's best finish in the signature race at Parx Racing came in 2017 when he checked in fourth aboard Game Over. That was his sixth career mount in the Derby.

Saturday, he'll be aboard Calumet Farms' Bourbonic in the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, a horse he rode to a stunning victory in the Wood Memorial in April at odds of 72-1.

“I will need some pace,” Carmouche said about his partner, who is 12-1 on the Derby morning line. “Hopefully, he will have the same kick that he had in the Wood and we can run them down.”

Being back in the saddle are soothing words for the native of Louisiana, who had a bummer of a summer.

Two races after riding Bourbonic to a fifth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes on June 5, Carmouche broke his right ankle when his mount Kentucky Pharoah leapt in the air and unseated the rider. The horse landed on his ankle, breaking it. Goodbye, summer.

Now he's back. And loving every second of it.

“I am ready. I am hungry,” Carmouche said. “I just want to succeed.”

Carmouche returned to the saddle on Sept. 5 and started his comeback at Parx, a place he has had plenty of success at.

He owns seven riding titles at Parx, including four straight from 2008-11.

In his second start back from the injury, he won. In 56 starts since his injury, Carmouche has seven wins, four seconds and six thirds.

Saturday, he'll have nine rides on the 13-race Parx card. Besides Bourbonic, he is also being reunited with Beach Haven Thoroughbreds LLC, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds and Barry Fowler's Maracuja in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion.

Carmouche rode Maracuja three times earlier this year before getting hurt. He missed the mount when Maracuja won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 24.

“I am happy to have Kendrick back on her,” Rob Atras, Maracuja's trainer, said. “He knows the filly. Obviously, he knows Parx. I know that definitely can't hurt.”

Carmouche's upbeat nature didn't sour when he watched Ricardo Santana Jr. win the Coaching Club American Oaks. It's not his way.

“I am always looking forward,” he said. “Life goes on, man. It's part of the game. Nobody wants to get hurt, but it happens. I just kept on pushing, kept on fighting. I am always in a good mood, you can never get me down. It's just the way I've always been.”

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Chris Griffin ‘Humbled’ By Opportunity As New Voice Of Pennsylvania Derby Day

When Keith Jones retired last December, he wrapped up a career that spanned 34 years as a track announcer. His voice became synonymous with racing at Parx after calling over 60,000 races and 32 Pennsylvania Derbies since his first day in the booth at what was then Philadelphia Park in 1987.

Saturday, Chris Griffin will call his first Pennsylvania Derby as the new voice of Parx Racing. He was hired on March 24.

“Trying to replace a legend like Keith Jones and coming here, it's been a seven-year ride for me,” Griffin said. “I have to pinch myself a little bit because I take a look at the rundown of the fields and these are serious racehorses that we have. It takes a lot of memorizing and a lot of studying, and just trying to stay relaxed. With two one-million-dollar races, it's just exciting, and it's a good time to be here.”

“Keith Jones is still texting me and giving me a shout,” he said. “He's like, “are you excited? Are you nervous?” I'm pretty much like all of that Keith. You try to relax the best you can. It's going to feel like a different day no matter what, but were excited. Its big racing, big horses with 13 races on the card. You look at a race like this (Pennsylvania Derby), and these are the best horses in the country, and to be here for these races I'm humbled by it because I get to call the action,” added Griffin.

As a fresh face among those who ply their trade announcing races from atop racetracks in what is considered one of the toughest jobs in racing, the Santa Monica, Calif. native's journey to the booth began far west of Bensalem, Penn.

“I started out at the Humboldt County Fair and got an opportunity there to call races after my stint being the voice of the Harlem Globetrotters,” said Griffin. “Sam Houston was a great experience for me to try and catch some Grade 3 races and try to build up the resume a little bit. Then when this opportunity came up, I got lucky. I popped in and here we are.”

Saturday will be the biggest day of racing at this point in Griffin's young career. The work and preparation that announcers put into a long, stakes filled day can vary depending on the experience as well as the certain challenges that can arise.

“I don't try and change the mechanics too much,” Griffin said. “I think if you start thinking about it a little too much you kind of psyche yourself out a little bit. I looked at the fields, and the two-year-old races are a little tougher because there's first time starters, and you don't really know them.”

“There are silks that I'm familiar with from the local connections, and that'll help me color in the program. I like to color in the program the night before the big race. You pretty much know now who's in what post position and who is where, but the only thing I can't prepare for is what happens during a race. The unexpected can always happen. You have to be prepared for it, but you can't prepare for it … if that makes sense.”

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Griffin went on to say, “We haven't run a ton of mile and an eighth (Pennsylvania Derby distance) races on the main track since I've been here so that will be a little bit different. We definitely didn't have a mile and a half here like the Greenwood Cup, so some of the distances will be a little bit different, but other than that I treat it as another racing day here at Parx. We have a tremendous TV crew and staff and everybody is working hard to put things in place. At that point I want to be done by 9 am on Saturday morning and just jump in the booth and be like alright here we go.”

Racing can be a small world at times, and on Saturday, Griffin and Trainer Doug O'Neill, who will saddle 8-5 morning-line favorite Hot Rod Charlie in the Pennsylvania Derby, share a common bond which began 2,735 miles from Bensalem.

“It's so funny, Doug and I go way back,” said Griffin. “I was probably in my twenties running around and somebody told me that Doug O'Neill went to St. Monica's. I said, 'I went to St. Monica's,' which is a high school in Santa Monica, a private school, maybe six-hundred students or something like that.

“Doug had gone there before me. I went and tapped him on the shoulder, and was like, 'hey Doug O'Neill, I heard you went to St. Monica's, I'm Chris Griffin, I went there.' He was like 'Oh I know you. You were the quarterback with the championship football team.' It was the 1998 season. I graduated in 1999. We won our (California Interscholastic Federation) football championship. He knew all about it.

“Ever since then, we've been connected and when we see each other we say, 'Oh yeah, what's going on with St. Monica's?” said Griffin. “It's just one of those things. We're connected in a weird way for life. It's a cool little back story. It's nice to see him and hang out with him. It's fun to see Doug here on site.”

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Like Father, Like Son: Servises Make It A Family Affair At Parx

Family plays an integral part in both the human and equine history in racing. Like Thoroughbreds, countless horsemen are born into the sport and are descendants of a family filled with a trade and tradition.

Thursday morning, John and Tyler Servis, father and son, stood along the outer rail on the backside of Parx, waiting for their horses to train. Tyler, with his arm draped around his dad's shoulders, talked about their horses.

Saturday, the veteran Parx-based trainer, will be joined by his son, now also a trainer, as they send their horses to the gate amid a stakes-filled program highlighted by the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

John has five horses entered on the day including stakes runners Precious (Plum Pretty), Leader of the Band (Cotillion G1) and Irish Cork (Alphabet Soup).

Tyler will send two, led by Shooger Ray Too in the Grade 3, $200,000 Greenwood Cup. It will be just his third time saddling a horse in a graded stakes in his short time as a trainer.

Tyler, 30, went out on his own two years ago after spending the majority of his young life in the shadow of his dad among the 10,744 starts, 1,306 victories and $52 million in earnings. He was about 14 years old with a front row seat when the ever-popular Smarty Jones made a bid for the Triple Crown in 2004, sweeping the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness before falling short as the runner-up in the Belmont Stakes.

Together they worked side-by-side amid the long hours, through good days and bad. The elder horseman, a master at his craft, teaching his son through hands-on experience in the hope that he could one day follow in his footsteps. Now Tyler has 18 horses stabled in the barn alongside his father on the backstretch.

“I started galloping for him when I was 14 at Oaklawn,” Tyler said. “I got on my first horse at the track and then when I turned 16, I was able to get a license and I'd gallop for him before school. I did that for a couple of years, and I'd say probably during my junior year of high school I became his foreman. Then in my senior year when I graduated, I became his assistant. Then two years ago I decided to go out on my own.”

The decision to embark on a training career can happen too soon, too late or not at all as many have failed over the years. For the Servis' the decision for Tyler to remain with his dad or try his own hand wasn't easy decision.

“It was both ways,” Tyler said. “He was pushing me a little bit to try to go out and do my own thing and see what I could do, and I was getting to the point where I think I was ready for that change and that type of task at hand.”

John, the proud dad, recalled one dream his son had over a decade ago. Tyler dreamt about being a jockey when he grew up. As a high school freshman, he was 5-feet-7 and weighed 90 pounds. By his senior year, he was 6-feet tall, and doubled his weight. Now, as they train separately for different clients, the bond still remains.

“He was going to be a jockey, John said. “He was 16. I have pictures of him breezing horses and his mother was so upset, saying 'I don't want him to be a jockey. I said, 'honey, trust me, when he grows into those feet, he's not going to be a jockey.”

“It's fun and it's exciting”, John said. “Every time he runs a horse, he'll call me five minutes after the race and ask, “what did you think?' If he doesn't call it's because the horse won, and he's basking in the glory. So, then I'll call him and say, 'hey, you never called me!' He'll say, 'oh, I was so busy, I didn't have time.'

“We're right next to each other here (on the backside). After a horse runs or after they work, I'll bring them outside the next day and go over them and jog them down the road and stuff like that. He does the same thing, but it's funny that now when we do that, just one of us, the other will come out and look at them too so it's neat. He does it for me and I do it for him,” John said.

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When Tyler saddles Shooger Ray Too in the Greenwood Cup, he will be hoping the third time is the charm after saddling Wentz to a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes in his first year on his own. He then shipped to Aqueduct and finished fifth in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap.

Tyler will need to win 33 graded stakes if he wants to match his dad's mark, but for now he's focused on Saturday, and he likes his horse's chance in the 1 1/2-mile race.

“He is doing very well,” Tyler said. “He came out of his race really well from Saratoga (2nd in the Birdstone, Aug. 5). We have been pointing to this race all year, so obviously, we have high hopes for him. This is his home track, and he will relish the distance in this race and hopefully we'll come out with good results.”

“I'll be taking ten to New York for the winter,” Tyler said. “My first time up there. I want to try and branch out a little bit and generate some business. New face, new opportunity and maybe attract some new people. The experience won't hurt. At least I can say I tried if it doesn't work out.”

Win or lose this Saturday, the future is bright for the young horseman. From great lineage comes great opportunity with hopes of a promising career for years to come.

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