BIG DAY FOR EATONS, ROBERTSON, EIKLEBERRY
BY JIM WELLS
The curtain came down on the 25th anniversary of racing in Minnesota and the 2010 season at Canterbury Park Sunday with the 17th running of the Minnesota Festival of Racing.
It was a day of celebration and reflection for the card’s winners and the thoroughbred racing industry.
The Festival winners gathered for a toast after the races. Others were left to wonder if the industry will get the help it needs from the Minnesota legislature to keep their businesses alive and growing, the ability to compete with other tracks in the area and country.
For the most part, it was a day of celebration, though.
No one was any more pleased with the day’s results than Art and Gretchen Eaton, whose horses won two races on a Festival card for the first time in their many years of breeding and racing. Gretchen was celebrating her 60th birthday with a big party for friends, and had plenty to celebrate after Suddenly Silver dominated the Classic Championship and Bella Notte won the Minnesota Distaff.
“This is a first for us,’’ Gretchen said. “I can’t recall winning two races on Festival Day.”We’ve never had a day like this.’’
Suddenly Silver’s story was particularly special. His dam, Sudden Sensation, died moments after foaling him, and so the Eatons brought in a nurse mare from Kentucky.
“He’s always been special because of that,’’ Grechen said.
Equally pleased was jockey Ry Eilkeberry, whose ability to ride was unclear through the first couple of races. Injured in a spill on Thursday night, he was nursing a very sore left ankle and rode for the first time since the incident.
Even the pain could not keep him from winning four stakes on the card.
“It was killing me through the first couple of races,’’ he said. “Then I think it stretched out and was fine the rest of the card.’’
Eilkeberry had planned to meet his mother, Pam, in Hutchinson, Kan., on his ride home to Phoenix, where he’ll ride at Turf Paradise when that meet begins in October. She planned to be there visiting relatives. Instead she flew to Minnesota upon hearing of her son’s injury last week and was on hand Sunday to watch his stunning performance.
Trainer Mac Robertson had reason to celebrate, too, with another training championship capped by five victories on Sunday’s card, including four Festival stakes races.
The card and the season ended in spectacular fashion, with a three-horse photo finish.
The winner was ….Recording Contract, trained by Gary Scherer, owned and bred by Cam Casby and ridden by Derek Bell. Inches back were Go Doll and Tez Savitri.
NORTHERN LIGHTS FUTURITY
(Six furlongs)
The boys weren’t as quick as the girls, they didn’t have a favorite quite as clear-cut as Esprit de Bleu and they didn’t create the same kind of anticipation.
But they did produce an upset.
Black Tie Benny, trained by Bernell Rhone, ridden by Dave Cardoso and owned by Barbara Rehbein covered the distance in 1:11 1/5.
The Rhone barn finished one-two in this race, with favored Samendra, bred and owned by Kisson Thoroughbreds and ridden by Dean Butler, taking second, 7 ¼ lengths behind the surprising winner, who was sent off at 9-2.
.“They’re both very good horses, but Black Tie Benny showed his true colors today,’’ said Rhone.
Those colors were worth $11.20 on a $2 bet.
SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP
The top two jockeys at Canterbury this summer were on the top two horses in this race and it ended just the way the jockey race did.
Defending champion Bizet, with Ry Eilkeberry up, and Nomorewineforeddie, with Dean Butler in the irons, went head to head to the wire with Nomorewineforeddie prevailing.
“He broke a little sharper than I wanted,’’ said Butler. “But I didn’t want Bizet to get away either, so I stayed with him.’’
And First Captain stayed with them until they left him in the stretch duel and made it a two-horse race.
Owned by Anthony Didier and trained by Bruce Riecken, the winner covered the distance in 1:10 flat, finishing ½ length in front.
“Eddie goes all out not matter what, in the morning or in the afternoon,’’ said Didier.
His “all-out” effort Sunday was worth a half-length victory and a championship.
TURF CHAMPIONSHIP
(One Mile)
How’s this for a swan song? Bret Favre are you listening?
Sir Tricky, in the final start of his glorious career __( at age nine is about 45 in human terms __ took over in the stretch drive, made a statement inside the 16th pole and won the Turf Championship, a race he also won in 2006.
Let’s see…Favre, now 40, quarterbacked the Packers to a 1997 Super Bowl title…
Sir Tricky, owned by Barry and Joni Butzow, trained by Mac Robertson and ridden by Seth Martinez, finished a length in front of Mack’s Blackhawk and another neck in front of Beau Named Sue. The winning time was 1:12.
“He’s been a fabulous horse, from the beginning up to now,’’ said Joni Buetzow.
Sir Tricky, the odds-on favorite, finished his career with nearly $350,000 in earnings and a record of 13-8-9 from 44 starts. .
DISTAFF SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP
(Six Furlongs)
How’s this for a birthday present, wrapped, decorated and delivered by Bella Notte, a six-year-old daughter of Quick Cut:
Gretchen Eaton, who bred and owns the mare with her husband, Art, was celebrating her 60th birthday this weekend. Art threw a party on her behalf at the track. The proverbial frosting on this cake was applied by Bella Notte herself.
Bella Notte delivered on this special day, winning the Distaff Sprint gate to wire in 1:10 under red hot rider Ry Eilkeberry, who had already ridden the winner of the quarter horse futurity and the Distaff.
Bella Notte’s win was her second straight in this race and provided trainer Mac Robertson with his fourth victory in this race.
“We’re just blessed,’’ said Gretchen. “To have this horse, this trainer and groom. Everything about her has been wonderful.’’
The Eatons, Art added, are weighing their options with this fine mare. “She’s a very nice filly,’’ he said.”We don’t know if we should breed her next year or bring her back.’’
NORTHERN LIGHTS DEBUTANTE
(Six Furlongs)
They call her Mighty Mouse in the barn she’s such a squirt, but she can run like a jackrabbit.
Esprit de Bleu, a two-year-old daughter of Littleexpectations ( maybe that’s the diminutive gene) from Bleu’s Apparition blew away a field of seven rivals to win this six-furlong stake for two-year-olds in 1:12.
Thoroughbred riding champion Dean Butler was in the saddle aboard the odds-on favorite, bred and owned by Deb and Jeff Hilger. “She’s small but she has a long stride,’’ Jeff said.
Long enough to finish 3 ¾ lengths in front of Congrats and Roses, who was merely the best of the rest on this day.
The victory was the third straight for the Mac Robertson barn on the card and produced one of the training champ’s best comments over the years.
Robertson won his seventh consecutive (the first was in his father’s name but the stable was handled entirely by Mac) training title.
Robertson is known for his curt, colorful comments and Sunday was no exception.
Paddock analyst Kevin Gorg complimented Robertson for numerous accomplishments, buttering him up one side and down the other in the winner’s circle interview. He ended by calling Robertson the best trainer he had seen in his 10 years at Canterbury.
“I’m glad I was able to satisfy you, Mr. Gorg,’’ Robertson responded.
MINNESOTA CLASSIC
(Mile and 1/16)
Suddenly Silver went gate to wire in this one to close out a special day for the Eatons, finishing five lengths in front of Jack and Max, ridden by Seth Martinez.
Suddenly Silver was sent off the even-money favorite and was never challenged, drawing off in the lane to his convincing victory.
Third place went to Wally’s Choice, who picked up $6,000 but still trails Blair’s Cove by some $29,000 in all-time Minnesota-bred earnings.
The win capped off an exciting day for the Eatons, who had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
MINNESOTA DISTAFF CHAMPIONSHIP
(Mile 1/16)
Chick Fight, the 2009 Horse of the Year and defending Distaff champion, appeared to have things her way in the early stages. Jockey champion Dean Butler put her immediately on the lead and she cruised through the first half mile in an easy :49.
By midturn she was engaged by Sasha’s Fierce with Ry Eilkeberry up. Sasha’s Fierce, owned by Astar Lindquist Stable and trained by Gary Scherer, put her head in front at the top of the lane and then drew up to a convincing, lopsided victory in 1:45 and 1/5.
“On the backside I didn’t know how much chance I had,’’ said Eilkeberry. But I knew I couldn’t let her (Chick Fight) simply gallop, so we went after her.’’
Chick Fight couldn’t keep pace with Sasha’s Fierce, whose last two outings were at a mile or more. Chick Fight, on the other hand, hadn’t run a route of ground since July 20 when she finished third in allowance company at Prairie Meadows.
EILKEBERRY, PETERSENS WIN QH TITLES
Seis It fast started the day for the track’s champion quarter horse trainers, Bob and Julie Petersen, by winning his fifth race in five starts over the Canterbury racing strip this season.
A two-year-old gelded son of Tres Seis from Chic N Traffic, Seis It Fast covered the 350-yard Minnesota Futurity distance in :18.52.
That added one more win to the ledger of trainer Ed Ross Harding and wife Kari who won a ninth straight and 10th overall quarter horse training title.
Ry Eilkeberry, who won a third straight Quarter Horse riding title, was aboard the winner. He was still nursing a sore left ankle from Thursday night’s spill. “I loaded up on ibuprofen and put a (poltice) on it all night. But I’m riding nine straight. I’m ready to go. We’ll see….”
Next up for Seis It Fast?
“We’ll lay him up and come back with him next year,’’ Kari said.
The Minnesota Quarter Horse Derby went to another Tres Seis offspring, Six It Up, bred by E.D. Calvert, owned by Steve Pribyl and trained by Brent Clay.
On this time is was a filly who won, against colts and geldings. She finished in :20.68. Ridden by Thomas Wellington, she did not need to go all out to win this one.
“Tom said he didn’t have to ride that hard,’’ Clay said. “She’s nominated to the Distaff at Lone Star Park. We’ll see.’’
2010 Divisional Champions
· Horse of the Year- Seis It Fast (owner: Robert and Julie Petersen; trainer: Ed Ross Hardy)
· Older Filly or Mare – Bella Notte (owner: Art and Gretchen Eaton; trainer: Mac Robertson)
· Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding –Stachys (owner: Al and Bill Ulwelling; trainer: Michael Biehler)
· Three-Year-Old Filly – Hunter’s Tiger Paw (owner: Joel and Kris Zamzow; trainer: Cory Jensen)
· Two-Year-Old – Seis It Fast (owner: Robert and Julie Petersen; trainer: Ed Ross Hardy)
· Sprinter – Moralist (owner: Miracle Logistics Inc.; trainer: Tammy Domenosky)
· Claimer – Lucky Skat (owner: Valene Farms; trainer: Gary Scherer)
· Grass Horse – Sir Tricky (owner: Joni and Barry Butzow; trainer: Mac Robertson)
· Quarter Horse – Seis It Fast (owner: Robert and Julie Petersen; trainer: Ed Ross Hardy)
· Older Horse - Moralist (owner: Miracle Logistics Inc.; trainer: Tammy Domenosky)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Festival of Champions Closes the Meet at Canterbury Park
Canterbury Park's live racing season concluded Sunday with the 17th renewal of the Minnesota Festival of Champions, a day exclusively for horses bred in Minnesota.
Bill and Al Ulwelling of Elk River, MN won the 2010 leading thoroughbred owner title at Canterbury Park. This is the first time the father, Bill, and son, Al, have been leading owners. They concluded the season with 20 wins and $194,310 in purse money. [Pictured Below: The Ulwellings]
The leading Thoroughbred trainer for 2010 was Mac Robertson, ending the meet with 51 wins out of 137 starts. [Pictured Below: Mac Robertson]
Bill and Al Ulwelling of Elk River, MN won the 2010 leading thoroughbred owner title at Canterbury Park. This is the first time the father, Bill, and son, Al, have been leading owners. They concluded the season with 20 wins and $194,310 in purse money. [Pictured Below: The Ulwellings]
The leading Thoroughbred trainer for 2010 was Mac Robertson, ending the meet with 51 wins out of 137 starts. [Pictured Below: Mac Robertson]
Finally, the leading Quarter Horse jockey for Canterbury Park's 2010 meet, was Ry Eikleberry. He ended the meet with 18 wins. [Pictured Below: Ry Eikleberry]
Saturday, August 28, 2010
News and Notes on The Final Weekend
BUTLER CLAIMS A SECOND RIDING TITLE
By JIM WELLS
Maybe the Minnesota Vikings can pick up some tips on how to put away an opponent by observing the way Dean Butler is closing the 2010 meet at Canterbury Park.
Butler had a 10 or 11-win lead two weeks ago in the jockey standings, equivalent, say, to a 10-point lead in a football game.
He had the riding title all but locked up but unlike our beloved locals in purple, Butler
demonstrated a real killer instinct over the final couple of weeks, surging to 20-win lead heading into Saturday’s card, the next-to-last one of the meet.
Butler did not stop there. With his nearest rival, Ry Eilkeberry, sidelined after a spill on Thursday’s card, Butler continued to ride Saturday as if the title were still at stake.
His first win on Saturday’s card came in the fifth race aboard a daughter of Demidoff bred by Kisson Thoroughbreds, owned by Ann and Sunil Sachdev and trained by Francisco Bravo.
A fellow approached Butler afterward and congratulated him on his second consecutive riding title.
“It feels very good but it was a lot of hard work,’’ he said.
Hard work accompanied, Butler insists, by opportunity.
“A lot of times I was simply on the best horse,’’ he said. “Bernell (Rhone), Mac (Robertson), Gary (Scherer) and others gave me a lot of good chances. And my agent (Pete Antonucci) got a lot of those mounts for me.’’
Nonetheless, Butler competed this summer in one of the finest riding colonies in track history.
“Yes, the colony was pretty deep this year,’’ Butler said. “We had a lot of good jockeys here.’’
So choice opportunities, a bit of good fortune and some solid riding throughout the summer put another trophy on Butler’s achievement shelf.
Butler got his second win on Saturday’s card in the sixth race aboard Root River Kid, a four-year-old gelding trained and owned by Donald Cheloha and bred by Edna Cheloha and Steve Zmyewski.
He added his third win on the card aboard Daring Attraction, trained by Clay Brinson, in the eighth race in a track record :55 2/5 for five furlongs.
The previous record was set by Rockhurst,. :56:01. In 2005.
Ya’ll Come Back won the final race on Saturday’s card in a breeze, finishing a dozen lengths in front. Trained by Vic Reedy, the winner was ridden by Derek Bell, who moved into a tie with Ry Eilkeberry for second place in the riding standings with 51 wins.
One jock’s loss is sometimes another’s gain. Take a maiden filly named Early Girl, for instance. The two-year-old, bred and owned by Triple AAA Ranch in Phoenix, and trained by John Johnson, made mincemeat of eight opponents in a 5 ½ furlong maiden race.
Lori Keith originally had the mount on Early Girl but was injured in a spill Thursday night. Nik Goodwin picked up the mount and his filly won at first asking, by a dozen lengths.
“Oh, that horse can run,’’ said Rhone as he gave Goodwin a leg up in the next race.
So, what instructions did Goodwin get from Johnson before the race? Did he simply tell him to give the filly her head? “Pretty much,’’ said Goodwin. “He said to give her a breather along the way.’’
It should always be so easy.
ULWELLINGS PICK UP A TROPHY EARLY
Al and Bill Ulwelling were in the winner’s circle with their families after the eighth race on Saturday to receive their trophies as the leading owners this season.
The Ulwellings have become big players in the game in the last five or six years and that investment is revealing itself.
They started 56 horses at Canterbury this summer, producing 20 wins, 13 seconds and five thirds: that’s a win percentage of 37 percent, in-the-money figure of 69 percent and total earnings of $193,010.
Miguel Silva was second on Saturday with 10 wins. Jeff and Deb Hilger of Bleu Valley Farm were third with nine wins.
INJURED JOCKS
Eilkeberry and Keith were injured in Thursday’s spill and did not ride on Saturday. Eilkeberry was at the track and got a massage and spent time in the whirlpool. He might ride on Sunday’s Festival of Racing card.
Keith was scheduled to get out of St. Francis Hospital on Saturday after suffering a compression fracture in her back in the spill.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS PROMOTION
Fillies Race for Hope director Gary Speich had a table at the track on Saturday, soliciting support for his organization, which is sponsoring a filly who will race at Canterbury among other tracks next season.
Dance With Elegance, by Dance With Ravens from Elegance, will race in the organization’s colors next summer with her earnings earmarked for Fillies Race For Hope.
She will race at Canterbury sometime next summer in an all-filly race.
Speich says the plan is for her to tour the country racing at various tracks. The advertising company for his organization is Baker of Wayzata, which has designed the Fillies Race for Hope logo, a pink horse’s head, and has done extensive promotional work.
By JIM WELLS
Maybe the Minnesota Vikings can pick up some tips on how to put away an opponent by observing the way Dean Butler is closing the 2010 meet at Canterbury Park.
Butler had a 10 or 11-win lead two weeks ago in the jockey standings, equivalent, say, to a 10-point lead in a football game.
He had the riding title all but locked up but unlike our beloved locals in purple, Butler
demonstrated a real killer instinct over the final couple of weeks, surging to 20-win lead heading into Saturday’s card, the next-to-last one of the meet.Butler did not stop there. With his nearest rival, Ry Eilkeberry, sidelined after a spill on Thursday’s card, Butler continued to ride Saturday as if the title were still at stake.
His first win on Saturday’s card came in the fifth race aboard a daughter of Demidoff bred by Kisson Thoroughbreds, owned by Ann and Sunil Sachdev and trained by Francisco Bravo.
A fellow approached Butler afterward and congratulated him on his second consecutive riding title.
“It feels very good but it was a lot of hard work,’’ he said.
Hard work accompanied, Butler insists, by opportunity.
“A lot of times I was simply on the best horse,’’ he said. “Bernell (Rhone), Mac (Robertson), Gary (Scherer) and others gave me a lot of good chances. And my agent (Pete Antonucci) got a lot of those mounts for me.’’
Nonetheless, Butler competed this summer in one of the finest riding colonies in track history.
“Yes, the colony was pretty deep this year,’’ Butler said. “We had a lot of good jockeys here.’’
So choice opportunities, a bit of good fortune and some solid riding throughout the summer put another trophy on Butler’s achievement shelf.
Butler got his second win on Saturday’s card in the sixth race aboard Root River Kid, a four-year-old gelding trained and owned by Donald Cheloha and bred by Edna Cheloha and Steve Zmyewski.
He added his third win on the card aboard Daring Attraction, trained by Clay Brinson, in the eighth race in a track record :55 2/5 for five furlongs.
The previous record was set by Rockhurst,. :56:01. In 2005.
Ya’ll Come Back won the final race on Saturday’s card in a breeze, finishing a dozen lengths in front. Trained by Vic Reedy, the winner was ridden by Derek Bell, who moved into a tie with Ry Eilkeberry for second place in the riding standings with 51 wins.
One jock’s loss is sometimes another’s gain. Take a maiden filly named Early Girl, for instance. The two-year-old, bred and owned by Triple AAA Ranch in Phoenix, and trained by John Johnson, made mincemeat of eight opponents in a 5 ½ furlong maiden race.
Lori Keith originally had the mount on Early Girl but was injured in a spill Thursday night. Nik Goodwin picked up the mount and his filly won at first asking, by a dozen lengths.
“Oh, that horse can run,’’ said Rhone as he gave Goodwin a leg up in the next race.
So, what instructions did Goodwin get from Johnson before the race? Did he simply tell him to give the filly her head? “Pretty much,’’ said Goodwin. “He said to give her a breather along the way.’’
It should always be so easy.
ULWELLINGS PICK UP A TROPHY EARLY
Al and Bill Ulwelling were in the winner’s circle with their families after the eighth race on Saturday to receive their trophies as the leading owners this season.
The Ulwellings have become big players in the game in the last five or six years and that investment is revealing itself.
They started 56 horses at Canterbury this summer, producing 20 wins, 13 seconds and five thirds: that’s a win percentage of 37 percent, in-the-money figure of 69 percent and total earnings of $193,010.
Miguel Silva was second on Saturday with 10 wins. Jeff and Deb Hilger of Bleu Valley Farm were third with nine wins.
INJURED JOCKS
Eilkeberry and Keith were injured in Thursday’s spill and did not ride on Saturday. Eilkeberry was at the track and got a massage and spent time in the whirlpool. He might ride on Sunday’s Festival of Racing card.
Keith was scheduled to get out of St. Francis Hospital on Saturday after suffering a compression fracture in her back in the spill.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS PROMOTION
Fillies Race for Hope director Gary Speich had a table at the track on Saturday, soliciting support for his organization, which is sponsoring a filly who will race at Canterbury among other tracks next season.
Dance With Elegance, by Dance With Ravens from Elegance, will race in the organization’s colors next summer with her earnings earmarked for Fillies Race For Hope.
She will race at Canterbury sometime next summer in an all-filly race.
Speich says the plan is for her to tour the country racing at various tracks. The advertising company for his organization is Baker of Wayzata, which has designed the Fillies Race for Hope logo, a pink horse’s head, and has done extensive promotional work.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Rider Update
Lori Keith and Ry Eikleberry were involved in a spill last night in the second race. Both were transported to St. Francis Medical Center.
Ry was released last night and was on the backside this morning. He suffered various bumps and bruises and a concussion. While not expected to ride this evening, he may return Saturday.
Lori remained in the hospital overnight. She has been diagnosed with a compressed vertebrate. She expects to be released tomorrow.
JM
Ry was released last night and was on the backside this morning. He suffered various bumps and bruises and a concussion. While not expected to ride this evening, he may return Saturday.
Lori remained in the hospital overnight. She has been diagnosed with a compressed vertebrate. She expects to be released tomorrow.
JM
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
NOTES
STEVENS’ REHAB PLANS HEATING UP
By JIM WELLS
When he arrived home in Phoenix at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the temperature was 115.
But it’s a dry heat, so…
“I actually haven’t even broken a sweat,’’ Scott Stevens said Wednesday.
But he plans on working up a good sweat soon, once he begins working himself back into riding condition. Stevens was injured in a spill on July 2 at Canterbury Park and was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.
Stevens’ goal is to be ready to ride when the Turf Paradise meet begins on Oct. 1, but he seems prepared to accept a later date if necessary.
“That’s my goal, Oct. 1,’’ he said, “but I don’t know if I will.’’
Stevens has another medical appointment on Sept. 9. He’s feeling stronger by the day, he said, but still experiences soreness throughout his body from the July 2 accident, in which he suffered broken ribs and punctured lungs among other infirmities.
He still has numbness in some of his fingers. He had a test done recently that indicated there was no damage above the elbows. “There is a nerve at the elbow that might have been damaged,’’ he said. “Doctors think six to eight weeks and that should be OK again.’’
The pinky and ring ringers on both hands are affected mostly.
“The pinky is completely numb but I can bend it,’’ Stevens said. “The fingers on the left hand are getting better, there’s more feeling every day. That gives me hope for the right hand.’’
Doctors theorized that his elbows might have made jolting contact with his knees as he lurched forward during the accident.
Stevens plans to begin working himself back into riding condition soon.
Some time ago, he constructed an exercise horse at his house, patterned after the Equisizer, which simulates riding and helps work muscles used in riding.
“I time myself on it,’’ he said. “I put my jock’s saddle on it and its head goes up and down. It’s actually harder than riding a race. There’s nothing pulling against you and you get a good workout. I’ve gotten back into shape on this thing after injures many times…too many times.’’
Other riders at Turf Paradise have stopped by from time to time in the last few years to borrow the exercise horse while they were rehabbing from injuries.
The horse has done enough for Stevens over the years that he’s even given it a name.
Its head bobs up and down during use, so…..
The horse’s name is Bob.
LEGGETT CONTINUES RECOVERY
During the return trip to Phoenix, Stevens stopped to visit Tad Leggett, 45, a four-time quarter horse riding champion at Canterbury Park and the all-time money winner.
Leggett was injured severely in a spill at Fair Meadows at Tulsa on June 30. He underwent a nine-hour spinal surgery on July 2 and has been recovering since. He is still unable to walk or function normally with his hands and arms and is undergoing therapy at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., the renown center for treating people with spinal cord and traumatic brain injury.
Leggett is wheelchair bound but has made significant strides since he was admitted. “He’s able to stick his arms up and wiggle his fingers,’’ Stevens said. “But he doesn’t have a grip.’’
The most encouraging element is Leggett’s attitude. “He’s very positive,’’ Stevens said. “They ordered him a high-dollar wheelchair and he told them that he hoped they could take it back because he’s planning on walking out of the place.’’
Leggett wasn’t breathing on his own and had no movement from the shoulders down when he first arrived at the Craig center.
“They didn’t think when he left Tulsa that he’d ever breathe on his own or move his arms and he’s doing both,’’ Stevens added.
By JIM WELLS
When he arrived home in Phoenix at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the temperature was 115.
But it’s a dry heat, so…
“I actually haven’t even broken a sweat,’’ Scott Stevens said Wednesday.
But he plans on working up a good sweat soon, once he begins working himself back into riding condition. Stevens was injured in a spill on July 2 at Canterbury Park and was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.
Stevens’ goal is to be ready to ride when the Turf Paradise meet begins on Oct. 1, but he seems prepared to accept a later date if necessary.
“That’s my goal, Oct. 1,’’ he said, “but I don’t know if I will.’’
Stevens has another medical appointment on Sept. 9. He’s feeling stronger by the day, he said, but still experiences soreness throughout his body from the July 2 accident, in which he suffered broken ribs and punctured lungs among other infirmities.
He still has numbness in some of his fingers. He had a test done recently that indicated there was no damage above the elbows. “There is a nerve at the elbow that might have been damaged,’’ he said. “Doctors think six to eight weeks and that should be OK again.’’
The pinky and ring ringers on both hands are affected mostly.
“The pinky is completely numb but I can bend it,’’ Stevens said. “The fingers on the left hand are getting better, there’s more feeling every day. That gives me hope for the right hand.’’
Doctors theorized that his elbows might have made jolting contact with his knees as he lurched forward during the accident.
Stevens plans to begin working himself back into riding condition soon.
Some time ago, he constructed an exercise horse at his house, patterned after the Equisizer, which simulates riding and helps work muscles used in riding.
“I time myself on it,’’ he said. “I put my jock’s saddle on it and its head goes up and down. It’s actually harder than riding a race. There’s nothing pulling against you and you get a good workout. I’ve gotten back into shape on this thing after injures many times…too many times.’’
Other riders at Turf Paradise have stopped by from time to time in the last few years to borrow the exercise horse while they were rehabbing from injuries.
The horse has done enough for Stevens over the years that he’s even given it a name.
Its head bobs up and down during use, so…..
The horse’s name is Bob.
LEGGETT CONTINUES RECOVERY
During the return trip to Phoenix, Stevens stopped to visit Tad Leggett, 45, a four-time quarter horse riding champion at Canterbury Park and the all-time money winner.
Leggett was injured severely in a spill at Fair Meadows at Tulsa on June 30. He underwent a nine-hour spinal surgery on July 2 and has been recovering since. He is still unable to walk or function normally with his hands and arms and is undergoing therapy at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., the renown center for treating people with spinal cord and traumatic brain injury.
Leggett is wheelchair bound but has made significant strides since he was admitted. “He’s able to stick his arms up and wiggle his fingers,’’ Stevens said. “But he doesn’t have a grip.’’
The most encouraging element is Leggett’s attitude. “He’s very positive,’’ Stevens said. “They ordered him a high-dollar wheelchair and he told them that he hoped they could take it back because he’s planning on walking out of the place.’’
Leggett wasn’t breathing on his own and had no movement from the shoulders down when he first arrived at the Craig center.
“They didn’t think when he left Tulsa that he’d ever breathe on his own or move his arms and he’s doing both,’’ Stevens added.
Walczak Wins Dog Days Tournament
David Walczak of Minneapolis, MN won the 14th annual Dog Days of Summer Handicapping Tournament held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 21 and 22 at Canterbury Park. His final tournament bankroll of $2,361.06 was just six cents greater than second place finisher Thomas Anderson of Burnsville, MN. Third with $2,304 was Joseph Perry of Hamilton, NJ.
Walczak, second in the Dog Days in 2004 and 2005, earned $2,660 in prize money and an entry to the 2011 Daily Racing Form / NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC). Anderson was awarded $1,995 in prize money and also will play in the NHC in January 2011. Perry received $1,345 in prize money.
The two-day contest allowed entrants to make any wagers they chose from all tracks and pools offered at Canterbury. Each player started the contest with a $400 live bankroll and also paid a $100 entry fee. The contest attracted 52 players from 13 states and two Canadian provinces. There were 80 entries total as players could have a maximum of two.
Walczak, second in the Dog Days in 2004 and 2005, earned $2,660 in prize money and an entry to the 2011 Daily Racing Form / NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC). Anderson was awarded $1,995 in prize money and also will play in the NHC in January 2011. Perry received $1,345 in prize money.
The two-day contest allowed entrants to make any wagers they chose from all tracks and pools offered at Canterbury. Each player started the contest with a $400 live bankroll and also paid a $100 entry fee. The contest attracted 52 players from 13 states and two Canadian provinces. There were 80 entries total as players could have a maximum of two.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Horsemen to Voice Concerns
by JIM WELLS
Horsemen at Canterbury Park have become increasingly concerned the last few weeks about an increase in the number of positive readings on horses in their care.
The medication violations are almost exclusively for detection of therapeutic drugs. Of 71 citations this season, only two were for performance enhancing drugs.
The Minnesota Racing Commission has scheduled a special meeting on Tuesday night at the Shakopee Police Department to hear horsemen’s concerns.
Horsemen contend that the reason for so many citations has to do with the dramatically increased sensitivity of new testing procedures.
Horsemen believe that their horses are testing positive in tests that would have borne negative results in the past because of improved testing methods.
Horse owner Jack Walsh, an attorney, says testing now will detect drugs to the trillionth as opposed to the billionth.
To understand such microscopic efficiency, consider this:
A man 32 years old has lived a billion seconds.
The difference between the testing procedures, horsemen say, is similar now to finding a drop of water in a swimming pool or a grain of sand on the beach.
If medication given five days before a race was safe in the past, they say it must now be given 12 days or longer.
Horsemen insist they were not informed of the change in testing efficiency as prescribed by their contract. That is the reason, they say, that there were 54 violations this July as opposed to two in the same month last year.
Racing Commission executive director Dick Krueger said Sunday that he expects the matter to be cleared up within the next few days.
“It will all wash out by the end of next week,’’ he said.
“We hope he’s right,’’ said HBPA president Tom Metzen, who pointed out that five positives were declared on horses in the Claiming Crown.
Horsemen are concerned that many of their colleagues will not return to Canterbury Park next year without assurances the issue has been resolved.
THE $25,000 MTA STALLION AUCTION LASSIE, LADDIE STAKES
Dean Butler and his father-in-law Bernell Rhone teamed up for a riding-training double in these two races dedicated to three-year-old progeny of stallions whose service was sold at the 2006 MTA stallion auction.
She’s Better Loud, a daughter of Bravo Bull and Goldie’s Sis, beat four female opponents, finishing in 1:18 as an easy winner.
“My father-in-law told me to hang on and stay near the front. She doesn’t like anything in her face,’’ said Butler, who has wrapped up his second consecutive riding title.
The winning horse is owned by Sandra Rasmussen and River Ridge Ranch and was bred by Iowa State University.
Butler and Rhone came right back with Rustic Road, bred and owned by Curtis Sampson, in the race for the boys. Rustic Road looks like the real deal after demolishing four rivals in 1:16 and 1/5.
Russ Sampson, who has been tauting this horse as the real deal, had this to say:
“He came up from Tampa Bay and got hurt in the stall or on the track,’’ Sampson said. “He was laid up, but Bernie and his crew are the best here and got him back on his game. When Dean and Bernie like a horse, he’s usually a good one.’’
Rustic Road, by Demidoff from Quest for Prize, is a good one.
Horsemen at Canterbury Park have become increasingly concerned the last few weeks about an increase in the number of positive readings on horses in their care.
The medication violations are almost exclusively for detection of therapeutic drugs. Of 71 citations this season, only two were for performance enhancing drugs.
The Minnesota Racing Commission has scheduled a special meeting on Tuesday night at the Shakopee Police Department to hear horsemen’s concerns.
Horsemen contend that the reason for so many citations has to do with the dramatically increased sensitivity of new testing procedures.
Horsemen believe that their horses are testing positive in tests that would have borne negative results in the past because of improved testing methods.
Horse owner Jack Walsh, an attorney, says testing now will detect drugs to the trillionth as opposed to the billionth.
To understand such microscopic efficiency, consider this:
A man 32 years old has lived a billion seconds.
The difference between the testing procedures, horsemen say, is similar now to finding a drop of water in a swimming pool or a grain of sand on the beach.
If medication given five days before a race was safe in the past, they say it must now be given 12 days or longer.
Horsemen insist they were not informed of the change in testing efficiency as prescribed by their contract. That is the reason, they say, that there were 54 violations this July as opposed to two in the same month last year.
Racing Commission executive director Dick Krueger said Sunday that he expects the matter to be cleared up within the next few days.
“It will all wash out by the end of next week,’’ he said.
“We hope he’s right,’’ said HBPA president Tom Metzen, who pointed out that five positives were declared on horses in the Claiming Crown.
Horsemen are concerned that many of their colleagues will not return to Canterbury Park next year without assurances the issue has been resolved.
THE $25,000 MTA STALLION AUCTION LASSIE, LADDIE STAKES
Dean Butler and his father-in-law Bernell Rhone teamed up for a riding-training double in these two races dedicated to three-year-old progeny of stallions whose service was sold at the 2006 MTA stallion auction.
She’s Better Loud, a daughter of Bravo Bull and Goldie’s Sis, beat four female opponents, finishing in 1:18 as an easy winner.
“My father-in-law told me to hang on and stay near the front. She doesn’t like anything in her face,’’ said Butler, who has wrapped up his second consecutive riding title.
The winning horse is owned by Sandra Rasmussen and River Ridge Ranch and was bred by Iowa State University.
Butler and Rhone came right back with Rustic Road, bred and owned by Curtis Sampson, in the race for the boys. Rustic Road looks like the real deal after demolishing four rivals in 1:16 and 1/5.
Russ Sampson, who has been tauting this horse as the real deal, had this to say:
“He came up from Tampa Bay and got hurt in the stall or on the track,’’ Sampson said. “He was laid up, but Bernie and his crew are the best here and got him back on his game. When Dean and Bernie like a horse, he’s usually a good one.’’
Rustic Road, by Demidoff from Quest for Prize, is a good one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
