Thursday, October 16, 2008

LIVING LEGENDS ADVANCE

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 15, 2008) – According to the Oak Tree Racing Association’s morning line odds, retired Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey will record one more victory, the 5,894th of his career, on Saturday in the unprecedented “Living Legends Race” at Santa Anita Park.

The unique competition, which brings eight Hall of Famers out of retirement for a single pari-mutuel betting race, will be presented as the fourth race on a ten-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m.


The sport’s Living Legends will compete in a $47,000 allowance race for California-breds at seven furlongs. Unlike other “Old-Timer’s Day” attractions, this is not an exhibition, but an official race that is counted as such statistically while offering a broad range of wagering options.

The field in post position order with listings of horse, legendary rider, weight, age, career wins and morning line odds:

1. Dee Dee’s Legacy, Jerry Bailey, 122. . .51. . .5,893. . .5-2
2. Tribal Chief, Sandy Hawley, 122. . .59. . .6,449. . .5-1
3. Swift Demand, Pat Day, 122. . .55. . .8,803. . .4-1
4. Kalookan Event, Jacinto Vasquez, 126. . .64. . .5,228. . .15-1
5. Scandalous, Gary Stevens, 122. . .45. . .4,888. . .6-1
6. Waafi, Chris McCarron, 122. . .53. . .7,141. . .3-1
7. Major Smoke, Julie Krone, 122. . .45. . .3,704. . .10-1
8. Stathy, Angel Cordero Jr., 126. . .65. . .7,057. . .12-1

Immediately after the preceding third race, the competitors will be joined in a winner’s circle salute by fellow Hall of Famers and Living Legends Ambassadors Laffit Pincay Jr., Eddie Delahoussaye and Jorge Velasquez. Among them, the assemblage will have accounted for earnings near $2 billion from 71,872 combined racing victories with yet one more to follow.

The elite eleven will be on hand earlier to greet fans and sign autographs between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in the track’s East Paddock Gardens.

“This truly is an event that will be difficult to ever duplicate with such a distinguished, accomplished group of riders,” said Sherwood C. Chillingworth, Oak Tree’s executive vice president. “The total number of our wins and purse money takes your breath away,” commented Bailey.

Mounts were drawn by lot, and Bailey wound up on the probable favorite, Dee Dee’s Legacy, in the judgment of Oak Tree oddsmaker Jeff Tufts. Dee’s Legacy just missed by a head in his last start when second at a similar level for trainer Mike Puype. He previously had gone unplaced in a pair of stakes races following a maiden victory.

Waafi, the second choice to be ridden by McCarron, has been facing tougher in most of his recent starts. His last was a sixth-place finish in the El Cajon Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 29.

John Sadler, who is contesting the Oak Tree training title after being the leader at Hollywood Park and Del Mar, will saddle a pair of contenders: Tribal Chief and Swift Demand.

The scene will shift to youngsters in the ninth race when a field of six promising 2-year-olds meet in the 2nd running of the $75,000 Jack Goodman Stakes at six furlongs.

Backbackbackgone has won both his starts for trainer Peter Miller by a combined 14 lengths including a four-length score as the odds-on favorite in Hollywood Park’s Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes on May 25. Rafael Bejarano will be aboard the comebacking colt owned by Gerson Racing and partners.

Details R Sketchy likewise has won both his starts for Jane and Burt Bacharach including a handy victory at 3-10 odds in an optional claimer at Santa Anita on Sept. 25. Garrett Gomez, aboard for the first two wins, has the return call.

Trainer Bob Baffert will send out Ventana, a dazzling 5 ½-length winner of his debut on Sept. 8 at Belmont Park, but who subsequently disappointed during a troubled trip in Belmont’s Grade I Champagne Stakes. Tyler Baze rides the son of Toccet in his Santa Anita bow for owners Weitman Performances and Mike Pegram.

The complete field for the Jack Goodman Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Details R Sketchy, Garrett Gomez, 120; Backbackbackgone, Rafael Bejarano, 120; Arashi Cat, Clinton Potts, 118; Bear It’s True, Silva Da, 120; Charlie’s Moment, Joel Rosario, 120, and Ventana, Tyler Baze, 118.

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