Columnist Ralph Siraco: New Year signals start of exciting winter racing meets

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears on Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday through Friday on the scoreboard page. Write to him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 800 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107.

The end of what seemed to be the longest holiday week in history finally came to a close on Sunday.

As hundreds of thousands of visitors made their way back down I-15 in the same bumper-to-bumper traffic they encountered coming to this gaming capital of the world, a new year had started and thoroughbred racing had once again hit high gear with the opening of the major winter racing centers.

Santa Anita -- known as the Great Race Place -- traditionally opened its 84-day meeting the day after Christmas in Southern California while Sunday marked the 63-day stand at Gulfstream Park in south Florida.

Each race meet signals the first of major-league racing for the year and will also feature the return of Eclipse Award winning stars of 1998 plus the beginning of the Kentucky Derby trail for the newly turned 3-year-olds.

Along with the turn of the calendar and a healthy dose of Alka Seltzer, each thoroughbred race horse in the Northern Hemisphere turns another year older each Jan. 1. Therefore, yesterday's freshmen have become today's sophomores.

The winter blizzard that hit mid-America to usher in the new year played havoc with the winter race tracks in Kentucky, Illinois and Pennsylvania that canceled the Saturday programs at Turfway Park, Penn National and Balmoral Park. On Sunday, the storm's long reach hit the Big Apple as well when Aqueduct was added to the no-show list.

The curtain would raise on the 60th anniversary season at Gulfstream Park on Sunday with a sloppy track and no turf racing. Although the rains stretched to Florida, neither the anticipation nor the caliber of competition were dampened on opening day.

A twin feature of stakes started the meeting with the first in the Florida Derby series presented as the eighth and 10th races on the card. The Spectacular Bid -- named after the 1980 Horse of the Year and 1979 Florida Derby winner -- was won by race favorite Texas Glitter. Although part of the sophomore series of races, the six-furlong Spectacular Bid is primarily for horses that may have distance limitations when the races get longer leading to the 1 1/8 mile Florida Derby on closing weekend of March 13.

The next event in the Florida Derby series is the Holy Bull stakes -- named after the 1994 Horse of the Year and Florida Derby winner -- at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 16. Two weeks later, on Jan. 31, the 7-furlong Hutcheson Stakes will feature sophomores who may have gotten a late start on the Florida Derby series trail. The final steppingstone of the series comes in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 20.

Although the fields haven't taken shape yet, keep an eye on the Derby hopefuls that take the Florida route to Kentucky.

The $750,000 Grade I Florida Derby has proven to be a significant preview to the Triple Crown events.

In 47 years, 48 Triple Crown races have been won by 35 3-year-olds who competed in the Florida Derby prior to those spring classics. Of those, 18 won the Kentucky Derby while 17 took the Preakness and 13 became Belmont Stakes victors.

Although Cape Town, who won last year's Florida Derby through a disqualification, finished off the board in the Kentucky Derby, he along with Lil's Lad, who finished first but was disqualified in the Florida Derby, were sidelined with injuries before the Triple Crown was complete.

Among the promising equine talents at Gulfstream an equal human contingent has assembled as well. Jockey Jerry Bailey returns to defend his 1998 riders title along with 1997 champ Shane Sellers. Trainer Bill Mott returns to attempt a fifth straight trainers title and seventh from the last eight seasons.

Gulsfstream will conduct racing on a Wednesday through Monday schedule with the only dark day on Tuesdays. First post here in Nevada is at 10 a.m. daily in most race books. Through the 11-week meeting, there will be special Monday Race Day Las Vegas radio shows for the Gulfstream races at 9 a.m. on KRLV-1340 AM.

MeanwhileJockey Russel Baze reached the 100-win plateau for 1998 on Dec. 28 when he captured three races on the Golden Gate card. The milestone represented the seventh straight year the Northern California-based rider has ridden 400 or more winners in a year. But it was the second straight year the jockey did not take the most winners of the year title. That honor goes to Edgar Prado, who rode almost 500 winners while riding on the Maryland circuit.

Another milestoneJockey Eddie Delahoussaye is less than a dozen victories away from the 6,000 career winners club. One of Southern California's most popular and liked riders, Eddie D. should hit that mark sometime this month while riding at Santa Anita.

Great Race PlaceOn Dec. 27, 5-year-old Cavonnier returned to the races after a 30-month layoff. The Cal-bred gelding roared home with a convincing victory under jockey Chris McCarron. You remember he almost gave trainer Bob Baffert his first Kentucky Derby win in 1996 only to fall a nose short to Grindstone in that run for the roses.

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