Page 12 - The Game May 2006

12 The Game, May 2006 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Brother Derek with Alex Solis wins the Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park 4.8.2006 Photo:Horsephotos/NTRA
Canadian Connections
Calgarian Cecil Peacock, owner of Brother Derek, is living the dream of every thoroughbred horseman by sending his horse to the $2 million Kentucky Derby. Brother Derek is one of the top ranked favourites going into the race which is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, 2006 at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.
Peacock, 79, started running horses at Northlands Park in Edmonton in 1971 and now owns horses across the western half of North America with a stable in California, Vancouver and an operation in Alberta.
Brother Derek has lost just twice in his life, winning six of his eight starts for $1,114,980 U.S. in earnings. He is undefeated in 2006 for trainer Dan Hendricks, who is based out of Southern California.
A special broadcast from Horse Racing Alberta which will take a closer look at Brother Derek and his connections will air on CTV Alberta from 3 to 4 pm on Saturday, June 3.
Did You Know.....
That Louisville-based distiller for Woodford Reserve will be featuring a $1,000 mint julep which
will be sold on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs, May 6.
Being dubbed as the ‘ultimate’ mint julep, only 50 of these pricey drinks will be made using the state’s
finest bourbons. The drink will be served in a gold-plated cup with a silver straw and will also
include mint from Morocco, ice from the Arctic Circle and sugar from the South Pacific. Proceeds from the sale of the drink will go
towards a charity for retired racehorses.
Watching the Kentucky Derby with a few friends? Make your own Mint Juleps at home:
Mint Julep
1 1⁄4 oz. Maker’s Mark Bourbon 1 tsp. Crème de Menthe
A splash of soda water
Large fresh mint leaves
Lightly mash a few mint leaves in bottom of chilled glass.
Fill glass with crushed ice then add bourbon, crème de menthe and a splash (about a tsp.) of soda.
Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
In a article on Thoroughbred Daily Mail’s website, G2 Lane’s End Stakes runner-up Seaside Retreat has been confirmed for the Kentucky Derby. According to the website, regular rider, Woodbine based- Patrick Husbands was aboard for a work at Churchill Downs on April 27.
Mark Casse trains the horse for owner William S. Farish Jr. and was quoted as saying “We talked last night and Patrick said, ‘If he doesn’t work good, I’m going to tell you,’”
Patrick called Mark after the bullet work to say, “We’re going to the Derby.”
Mark was also quoted as saying that a Derby field laden with speed should be a benefit and that he thinks the race will set up well for them.
Blood R Hstock
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Kentucky Derby - May 6, 2006
Jockey Kent Desormeaux adjusts the blanket of flowers aboard, Sweetnorthernsaint, winner of the $500,000 Gr. 2 Illinois Derby on April 8 at Hawthorne Racecourse in Chicago. Photo: Frank Hobbs.
Cause to Believe to Derby
Kentucky Derby contender, Cause to Believe, owned by Vancouver native Peter Redekop, finished third in the race, and is said to have travelled by air on April 25 from California to Louisville to prepare for the Derby.
Sweetnorthernsaint, owned by Joseph Balsamo & Ted Theos and trained by Michael Trombetta, was also scheduled to travel that day by van from Laurel Park, where he breezed a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 on April 21.
MAREE RICHARDS - CONT. FROM PAGE 11
after losing the "bug" she was second leading rider at Fort Erie in her best year as a "journey-woman."
When she retired from the saddle ten years ago, she was pregnant with her daughter Samantha, who'll be nine at her next birthday. "She's excited about me coming back," said Richards, "even though she knows it'll be taking time away from her. But she's a 'horse nut,' too, a fearless natural rider who takes regular riding lessons."
Although she's still hoping to win a stakes race at Woodbine, Richards has many fond memories of her nine years as an active rider: "I rode my first winner, Lady Red Hot, for Myckie after having a couple of seconds on her. One of my favorite horses was Ruthie's Return, he had so much personality and was very honest. He knew he was 'the man' and never finished off the board for me. When he retired, his trainer, Murray Clarke, gave him to me. But I was so busy I gave him away -- to a good home -- a year or two later.
"I remember when I won the Puss N Boots Stakes with Campy, when it was switched from the turf to the dirt. And I represented Canada three times in a series of international lady rider races in Japan, finishing third once (I thought the horses there were smaller, and slower, than here)."
And, of course, there were the injuries: four broken vertebrae in her neck in 1995 that resulted in a long recuperation, and a broken femur that led to six months in a cast and four months of therapy.
But those are faint memories to someone who admits "I love horses and I love riding. The attraction is the thrill of winning, whether the purse is $4,000 or $40,000 -- when a horse is giving you his all, it's such a great feeling."
Seaside Retreat Confirmed for Derby
News In Review
Jockey John Velazquez will miss this year’s running of the Kentucky Derby due to a fractured right shoulder blade and other injuries. The jockey could be sidelined for up to five months leaving the Todd Pletcher trained, Bluegrass Cat, without a rider for the Derby.
Velazquez was thrown from his mount when Up an Octave broke down while galloping out after the finish of the Forerunner Stakes at Keeneland in April.
Retired jockey, Gary Stevens, has signed a contract with NBC Sports to officially join their broadcasting team.
The contract was finalized in March and had been in the works since Stevens appeared as a co-host on NBC for the broadcasting of the Sunshine Millions races on January 28, 2006.
Stevens will join Hammond and Brothers, along with racing analysts Bob Neumeier and Mike Battaglia for NBC’s coverage of the 2006 Triple Crown.
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