They May Begin 1985 by Taking Eclipse Awards for Top Owner, Trainer : Klein, Lukas Are Expecting Another Big Year

When the Eclipse Awards--thoroughbred racing’s Oscars--are announced next Tuesday, the team of owner Gene Klein and trainer Wayne Lukas may account for a daily double.

Then again, Klein and Lukas could get shut out. The vote for outstanding owner was a difficult one. John Franks, the Louisiana horseman who won the Eclipse for 1983, is again atop the owner standings in both purse money and victories, and because of an accounting technicality, Klein’s complete record wasn’t available to the voters when they cast their ballots.

As for Lukas, he broke Charlie Whittingham’s 1982 record by rolling up $5.7 million in purses, but Woody Stephens, the New Yorker who won the trainer-of-the-year trophy in ‘83, also went over the $5-million mark and won 11 major stakes to Lukas’ nine. It would not be an injustice if either man won the award.

“Whether we get those awards or not, it was a tremendous year,” said Klein, who has replaced a controlling interest in the San Diego Chargers with a full-speed-ahead involvement in a racing stable.

Klein’s major winners under Lukas last year included Saratoga Six, the undefeated 2-year-old colt whose career ended when he broke down during a workout at Santa Anita; and three fillies--Life’s Magic, Fiesta Lady and Tiltalating.

Life’s Magic is expected to win the 3-year-old filly championship. But because Klein owns her and Saratoga Six in a partnership, and because some of his horses raced in both his and his wife Joyce’s name, he was not listed among the leading owners in the country in information supplied Eclipse voters. A subsequent 11-month listing by the Daily Racing Form gives Klein’s stable $2.1 million in purses, ranking him fourth nationally.

Besides Klein’s horses, Lukas’ other major winners were Althea and Lucky Lucky Lucky. Here’s a rundown on what these six horses will be doing this year:

--Life’s Magic will run again as a 4-year-old. “She’s a true mile-and-a-quarter horse,” Lukas said. “That should stand her in good stead against the older fillies and mares. Also, we want to try her on grass for the first time. Her breeding on the dam’s side (Fire Water, a daughter of Tom Rolfe) indicates that she might like the grass.”

--Saratoga Six will stand at stud at North Ridge Farms in Lexington, Ky., where his book of broodmares includes the dams of Althea, Sunny’s Halo and Silveyville, plus the 1978 champion Candy Eclair, Miss Huntington and Bara Lass. Saratoga Six’s dam, Priceless Fame, who is in foal to Seattle Slew, was recently sold for $6 million, a record for a broodmare purchased through auction.

--Althea is at her owners’ King Ranch in Lexington. Lukas said he didn’t know who the daughter of Alydar would be bred to this year.

--Lucky Lucky Lucky will be bred to Northern Dancer at Spendthrift Farm, which raced her in a partnership.

--Fiesta Lady and Tiltalating, both now 3-year-olds, will race again this year.

Lukas, 49, has surrounded himself with young help and will race three divisions again this year--in California, New York and Nebraska. On his staff are Kevin Rodine, 27, who currently has a string of 20 horses at Aqueduct; Lukas’ son, Jeff, 27; and Barry Knight, 26.

“These are not assistant trainers, they’re an extension of the overall operation,” Lukas said. “You get older help, and they have a tendency to be set in their ways. Which is not to say that other ways aren’t right, too, but it’s just that we’re comfortable with our system and want to stay with it.”

The veteran in the Lukas operation is Rod Kaufman, who’s in his 70s and works with the young horses.

“Rod’s not the type who gets overly high on a horse, but he likes what we’ve got going into this year,” Lukas said. “I’m not saying we’ve got another Saratoga Six in the bunch, but of the horses we bought in Kentucky last year, I’d say they have better potential per dollar than the group we had the year before that.”

Racing Notes

Vernon Underwood discounts repeated rumors that he is resigning as chairman of the board at Hollywood Park. “I don’t know where the rumors started,” says Underwood, who suspects a prominent local trainer. “I can tell you they’re not true. We have a meeting next Wednesday morning, and I’ll be there to preside over it.” . . . Several Santa Anita jockeys--Bill Shoemaker, Eddie Delahoussaye, Sandy Hawley, Fernando Toro and Terry Lipham--will be riding quarter horses in a race at Los Alamitos tonight. Lipham, a former leading quarter horse jockey, may have an edge. . . . Vincent Timphony, trainer of Wild Again, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic Stakes, says the horse may soon be sold. “The time is right, when he’s at the top of his game,” Timphony said. Wild Again, a $35,000 purchase by William Allen of Florida, Ron Volkman of Texas, and Terry Beall of Riverside, is a well bred 5-year-old in training for the Santa Anita Handicap.

Gate Dancer, who finished second to Wild Again in the Classic and then was disqualified to third, has the Strub Stakes on his agenda and worked five furlongs Friday in 1:00. . . . Folk Art, one of the best 2-year-old fillies last year, is scheduled to run again in March. She missed the Breeders’ Cup because of a minor leg injury. . . . National money champion Chris McCarron is on vacation and will resume riding next Friday. McCarron is 49 victories short of 4,000. . . . Trinycarol, who won more than $2.5 million in Venezuela and then almost nothing in her few United States starts, is one of the mares being bred to Saratoga Six. “I don’t care where she won all that money, she won it,” trainer Wayne Lukas said. “She had a bad bleeding problem here, and we just couldn’t get her to run to her South American form.” . . . Dahar, 120 pounds, is top-weighted in today’s $80,000 San Gabriel Handicap at Santa Anita, which will run the $60,000 La Brea Stakes Sunday. . . . Steve Cauthen, last year’s English riding champion who has spent part of recent seasons at Santa Anita, is now riding in Hong Kong.