Temperate Sil Wins Hollywood Futurity

Charlie Whittingham may be going from a trainer who pooh-poohed the Kentucky Derby to someone who can’t wait to get back to Churchill Downs.

The 73-year-old Whittingham, who began training in the 1930s, started horses in the Derby in 1958 and 1960, decisions he later attributed to not knowing any better.

This year, though, Whittingham had a 3-year-old colt who was Derby timber, so he ended 25 years of avoiding Churchill Downs and Ferdinand proved him right, making Whittingham the oldest trainer to ever win the race.

A tough act to follow? Not really. Now, Whittingham has the kind of colt who might be good for an instant reprise in Louisville. His name is Temperate Sil--say it quickly and it sounds like the name of his sire, 1980 Belmont Stakes winner Temperence Hill--and on Sunday Whittingham’s gray 2-year-old had just enough grit in the final strides, coming from between horses at the wire to win the $1 million Hollywood Futurity by a neck over Alysheba.

Bill Shoemaker, who also rode Ferdinand for his fourth Derby winner, thought Temperate Sil was beaten at the eighth pole, but the 55-year-old jockey’s left-handed whip kept his mount going.

“He didn’t give up--he kept trying hard,” Shoemaker said after taking his 961st stake race and his first million-dollar race since he and John Henry won the first Arlington Million in 1981.

Alysheba, who has only one career win but keeps coming close in stakes races, was a neck better than Masterful Advocate for the place in the 12-horse field. After Masterful Advocate, it was 2 lengths back to Broadway Pointe, who was fourth after setting fast early fractions. Brave Raj, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the only filly in Sunday’s race, ran fifth as the 17-10 favorite. Qualify, second choice in the betting among a crowd of 26,917, finished sixth. Gary Stevens, who didn’t think he could have won but felt he might have finished closer, claimed foul against Alysheba and jockey Pat Day for interference near the quarter pole, but it was disallowed by the stewards.

Temperate Sil, the third betting choice, paid $13, $7.60 and $5. He earned $495,000 for his owners, who besides Whittingham are Lew Figone and Richard Granzella, who operate garbage-collecting businesses in the San Francisco area.

Whittingham bought 25% of Temperate Sil shortly after he had problems in the gate and was hurt by an outside post position while running fifth in the Del Mar Futurity in September.

Alysheba, running as an entry with Exclusive Enough, who finished 10th, paid $6.40 and $5.40. Masterful Advocate’s show price was $6.

Although Temperate Sil hadn’t run in three months, he had won the Balboa Stakes just before the Del Mar Futurity and Whittingham knew he had him ready for Sunday. Janet Johnson knew, too.

Johnson, part of Whittingham’s army of exercise riders, was on Temperate Sil the other morning when the strong-willed colt got away from her. Right in front of the clockers’ stand on the backstretch, Temperate Sil took off in the direction of two horses that were just ahead of him.

“Look out!” Johnson screamed, in a voice that could have been heard at Santa Anita.

“He’s a big, strong colt,” Shoemaker said. “He’s got more speed than Ferdinand. He’s willing to run earlier, whereas the other colt would turn it on late.”

Because the Futurity is a one-turn mile that starts out of a long chute before the horses reach the backstretch, Whittingham was concerned about Temperate Sil’s No. 3 post position. There was the potential for the colt to be behind a wall of horses heading into the turn.

“I didn’t want to be far back early,” Shoemaker said, “and I was able to place him where he needed to be. Once, about six furlongs from home, it got tight and I had to stop with him. But then I got clear and the rest of the way we had a good trip. For a while, I thought we were going to be second, but he just kept coming.”

Shoemaker had indicated to trainer Jack Van Berg that he would ride Alysheba Sunday, not thinking that Whittingham would have Temperate Sil ready to run.

But when Whittingham decided to enter his colt, there was no choice but Temperate Sil for Shoemaker, whose remarkable year (more than $6.5 million in purses) has been mainly due to riding many of Whittingham’s best horses.

“After that Del Mar race, I just decided to put this colt away until Hollywood Park,” Whittingham said. “He was real hyper in the Del Mar Futurity. Then we brought him back with slow, long gallops. He looks like he can run all day, and he’s more precocious than Ferdinand.”

Broadway Pointe opened up the early lead while running a half-mile in :44 4/5 and six furlongs in 1:09 3/5. Prince Sassafras, who would finish last, tried to keep up and Brave Raj, Alysheba and Qualify were also in contention going down the backstretch. Temperate Sil was fifth after six furlongs, but only 3 1/2 lengths away from Broadway Pointe.

On the turn for home, the leaders were staggering. Alysheba started to lug in, as did Brave Raj, crowding Qualify on the inside.

“I wouldn’t have claimed foul except that after I steadied my horse, he came off the rail and came back on again,” Stevens said. “It might have made the difference of one or two spots. This horse has a way of getting into trouble, doesn’t he?”

Day feels that Alysheba may have some good races in front of him. “He didn’t really dig in today,” the jockey said. “To do what he did only running half throttle says something for the horse. More racing might make him more competitive.”

Pat Valenzuela, riding Brave Raj, didn’t want to be as close as she was in the early going. “She still ran a good race,” Valenzuela said. “She was fresh and that had something to do with her being so close. She also lugged in in the Breeders’ Cup race.”

Horse Racing Notes

The rash of injuries to jockeys at Hollywood Park continued Sunday, with Alex Solis and Eddie Delahoussaye being hospitalized overnight, Solis with a broken leg and Delahoussaye with a sore back. Gary Stevens, meanwhile, was only shaken up in a spill in an earlier race. On Saturday, Fernando Toro was dumped when one of his mounts broke down, but X-rays showed no fractures and he is expected to resume riding Thursday after the soreness subsides. Last Wednesday, Pat Valenzuela injured his left wrist in a post-race accident. After missing two days of action, Valenzuela rode Saturday and Sunday and will have further X-rays taken Thursday to see if there is a break.

Solis went down Sunday in the ninth race when Mount Bidder was crowded by an outside horse on the first turn, forcing him to bobble. The fracture is in the left shin bone and it hasn’t been determined whether surgery will be necessary. . . . Delahoussaye, riding Caro’s Hollywood in the $40,000 Interco Stakes Sunday, went down when the colt’s left foreleg snapped just past the finish line. Caro’s Hollywood was destroyed.