Horse Racing : The Sil in Temperate Sil Is for Real--He’s Friend of Co-Owner

Most people have thought that Temperate Sil, the winner of last Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby and now one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, was named after his sire, Temperence Hill.

Yes and no.

Temperate Sil was really named after Sil Garaventa, who has been a friend of Lew Figone, one of the colt’s owners, for about 35 years.

“Sil’s the kind of guy who gets very excited real fast when something happens,” the 60-year-old Figone said. “The horse’s name was meant for him, and it also just happens to sound like the name of the sire.”

Garaventa, who was at Santa Anita for Temperate Sil’s win last Saturday, is in the garbage-collecting business in Concord, Calif. Figone and Richard Granzella, who own Temperate Sil in partnership with trainer Charlie Whittingham, are also in the refuse business, so when they get together with Garaventa in Louisville before the Kentucky Derby May 2, there will almost be enough garbage collectors to hold a convention.

“With so many foals these days, it’s difficult naming a horse,” Figone said. “Just about every name you think of has been taken.”

Temperate Sil is the fourth horse Figone has named after friends. Harold Topp was a cheap claimer who won three races before Figone lost him for $16,000. Two others were named after Billy Martin, who grew up with Figone. The equine Billy Martin never raced because of a tendon injury, and Billy Ball was a stakes winner who finished third in the 1983 California Derby.

In February, Rukann, Temperate Sil’s dam, foaled her second straight filly by Bates Motel, the champion male handicap horse in 1983. The first one was named Ann’s Motel--based on the names of the parents, not after someone Figone knows.

Racing Update’s 1987 sire handbook has this capsule comment on Temperence Hill: “Looks useful, but needs class.”

Temperate Sil, who is Temperence Hill’s first stakes winner, appears to be satisfying that requirement.

For Temperate Sil, trainer Whittingham has requested the same stall and barn that Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand had last year at Churchill Downs.

After the favorites failed to win the Gotham, the Florida Derby and the Santa Anita Derby last Saturday, future-books odds on the Kentucky Derby underwent a shuffle.

Masterful Advocate’s second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby resulted in Demons Begone being moved up to the favorite, at 5-1, in the line set by Pat Rogerson, turf editor of the Las Vegas Sun. Masterful Advocate, who had been favored, has dropped to co-holder of second place with Temperate Sil and Capote, who are all 6-1.

At Caliente, Masterful Advocate is still the favorite, at the same 7-2 price that he was before the Santa Anita Derby, but Temperate Sil moved into a tie with Capote for second place at 9-2. Demons Begone is third at 7-1.

The Caliente book could lose substantially if Temperate Sil wins the Kentucky Derby, because there was heavy betting on the colt when he was 10-1 a few weeks ago.

Timely Assertion, who may be the best 3-year-old filly in the country, will run today in the $250,000 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Also in the Fantasy field is Very Subtle, who was undefeated before she ran second and third behind Timely Assertion at Santa Anita. Chris McCarron, back in action sooner than he thought after pulling a buttock muscle, will be aboard Very Subtle in place of Pat Valenzuela, who has been bothered by a week-old shoulder injury.

The Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs May 1 is a possibility for Timely Assertion, but Henry Moreno, her trainer, would prefer returning her to California. Moreno’s goal is the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Hollywood Park in November.

“We’re playing them one at a time,” Moreno said. “There’s no telling what the owner (George Aubin) might want to do after Saturday.”

Although Timely Assertion was nominated, Moreno says it is highly unlikely that she will run in the Kentucky Derby, which has been won by only two fillies in 112 years.

“But again,” Moreno added, “I don’t own the horse.”

Horse Racing Notes

Gary Stevens had been mentioned as a jockey for J.T.’s Pet in today’s Lexington Stakes, but with Stevens at Oaklawn to ride Timely Assertion, Eddie Delahoussaye will be aboard the undefeated Kentucky Derby candidate in the Keeneland race. Also running in the Lexington are Momentus, with Alex Solis back aboard after Chris McCarron’s fourth-place ride in the Jim Beam, and Candi’s Gold, with Bill Shoemaker. . . . Eight horses are entered in Sunday’s $200,000 San Bernardino Handicap at Santa Anita, with Hopeful Word carrying top weight of 121 pounds. The field, in post-position order, consists of Grecian Wonder, Bruiser, Hopeful Word, Judge Angelucci, Iron Eyes, Honor Medal, First Norman and Ascension. . . . Jack Kaenel, who rides Iron Eyes, will be aboard Zany Tactics today in the Bold Ruler at Aqueduct.

There’s a $350,000 race, the Alabama Derby, being run at the Birmingham Turf Club today, and paying off the purse will further strap the new track, which reportedly lost $1.3 million in its first three weeks of operation. The $85-million track opened in early March, hiring Bill Shoemaker to do some of its commercials, but has been victimized by projections that vastly overestimated the market. . . . Louisiana Downs has hopped on the $1-million bandwagon and will offer a seven-figure purse when it runs the Super Derby Sept. 27. . . . The new $1-million bonus for the points leader in this year’s Triple Crown races reportedly will be paid this way: $500,000 by Belmont Park, $300,000 by Pimlico and $200,000 by Churchill Downs. A horse must run first, second or third in one of the three races and also must run in all three to be eligible.

Lookinforthebigone, fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, probably will run in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn April 18. . . . The Wood Memorial at Aqueduct April 18 is likely to be a rematch of most of the horses from last Saturday’s Gotham, but another ingredient is K.C.’s Best Turn, a Sally Bailie-trained colt who showed that he could win around two turns the first few times he raced. K.C.’s Best Turn was a late nominee, at a fee of $3,000, for the Triple Crown. . . . Angel Cordero will ride Capote in the Wood. . . . Masterful Advocate will leave Santa Anita April 20 for Churchill Downs, where his next start will be the Kentucky Derby. . . . Plans are indefinite for Chart the Stars, who ran last in the Santa Anita Derby.