LOS ALAMITOS : Trust Fund Set Up for Limon

The Horsemen’s Quarter Horse Racing Assn. has set up a trust fund in the name of Juan Limon, the jockey who died of injuries suffered in a spill at Los Alamitos Race Course on Saturday night.

And Pacific Quarter Horse Racing Assn. made an initial contribution of $1,000 into the Juan Limon Trust that will help Limon’s wife, Rosie, and their 4-year-old daughter, Erica.

Limon, 35, was the ninth-leading rider at the current meeting with 18 victories and had more than 200 winners since coming to the track in 1986.

A Mass was said Tuesday at the St. Anthony Claret Catholic Church, which was attended by a majority of jockeys, trainers and other backstretch workers at Los Alamitos. Trainers Jaime Gomez and Jesse Maldonado and jockey Henry Garcia served as pallbearers for their friend.

“I knew Juan since he was a groom here in the late 1970s,” Gomez said. “He was always hard working, very modest and polite. He was just a wonderful person.

“When the accident happened, I immediately got this ugly feeling inside of me. I still can’t believe that this tragedy really happened. It’s just a sad situation.”

Jockey John Lewis, who eventually won the race in which Limon was injured, said: “When something like this happens, it really takes all the fun out of the game. . . . My heart goes out to Juan’s family. Especially his daughter. He brought her to the track a couple of times and you could just see how much she loved her daddy.”

The HQHRA paid for funeral expenses and to fly Limon’s body and his family to Limon’s hometown of Jalisco, Mexico, where he will be buried wearing racing silks.

Donations to the trust fund may be sent to the Juan Limon Trust, Los Alamitos Race Course, 4961 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos, Calif. 90720.

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Down With Debt and Sables Secret, the best mares on the grounds, are heading for a showdown in the $35,000 Las Damas Handicap Saturday at Los Alamitos.

Charles Bloomquist, who trains Down With Debt, and Daryn Charlton, who trains Sables Secret, wanted John Creager to ride in the Grade II race.

Sables Secret has been on the board in all nine starts, winning six and earning $141,026 for owner Spencer Childers. Down With Debt has won nine of 16 starts, earned $175,040, and only world champion Refrigerator could interrupt her string of victories last fall, defeating her by three-quarters of a length in the season-ending Champion of Champions.

Down With Debt and Sables Secret have not met since the Dash For Cash Futurity in July of 1992, when they were 2-year-olds. During the last two years, they’ve had different riders--Jim Lewis and Bruce Pilkenton on Sables Secret and G.R. Carter on Down With Debt.

But this year, with three perfect races between them and a showdown imminent, Creager has been the regular rider on both.

“The last time they met (in the Dash For Cash Futurity), Sables Secret beat Down With Debt, but I think Down With Debt wasn’t as good as she is now,” Creager said. “And I don’t think anybody could have beat Sables Secret that day. She ran a monster race.”

The jockey and his agent, Jay Robinson, waited until the last moment, in case one trainer or the other would change his plans and skip this race. But in the end, they chose Down With Debt.

“It was a really tough choice,” Creager said. “We kept hoping one would go in the Go Man Go Handicap (on Aug. 12). It’s against the boys, but I don’t think that’d be any tougher for these mares. And it’s $50,000.”

Charlton knew Creager might not choose his mare, so several weeks ago he told Pilkenton to buy plane tickets and keep the date open. Pilkenton, who rides in New Mexico, was happy to get back aboard Sables Secret, and he also picked up the mount on Golfito in tonight’s Malibu Handicap.

Bob Gilbert, who trains Awesome Blossom and Sticky N Picky, decided to run both horses in the Las Damas. Sticky N Picky showed speed while winning a trial heat for the Los Alamitos Derby but finished eighth in the trials on July 1.

“She ran a good race there,” Gilbert said. “She led the whole way and finished eighth, only beaten a half-length. This field might not be as tough as those 3-year-olds.”

Steve Treasure, the regular rider on both of Gilbert’s horses, probably will choose Awesome Blossom, who is better suited for the 400-yard distance.

Be Real Now, trained by Brian Koriner, also probably will go. Be Real Now won a trial heat for the Los Alamitos Derby and finished a neck behind Sheza First Down and Totally Illegal in the finals.

Bruce Hawkinson’s team of Cowboys Evening Wine and High Class Gal have longer histories in races shorter than 400 yards, but the trainer will start only the former.

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Kenny Hart and Danny Cardoza used to be rivals on Los Alamitos’ track and close friends in the jockeys’ room.

Now, with Cardoza training horses and Hart riding in New Mexico, the rivalry is gone, but the friendship remains. So, when Cardoza has a promising 2-year-old, he calls Hart, and Meter Me Gone, a Vessels Stallion Farm runner, is promising.

The first and second names on Los Alamitos’ list of all-time leading riders, Cardoza and Hart will team up tonight with Meter Me Gone in the Malibu Handicap, a $10,000-added overnight handicap for 2-year-olds.

Meter Me Gone won his third start and had excuses in the first two.

“The other two times, he drew the (No. 1 post),” Cardoza said, adding that Meter Me Gone pulled a shoe off in his first start.

Meter Me Gone will face a tougher field in his fourth outing tonight. The probable field includes Avisome, Bosom Buddies and Check This Reb, who has run well in the Pacific Northwest for trainer Baxter Andruss.