Famous Digger Is His Claim to Fame

Famous Digger goes to the track wearing pointy white earmuffs, looking like a court jester. But the way the 3-year-old filly runs is no joke.

Claimed for $40,000 by trainer Barry Abrams on Jan. 31, Famous Digger is no Stymie yet, but give her time. Stymie, a $1,500 claim, was the male handicap champion in 1945 and was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1975.

Famous Digger has won five of eight starts under Abrams, four of them in stakes and the latest the $111,725 San Clemente Handicap Saturday at Del Mar. After making about $12,000 for her previous trainer, Richard Mandella, she has earned almost $250,000 for the four-man partnership that Abrams assembled.

Abrams, 43, has come from the standardbred ranks to play the thoroughbred claiming game fast and loose. Another of his good claims was Bengal Bay, who cost $12,500 and, by Abrams’ count, earned about $250,000. Abrams said he plans to claim a couple of horses at Del Mar today.

Not all of his shots are bull’s-eyes, of course. “You’ve got to get a little lucky,” Abrams said. A couple of years ago, his luck went south when he claimed another Mandella horse for $80,000. Unusual Heat didn’t pan out and was injured while running in last year’s Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile at Hollywood Park.

Famous Digger, a favorite who paid $5.40, ran a mile on grass Saturday in 1:36. Ridden by Brice Blanc, she came from third place to beat Cozy Blues by two lengths. Famous Digger was the high weight with 120 pounds.

“She could be an awesome horse,” Abrams said. “Today she relaxed and did what she had to do, and this wasn’t at her best distance. It was just a mile gallop for her.”

Famous Digger ran a couple of times with earmuffs for Abrams, breaking her maiden with the headgear at Santa Anita on Feb. 26, when she could have been claimed again for $50,000. But now the earmuffs come off after the filly leaves the paddock and reaches the track.

“I don’t put them on her because of the noise, it’s just to keep her calm,” Abrams said. “You relax through your ears. I think things would tickle her ears and that’s what would get her upset.”

Famous Digger’s list of anxious days stretches from here to Tijuana. In the only bad race she has run for Abrams, an eighth-place finish in April, she couldn’t figure out Hollywood Park’s night racing and came unhinged. Before she won the Honeymoon Handicap in May, she flipped in the paddock. Seconds after winning a minor stake at Hollywood in June, she ran off and galloped more than two miles before she was caught.

“She looked like a nervous horse in the other barn, but I enjoy working with nervous horses,” Abrams said. “Sometimes a smaller barn like mine will help a nervous horse.”

David Abrams, the trainer’s brother, owns Famous Digger along with Victor Johnson, Tom Roberts and Jack Nakkashian, who is the biggest partner with a 40% interest.

“Those guys, and one other partner, put up $180,000 to buy horses last year, and the horses earned $500,000,” Barry Abrams said. “So they’re not doing bad. Now they’ve got a filly who’ll be worth about $500,000 as a broodmare.”

Abrams plans to run Famous Digger in the $250,000 Del Mar Oaks, a 1 1/8-mile grass race on Aug. 17. There have been lucrative offers for the filly, but it doesn’t sound as if Abrams’ clients are selling. They call themselves the Let It Ride Stable.

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Chris McCarron, back riding after suffering a sprained shoulder in a spill a week ago at Hollywood Park, was aboard a familiar mount, Northern Afleet, for his one-length victory over Benchmark in the $160,300 San Diego Handicap.

Northern Afleet, trained by David Hofmans, circled the leaders on the stretch turn and completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:41 4/5. The 4-year-old colt was the 118-pound high weight. With McCarron riding, Northern Afleet won the San Fernando and the San Carlos Handicap at Santa Anita earlier in the year. Favored Northern Afleet paid $6.40 Saturday.

“He’s a game little horse,” McCarron said. “He’s had some bad luck with the draws, but he overcame [post No. 9] this time.”

Horse Racing Notes

Half an inch of rain fell in 45 minutes at Ascot near London on Saturday, and Swain used the soft going for a one-length upset victory in the $840,250 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. The three horses immediately behind Swain--some of the best horses in Europe--were Pilsudski, Helissio and Singspiel. Gary Stevens’ mount, Predappio, finished seventh. Stevens will resume riding at Del Mar today. Swain, owned by Sheik Mohammed, who started four horses in the race, was ridden by John Reid and went off at 16-1. Helissio was the 11-10 favorite. Pilsudski is expected to defend his Breeders’ Cup Turf title at Hollywood Park on Nov. 8.

Blushing K.D., the filly who was expected to run in the $1-million Haskell Handicap at Monmouth Park a week from today, broke down during a workout Saturday and her racing career is over. Blushing K.D., working at Monmouth, broke bones in both forelegs. Her trainer, Sam David, said there is a chance the filly’s life will be saved. Blushing K.D., the winner of the Kentucky Oaks and the Monmouth Oaks, lost only twice in 10 starts and earned $918,900. During her workout Saturday, another horse passed her. Blushing K.D. took off, but she bolted after passing the other horse and that’s when she broke down.

Fabulously Fast was a 7-1 winner of the Test Stakes at Saratoga, and Cowboy Cop, owned by Frank Stronach, won the Detroit Race Course Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Wayne Lukas-trained runners finished third in both races, with Pearl City at 2-1 at Saratoga and Partner’s Hero at 4-5 at Detroit. . . . Con Way, seventh in the San Clemente, fell while being pulled up, but both the filly and the jockey, Rene Douglas, were not seriously injured. Martin Pedroza, replacing Douglas on Bust The Dust in a later race, escaped injury when his mount broke down in the stretch. . . . High Stakes Player is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in today’s Bing Crosby Breeders’ Cup Handicap.