Suspended Valenzuela Makes the Worst of Second Chances

Jockey Pat Valenzuela, who failed to show for his mounts Monday without notifying stewards, had his California Horse Racing Board license suspended Thursday.

In a ruling issued by Oak Tree stewards Ingrid Fermin, Pete Pedersen and George Slender, Valenzuela, who turns 35 today, was cited for repeated offenses of CHB Rule 1872 (failure to fulfill jockey agreement), and the stewards recommended that the oft-troubled rider not be considered for relicensing.

Valenzuela regained his license early in the Del Mar meeting this summer, but was also suspended there for failing to show.

Reaction: It’s about time. Everyone tired of Valenzuela’s antics a long time ago, and he has already had more than his fair share of chances.

* A lot of people on the East Coast believe the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner ran Saturday at Keeneland.

Countess Diana won for the fourth time in five tries, beating the highly regarded Beautiful Pleasure in the Alcibiades.

It was the first time around two turns for either filly, and if the best Countess Diana can do at 11/16 miles is what she did five days ago, good luck to her Nov. 8 at Hollywood Park.

After running six furlongs in 1:092/5, the daughter of Deerhound ran the fourth quarter in a harness-like 282/5 seconds.

Our early choice for the BC Juvenile Fillies’ is Eastside Westside, who romped against maidens at Del Mar in her second race--and first around two turns--and who will make her stakes debut in the $200,000 Oak Leaf Stakes on Saturday. She has continued to train well for Bob Baffert and owners Bob and Beverly Lewis.

* Marlin, retired after being injured in Sunday’s Oak Tree Turf Championship, will be missed. The 4-year-old, who raced for owner Michael Tabor and trainer Wayne Lukas, gave it his best every time out. He finished second Sunday, even though he probably hurt himself on the clubhouse turn of the 1 1/4-mile race.

* The Santa Anita turf course has not been kind to speed during the Oak Tree season. Through the first 11 days, I Ain’t Bluffing is the only horse who has been able to win gate-to-wire on the lawn.

* Puissant is one of the thoroughbreds who came from way back to score. The 6-year-old Nashwan horse rallied from last to win Oct. 2 and he has been quite a success story for trainer Marty Jones and owners George Hicker, who was a basketball teammate of Dave Bing’s at Syracuse and who was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame last month, Dan Robinson and Alex Venneri.

Hicker, Robinson and Venneri bought Puissant for $10,000 earlier this year, and the British-bred, who was on an extended losing streak after winning his first start in this country a few years back, has won four in a row at Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Santa Anita while earning more than $110,000. A stakes appearance could be next.

* Souvenir Copy and Old Topper, who finished 1-2 in the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 10, will get together again in the $200,000 Norfolk Stakes on Sunday as they both try a distance for the first time.

They figure to be the first two betting choices in the Grade II.

* Skip Away recently turned in another fast work at Belmont Park, getting ready for Saturday’s $1-million Jockey Club Gold. Too bad they don’t pay off in the morning because the son of Skip Trial sure hasn’t won much lately. Apparently, trainer Sonny Hine thinks the losing streak is the fault of his jockey as Jerry Bailey will replace Shane Sellers on Saturday.

THIS WEEKEND

The Oak Leaf and Norfolk are two of the four stakes races at Santa Anita this weekend.

The other two are the $250,000 Oak Tree Breeders’ Cup Mile on turf Saturday and the $175,000 Lady’s Secret Breeders’ Cup Handicap on Sunday, which will serve as the Breeders’ Cup Distaff prep for 122-pound high weight Twice The Vice.

Idle since winning the Vanity Handicap in July at Hollywood Park, Twice The Vice will be taking on Las Palmas winner Real Connection, Sharp Cat and Relaxing Rhythm, who is perfect in six starts.

A 3-year-old Easy Goer filly owned by Frank Stronach and trained by Dave Hofmans, Relaxing Rhythm won four times in Canada before coming to California. She won the CERF and Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar, but this will be a much more difficult task.

“She’s never faced the quality horses like she’s facing in this race,” Hofmans said. “Based on how she’s been working, I think she’s going to run well. If she does as well as we think she can, we’ll think about the [Breeders’ Cup] Distaff.”

DOWN THE STRETCH

Christopher Greeley scored his his first training victory with the first starter of his career when 5-1 shot Ruby Wedding won Sunday. Greeley was an assistant to Richard Mandella for two years. Besides Ruby Wedding, a 2-year-old daughter of Rubiano, Greeley, 26, has five other horses in training. . . . A.J. Jett, a 5-year-old Jett Sett Joe gelding, won his sixth consecutive race Wednesday, beating $40,000 claimers in the day’s sixth race. He won four for trainer Doug Peterson and has now won two races since being claimed for $16,000 by trainer Marcelo Polanco for owners Vickie and Louis Block.