Pedroza Will Be Busy at Fairplex

Martin Pedroza won a minor stake on closing day at Del Mar on Wednesday, then took off sick the rest of the card.

It’s unlikely, though, that Pedroza will miss many riding opportunities at the Los Angeles County Fair meet that opens today at Fairplex Park in Pomona. He’s won 55 races there the last two years--and the title both times--and begins this season’s 18-day meet with seven mounts, among them the assignment on Shining Nuggets, who’s making a late 2001 debut in the $50,000 Foothill Stakes.

Pedroza, 36, held off Tyler Baze, then an apprentice, to win last year’s Fairplex title by two races, 26-24. In winning that crown, Pedroza hiked his overall win total to 293, passing David Flores in the all-time Fairplex standings.

Baze, winner of last year’s Eclipse Award for best apprentice, is a journeyman now and will also ride seven times in the 11-race opener. One of his mounts is the recent Del Mar winner, Kinston, in the Foothill.

Offering a stake race every day, Fairplex’s 63rd meet will run nonstop through Sept. 24.

Most of the big-time jockeys and trainers use Pomona as their sabbatical from the Southern California circuit’s year-round grind, but there’s still plenty of purse money to be banked at the fair. Last year, more than $105 million was bet on the mixed-breed cards, and this year more than $4 million will be offered to horsemen, $1.15 million of it in the 18 thoroughbred stakes. There are five 100-granders on the schedule.

Coil N Strike and Bettor Royalty, two of the nine 3-year-olds entered in the Foothill, come out of a $62,500 claiming race at Del Mar, where they ran 1-2, separated by one length. Coil N Strike was claimed out of that race, from Mike Machowsky, and will be saddled today by his new trainer, Paddy Gallagher.

There are two fillies in the Foothill--Sea Reel, who has had rough sledding since winning the Bustles and Bows in Pomona last year, and Always The Lady, who has started only once, in January, since winning the California Breeders’ Championship at Santa Anita on New Year’s Eve.

Another Foothill contender, Presidio Heights, is trained by Art Sherman, who rode Injunction, the winner in the inaugural running of the stake in 1967. On Del Mar’s turf on Aug. 10, Presidio Heights couldn’t protect an eight-length lead, wilting after running the opening six furlongs in a blistering 1:08 4/5, and finished last. Going into that race, Sherman’s gelding had sprinted to two easy wins in Northern California.

Shining Nuggets, Pedroza’s mount, will run for trainer Jack Carava for the first time in the Foothill. Last year, with trainer Jeff Bonde, Shining Nuggets was a factor in three stakes for California-breds, but he hasn’t run in almost a year, since his 2000 win in the I’m Smokin Stakes at Del Mar.

Pedroza, who reached the 2,000-win mark in February, won for Carava on closing day at Del Mar, riding Global to victory in the California Equine Retirement Foundation Handicap.

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A jury trial in the death of J.C. Gonzalez is scheduled to start Oct. 30 in Los Angeles Superior Court in Pomona, according to Tom Milhaupt, the attorney who is representing the family of the jockey who was killed in a spill on opening day at Fairplex Park two years ago.

Gonzalez’s parents, Daniel and Maria Gonzalez, filed a wrongful-death suit after their son, who was 23, died of massive head trauma when his mount, the 4-year-old colt Wolfhunt, broke down.

Milhaupt said that trainer Sandy Shulman, who was covered by workman’s compensation, is no longer a defendant in the suit. Shulman was also one of the owners of Wolfhunt, who broke down after his front legs snapped. A necropsy showed that Wolfhunt had a preexisting stress fracture of his left front cannon bone. The California Horse Racing Board reported that Wolfhunt was given a permissible injection of cortisone two days before the race.

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Tiznow, last year’s horse of the year but idle since March’s Santa Anita Handicap win, has shipped to New York to face four rivals Saturday in the $500,000 Woodward at Belmont Park.

The Woodward is a prep for the $4-million Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will also be run at Belmont, on Oct. 27. Tiznow won the Classic last year, at Churchill Downs, clinching the national title. His career was jeopardized after the Big ‘Cap because of a back injury.

Red Bullet, last year’s Preakness winner, drew the inside post in the 11/8-mile Woodward and will be ridden by Gary Stevens. Breaking outside Red Bullet, in order, will be Tiznow, with Chris McCarron riding; Lido Palace, Jerry Bailey; Albert The Great, Jorge Chavez; and Country Be Gold, Robbie Davis. They’ll all carry 126 pounds.

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Galileo, considered the best horse in Europe, and his archrival Fantastic Light head an eight-horse field Saturday in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown near Dublin. Although Galileo and Fantastic Light are grass specialists, they both might run on dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Fantastic Light finished fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf.

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Del Mar, averaging 15,456 a day, had an 8.5% on-track attendance increase at the 43-day meet that ended Wednesday. Overall betting, which reached $518 million, was up almost 3% over last year. On-track betting increased slightly, from $99.3 million to $99.7 million.

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At a Glance

Length of meet: 18 days.

Dates: Daily from today through Sept. 24.

Racing menu: 11 or 12 races daily for thoroughbreds, quarter horses and Appaloosas.

First post: 1 p.m. Fair gates open at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Opening stake: $50,000 Foothill, 61/2 furlongs, for 3-year-olds.

$100,000 stakes: Barretts Debutante, 61/2 furlongs for 2-year-old fillies, Sept. 15; Barretts Juvenile, 61/2 furlongs for 2-year-old colts and geldings, Sept. 16; Las Madrinas Handicap, 11/16 miles for fillies and mares, Sept. 21; Pomona Derby, about 11/8 miles for 3-year-olds, Sept. 22; Ralph M. Hinds Invitational Handicap, about 11/8 miles for 3-year-olds and older, Sept. 23.

Last year’s leaders: Trainer Mel Stute, 8 wins; jockey Martin Pedroza, 26 wins.

Records: Trainer wins, Mel Stute, 13, 1986; jockey, David Flores, 48, 1991; horse, Patsy O., 4, 1936, and Hen Mallard, 4, 1949.

Location: About 30 miles east of Los Angeles, 2 blocks north of San Bernardino Freeway (Route 10), at 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona.

Phone: (909) 623-3111.