Tizbud Follows Hoof Prints of Famous Brother

When Tiznow won the San Fernando Stakes in 2001, he had already won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and been voted horse of the year the previous year.

Tiznow’s brother, Tizbud, runs Saturday at Santa Anita in the San Fernando, off only three races and only two months removed from his first win. Tizbud has a lot of catching up to do.

Tiznow, for all of his accomplishments at the end of his 3-year-old season, also was a slow starter. He didn’t run as a 2-year-old, and didn’t break his maiden until the 2000 Kentucky Derby and Preakness were already history.

Tizbud also didn’t run as a 2-year-old, when he was in the care of Jay Robbins, Tiznow’s trainer, and by the time Tizbud got to the races, Robbins had lost the horse to trainer John Sadler. Tizbud began his career in July at Hollywood Park, where he ran third, and after a far-back fifth at Del Mar in August, he broke into the win column against maidens going 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood on Nov. 14.

The $200,000 San Fernando, also at 1 1/16 miles, is the second leg in the Strub series for 4-year-olds, which began with the Malibu on Dec. 26. None of the 11 starters from that race will return in the San Fernando, and the Malibu winner, Debonair Joe, will pass up the $400,000 Strub on Feb. 1 to run at another shorter distance in the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint at Santa Anita on Jan. 25.

Julie Krone, who rode Debonair Joe in the Malibu, has the mount Saturday on Groom On The Run, who drew the rail in the San Fernando’s eight-horse field. Outside Groom On The Run in the gate, in order, will be Traditional, Tizbud, Tracemark, Manahan McLir, Rushin’ To The Altar, Century City and Pass Rush, trainer Patrick Byrne’s shipper from Kentucky. Tizbud will be ridden by Victor Espinoza for the fourth straight race.

In another stake Saturday, seven fillies and mares are entered in the $150,000 San Gorgonio Handicap. The high weight, Tates Creek at 121 pounds, will spot her opposition four to nine pounds. Tates Creek, who’ll be ridden by Pat Valenzuela for the first time, has won four of her last five starts under Jerry Bailey, including the Las Palmas Handicap at Hollywood Park on Nov. 3. Overall, the 5-year-old mare has eight wins and two seconds in 12 starts.

Others entered in the San Gorgonio are Miss Gazon, Alozaina, Megahertz, Double Cat, Crazy Ensign and Magic Mission.

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Spensive, a Bob Baffert-trained colt who was ridden by Krone when he won the Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 14, will be ridden by Russell Baze on Saturday in the $100,000 Golden Gate Derby. Baffert won last year’s Gold Rush and Golden Gate Derby with Danthebluegrassman. Eleven 3-year-olds are entered, among them Ozzie Cat from trainer Wayne Lukas’ barn.

The road to the Santa Anita Derby -- and perhaps the Kentucky Derby -- begins locally Sunday with the San Miguel Stakes. Usually the winners of the Golden Gate race and the San Miguel are forgotten by the time the Kentucky Derby is run. A more legitimate prep for the Derby comes out of Gulfstream Park on Feb. 15, when Toccet, the Hollywood Futurity winner, makes his 3-year-old debut.

After his win at Hollywood, Toccet was sent back to his Laurel Park headquarters in Maryland, and trainer John Scanlan will ship the colt to Gulfstream for the Fountain of Youth. Toccet is expected to finish second, behind the undefeated Vindication, in the Eclipse Award voting for best 2-year-old male. Vindication, who hasn’t run since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 26, is in training at Santa Anita.

Another probable for the Fountain of Youth is Sky Mesa, who was scratched from the Breeders’ Cup after winning all three of his starts last year.

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Vance Longden, who teamed with his father, Hall of Fame jockey Johnny Longden, to win major stakes at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park more than 40 years ago, died Monday in Solana Beach. Longden, 72, retired from training in 1994. He had been battling cancer.

In 1953, the Longdens combined to win the Hollywood Gold Cup with Royal Serenade. They also won the 1955 San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita with St. Vincent and the 1961 Santa Anita Derby with Four-And-Twenty. Vance Longden took Four-And-Twenty to Churchill Downs, where his father, after leading the Kentucky Derby for more than a mile, finished seventh with the colt. Vance Longden also finished eighth in the race with Four-And-Twenty’s stablemate, Flutterby. Four-And-Twenty later won the Hollywood Derby and the 1962 Strub Stakes.

Another of Vance Longden’s best horses was Triple Bend, who, with Don Pierce riding, won the 1972 Santa Anita Handicap.

Besides his father, Longden is survived by three children; a half-brother Eric, who was also a trainer, and Andrea, a half-sister. Johnny Longden will be 96 on Feb. 14.

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Edgar Prado, who has won almost 4,700 races, is the 54th winner of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.