Coolmore Steps In to Help Tsunami Victims
A spokesman for Coolmore Stud said Thursday that the auction of one-time breeding rights to 50 of the farm’s stallions should raise more than $1 million for the countries trying to recover from the earthquake and tsunami destruction that has killed more than 100,000.
The Irish-based Coolmore, which breeds horses on five continents, will donate proceeds from the auction to the International Red Cross. Starting today, and running through Jan. 11, bidding will be conducted on one breeding right to each of the stallions, who include Fusaichi Pegasus, winner of the 2000 Kentucky Derby; Giant’s Causeway, Europe’s champion 3-year-old in 2000; and Sadler’s Wells, who has been England’s leading sire 14 times.
“Because of the nature of the offering, we expect some of these stallions to bring more than their current stud fee,” said Barry Weisbord, a U.S. bloodstock agent who is a consultant to Coolmore for the auction. “Based on that, just a few of these horses should bring well in excess of $500,000. From there, we’re hoping the figure goes over $1 million.”
Coolmore, which is run by John Magnier, has major operations in Versailles, Ky., and County Tipperary, Ireland. The auction will include 18 stallions in Kentucky, 21 in Ireland and Encosta de Lago, a Coolmore sire who stands in Australia. Bids will also be taken on 10 Coolmore stallions from the steeplechase ranks.
“Everybody is so affected by this unprecedented human disaster that Coolmore wanted to do something to help,” said Richard Henry, a Coolmore spokesman. “Coolmore is offering [a breeding] to every stallion, across the board, which should give everyone the widest possible involvement.”
Fusaichi Pegasus and Giant’s Causeway, who are both at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, will command stud fees of $150,000 apiece in 2005. Sadler’s Wells’ fee is negotiated privately.
Coolmore is hopeful that other stud farms will also come to the aid of the tsunami-stricken countries.
“They could do it on a smaller scale,” Weisbord said. “Maybe just offer a breeding to one stallion -- the kind of stallion that might be hard to get to otherwise.”
*
Rain prevented grass racing at Santa Anita on Wednesday and Thursday, and with an 80% chance of more rain, today’s Monrovia Handicap might also be moved to the dirt. The Monrovia has been run on the main track eight times, most recently in 2000.
Another grass stake, Saturday’s $150,000 San Gabriel Handicap, could also be switched to dirt. The last time the San Gabriel was taken off the grass was in 1988.
About seven inches of rain has already fallen at Santa Anita, which opened Sunday. The track has had only 17 off-track days in the last three years, but this meet has already had two -- Wednesday and Thursday, when the condition started out as muddy and then went to wet-fast for the rest of the card.
Some of the 10 horses entered for the San Gabriel would be equally comfortable on dirt, including Lundy’s Liability, Truly A Judge and Star Cross. Trainer Bobby Frankel, who trains Lundy’s Liability, has also entered Epicentre, whose 16 starts have all been on grass. Lundy’s Liability is the 119-pound high weight, two pounds more than Epicentre.
*
Pat Valenzuela, who has appealed a suspension issued by the Del Mar stewards in August, will have his case reviewed by the California Horse Racing Board during a teleconference next Friday.
Valenzuela’s appeal was heard by an administrative law judge, whose opinion is non-binding. The board has not announced the opinion.
Valenzuela, whose oft-brilliant career has been marred by suspensions, many of them related to substance abuse, was suspended at Hollywood Park on July 2 after officials there said that he didn’t have enough hair on his body for a hair-follicle drug test. After a hearing at Del Mar, the stewards on Aug. 8 suspended Valenzuela for the rest of the year and recommended that he not be licensed again.
*
Henry Page, a leading quarter horse jockey in the early days of Los Alamitos, died Tuesday, the track said.
Page, who was 72, won riding titles at Los Alamitos in 1960 and 1961. He won 473 races at the track, 13 of them stakes. Among his wins were the Los Alamitos Derby with Goodson’s Ridge Butler in 1955 and the Go Man Go Invitational with Motivator in 1970.
Page worked as a patrol judge for more than 10 years at the track, retiring in the late 1990s. His wife Mame is among his survivors.
