Fourty Niners Son Finally Gets His First Stakes Victory

Known by the company he has kept rather than the races he has won, Fourty Niners Son broke into the stakes win column in the best way Sunday, winning the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship by one length.

Although Fourty Niners Son had been winless in three stakes starts, he went off favored in the $250,000 Hirsch and paid $4.80 after running 1 1/4 miles on grass in 2:01. Fourty Niners Son, a grandson of Forty Niner, was bred and is owned by Tom Baxter, a Nebraskan who admitted after the race that he has never been a good speller.

Baxter and his trainer, Neil Drysdale, will decide whether Fourty Niners Son should run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Belmont Park on Oct. 29. Powerscourt, who beat Fourty Niners Son by three lengths when Baxter’s horse ran third in the Arlington Million, may be the Turf favorite.

“He’s only going to keep getting better and better,” said Corey Nakatani, who rode Fourty Niners Son. Before the Arlington Million, Fourty Niners Son ran third in the American Handicap at Hollywood Park and was second in the Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar.

Trainer Doug O’Neill questioned whether his horse, Whilly, should have been disqualified from second to fifth place. When the stewards finished their sorting out, Leprechaun Kid was moved up to second and Laura’s Lucky Boy was placed third.

In other stakes at Santa Anita, Brother Derek, the only California-bred in the field, propelled himself into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with a win in the $200,000 Norfolk, and the sizzling Garrett Gomez won the $235,000 Lady’s Secret Handicap aboard Healthy Addiction.

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The stewards at Santa Anita took Tyler Baze off his mounts Sunday after the 22-year-old jockey failed a breath-alcohol test before a $511,300 race Saturday night at Hoosier Park in Anderson, Ind.

Baze, who had flown from California to ride Southern Africa in the Indiana Derby, tested above the state’s 0.05 blood alcohol limit, said Gary Wilfert, one of the stewards at Hoosier. Wilfert said that Baze was summarily suspended for seven calendar days, starting Saturday, pending a hearing.

George Slender, a Santa Anita steward, said that under racing’s reciprocity rule, Baze can’t ride until next Saturday.

“I’m not thrilled that they took him off right away,” said Ivan Puich, Baze’s agent, who said he needed more information before he could comment further.

Southern Africa, ridden by Rodney Prescott, finished fifth at 4-1. Wilfert said that Baze was tested about two hours before the race. All jockeys at Hoosier are tested every racing day.

Baze was fourth in wins at Hollywood Park this year, but slumped badly at Del Mar, where he won only 10 races and once went 62 races without a win. Puich said that Baze was bulimic and had been told by his nutritionist to eat more after his weight dropped from about 112 to 100 pounds.

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Hurricane Run won the $2.1-million Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris, just as his sire, Montjeu, had done six years ago. Hurricane Run, who won by three lengths in a rainstorm over Westerner, was ridden by Kieren Fallon, who notched his first Arc win and rode two other Group 1 winners Sunday. Hurricane Run, who gave trainer Andre Fabre his sixth Arc win, might run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, his owner, Michael Tabor said. Bago, last’s year Arc winner, finished third.

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Funfair is headed for the Breeders’ Cup Mile after beating favored Artie Schiller by a head in the $334,200 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park. Also at Belmont, Sensation won the $108,400 Astarita Stakes.