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Sunday, December 17, 2000

The bettors love A.P. Valentine and are disdainful of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Macho Uno. At least that's the way the winter-book wagering for the Kentucky Derby has gone so far at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

As of Friday, A.P. Valentine, owned by Boston Celtics Coach Rick Pitino and trained by Nick Zito, was the 6-1 favorite, according to Lou Damico, director of the sports and race book at the hotel. That's a surprisingly low number considering his last race -- a last-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last month. Frank Stronach's Macho Uno, meanwhile, is a generous 20-1, but the horse who finished just behind him, Point Given, is 7-1, the second choice.

"I was quite disappointed in A.P. Valentine's Breeders' Cup," Damico said. "I guess the bettors have a lot of faith in Nick Zito."

Zito has won two Derbies and, except for last year, can be counted on to take a strong contender to Churchill Downs annually.

Damico blames the overlay on Macho Uno on the fact that no Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner has gone on to win the Derby.

The price on Point Given, owned by Thoroughbred Corporation, is no doubt because of the name of his trainer, Bob Baffert, another two-time Derby winner.

But here's one to puzzle over:

At 18-1, one of the early favorites is a horse named Millennium Wind, a $1.2 million purchase by David and Jill Heerensperger who is trained by David Hofmans.

Never heard of him? No surprise there. Until a scheduled start yesterday in the Hollywood Juvenile, Millennium Wind had exactly one start and one win, in a maiden special, on his past performance lines. It was a three-length victory, but it still seems an awfully short price.

"He opened at 100 and then dropped all the way 18," Damico said. "He went from 100 to 50 to 25 to 22 to 18."

If his finish in yesterday's Hollywood Futurity was less than spectacular, look for that price to go back up again.

Frankel trainer of year

The United Thoroughbred Trainers of America have named Southern California-based Bobby Frankel their trainer of the year for 2000. Frankel's horses have earned more than $9 million this year. His big victories included Skimming in the Pacific Classic and Chester House in the Arlington Million.

Snyder hits 5,000

Once he got within five, Doug Snyder was afraid he would get stuck short of 5,000 victories for a long period, but he hit the milestone last Tuesday, winning with Mystery Attack at Ladbroke at The Meadows. Mystery Attack was stuck in the nine post but managed to make a successful late rally that added drama to Snyder's accomplishment.

Snyder also has passed 100 victories on the season for the 19th consecutive year. Another major milestone -- $20 million in purse earnings -- is still on the horizon. Meadows officials estimate he's about one good season away.

Hurley has Derby hope

Former Duke and NBA basketball player Bobby Hurley is co-owner of a thoroughbred that is taking a first step down the long road to the 2001 Kentucky Derby.

The horse is Songandaprayer, a son of the up-and-coming young sire Unbridled's Song. Songandaprayer was a $1 million purchase of Hurley and partner Leonard Green. He is trained by John Dowd.

Songandaprayer broke his maiden at Monmouth Park June 15, but came out of the race with chips in both ankles. After surgery for removal of the chips and a lengthy rehabilitation, the colt returned to win the 6-furlong Huntington Stakes at Aqueduct last month.

Next on the schedule, according to Down, is the Count Fleet Stakes on Jan. 6 at Aqueduct. It is the first in a series of winter and spring races that serve as the Big A's prep trail to the Derby.

Track update

The Maryland Jockey Club and Cloverleaf Enterprises have withdrawn their joint application for a license to build a new race track in Western Maryland. The MJC, owner of Laurel and Pimlico, and Cloverleaf, which runs Rosecroft Raceway, said they had decided another track would hurt existing Maryland tracks and the state's breeding industry.

William Rickman, the owner of Delaware Park, still has a license application for a Western Maryland track pending.