Singletary came cheap, paid off big
The Vancouver Province
Sun 31 Oct 2004
Page: A67
Section: Sports
Byline: Tom Wolski
Column: At the Breeders' Cup
Source: The Province
GRAND PRAIRIE, Tex. -- Move over Funny Cide and Smarty
Jones, there is new star in town. Three years ago, a group of 15 friends from
California got together and began the Little Red Feather Racing Stables.
Among their first horses was Singletary, named after former Chicago Bears
linebacker and NFL Hall-of-Famer Mike Singletary. The purchase price was $3,200
US.
Going into Saturday's $1.5-million Breeders' Cup Mile at the World Breeders'
Cup Thoroughbred Championship at Lone Star Park here, Singletary had won or
placed in nine stakes races in California, earning $566,000 along the way. By
the time this race was over, he had defeated a world-class field and added
$873,600 to his bankroll.
"We never set out to make a million dollars," said managing partner Bill
Koch. "What I tell everybody coming into horse racing is there is a good chance
you could lose your money. You look around after this race and see smiles and
cheers and that is what we are all about."
PRICELESS SHOW
Cost to fly 2004 B.C. Derby winner Flamethrowingtexan from Washington state's
Emerald Downs to Texas to compete in the $250,000 Lone Star Derby on Breeders
Cup Weekend -- $9,000 US. The horse finished third, earning $28,000. Memories,
priceless.
"We shipped him[Flamethrowingtexan] to Seattle, then we left SeaTac airport
on Monday at 9:30 a.m.," said trainer Jim Penny. "The flight took 11 hours,
minus two hours for a layover in Memphis."
PERSEVERING
Three years ago, Pony Highway Productions began filming 'On the Muscle', a TV
documentary about Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. Among horses the
producers followed was Pleasantly Perfect.
"I thought after we won four Breeders' Cup races last year, they would be
finished by now," said Mandella. "They [producers] fell in love with our horses
and decided to wait until after this year's Breeders' Cup."
Preview clips of the film can be viewed at ponyhighway.com.
COSTLY INTERVIEW
The pony used by former jockey and racing analyst Donna Brothers to conduct
her on-track interviews during the races on Cup day, did not come cheap.
"He is an American quarter horse and was bought for $190,000 [US] as a
yearling," said Brothers. "He did race many times and never won a race, so his
owners turned him into a riding pony."
GO FIGURE
Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey and Irish rider Kieren Fallon finished in a
points dead heat for top position in the International Jockeys Championship on
Thursday. Bailey, a native Texan, was declared the winner because he won the
last race. ... How nuts is this? The day rate for a suite on Breeders' Cup Day
was a reported $100,000 US.
Tom Wolski can be seen on the Sport of Kings, 11 a.m. Saturday, Citytv.
twolski@shaw.ca
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