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J. Paco Gonzalez
Juan Paco Gonzalez (born March 17, 1945 in Yahualica, Jalisco, Mexico) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. Life The fourth of six children, Paco Gonzalez grew up on a ranch near Guadalajara where his family owned Quarter horses. As a boy he was inspired to go into the Thoroughbred racing business by two older brothers who were jockeys at Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana. In 1964, Paco Gonzalez followed his brothers north to California where he found work as a stable hand for trainer Joe Manzi under whom he would learn the business for the next twenty-five years. Career Joe Manzi died in April 198and Gonzalez took over as trainer of the stable whose clients included John A. Toffan, John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery, Canadian friends who raced as a partnership. For Toffan and McCaffrey and/or with other partners, the soft-spoken and reserved Paco Gonzalez enjoyed considerable success as the trainer of millionaire multiple Grade I winners Bien Bien, Free House, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horse Trainer
A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which may include contests and other riding purposes. The level of education and the yearly salary they can earn for this profession may differ depending on where the person is employed. History Domestication of the horse, Horse domestication by the Botai culture in Kazakhstan dates to about 3500 BC. Written records of horse training as a pursuit has been documented as early as 1350 BC, by Kikkuli, the Hurrian "master horse trainer" of the Hittite Empire. Another source of early recorded history of horse training as a discipline comes from the Ancient Greece, Greek writer Xenophon, in his treatise On Horsemanship. Writing circa 350 BC, Xenophon addressed Horse training, starting young horses, selecting older animals, and proper Ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Felipe Stakes
The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in early -March, it is raced at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on dirt and currently offers a purse of $400,000. It is listed as an official prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Race history Inaugurated as the San Felipe Handicap in 1935, due to World War II there was no race run in 1942, 1943, and 1944. From 1935 through 1940 the race was open to colts and geldings, three years of age and older. Since 1941 it has been restricted to three-year-olds and in 1952 was made open to all three-year-olds irrespective of their sex. It was raced as a handicap event from 1935 through 1941 and again from 1952 through 1990. As a prep for both the Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies, the San Felipe has featured many of California's top three-year-olds over the years, including D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bien Bien
Bien Bien (1989–2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse bred by William S. Farish III & William S. Kilroy and raced by Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan. He won eight stakes races during his career, including four Grade I events. He set a course record of 1:57.75 for 1¼ miles while winning the 1993 Hollywood Invitational Turf Handicap. He also ran second in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Turf to winner Kotashaan. Bien Bien was retired to stud for the 1995 season. He stood at Mill Ridge Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, until 2000, when he was sent to Kirtlington Stud near Kirtlington, Oxfordshire, England. During his relatively short career at stud, he sired: * Bienamado (b. 1996) – in France won the Prix de Condé (1998) and in California, the 2000 Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (2000) and San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (2001) and Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap. Career earnings of $1,261,089; * Bien Nicole (b. 1998) – won 2003 Oaklawn Breeders Cup Stakes, Gala ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Vicente Stakes
The San Vicente Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park. A Grade II event, the race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race seven furlongs on the dirt and currently carries a purse of $200,000. History Inaugurated in 1935 as the San Vicente Handicap, it was open to older horses until 1937. The race was run as a handicap event from 1935 until 1941, 1945 through 1948, 1956 through 1958, and 1960 through 1965. There was no race held from 1942 until 1944, 1949 until 1951, and again in 1970. In 1952 and 1953 the race was restricted to colts and geldings. Since inception, it has been run at various distances: * 6 furlongs : 1935–1936, 1952–54 * 7 furlongs : 1937–1939, 1949–1951, 1955 to present * 1 mile : 1940–46 * miles : 1947–1948 Louis B. Mayer's U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly, Busher, won this race against males in 1945. The filly, Hubble Bubble, won in 1947. In 2009 Evita Argentina became the third filly to win ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Rafael Stakes
The San Rafael Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Santa Anita Park, located in Arcadia, California. The race was a Grade III event with a purse of $150,000 and was open to three-year-olds willing to race one mile (8 furlongs) on the facility's dirt race track. Prior to 2005, the race was held in early March. Beginning in 2005, the race was moved to mid-January to offer a better fit to trainers to race in the Sham Stakes, the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (formerly known as the Santa Catalina Stakes) and the San Felipe Stakes. It became the year's first official prep race for the U.S. Triple Crown series. However, after Conveyance's win in 2010, Santa Anita has stopped running this event. On November 28, 2007, this Grade II stakes race was downgraded to a Grade III by the American Graded Stakes Committee. Records Speed record: * 1:33.37 - El Gato Malo (2008) (On Cushion Track) * 1:34.40 - Prince Spellbound (1982) (on dirt) Most wins by a jockey: * 5 - Chris M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hopeful Stakes
The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has been a showcase for some of the top East Coast horses at that age group. Raced on the dirt over a distance of seven furlongs, the Grade I event currently offers a purse of $350,000. Inaugurated in 1903, the first edition was won by Delhi who went on to win the 1904 Belmont Stakes. In 1904, the Hopeful Stakes was won by the filly Tanya. She would go on to win the 1905 Belmont Stakes. Initially raced at a distance of six furlongs, from 1925 through 1993 it was run at six and a half furlongs and since 1994 at seven furlongs. Currently, the Hopeful Stakes is the first influential prep race leading up to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and since 1925 has been a competition that marks the first time two-year-olds are tested at a distance beyond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triple Bend Invitational Handicap
The Triple Bend Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses age four years and older over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The race currently offers a purse of $200,000. History The event was inaugurated on the 10 June 1952 as the Lakes And Flowers Handicap and was won by Intent defeating Admiral Drake with Last Round finishing in third before a crowd of 42,004. In 1956 the event was shortened to 6 furlongs. The event was increased back to its original distance of 7 furlongs in 1973. In 1979 the name was changed to Triple Bend Handicap honoring Frank McMahon's colt Triple Bend whose wins included the Santa Anita Handicap and who set a world record time of 1:19.80 for seven furlongs on dirt in winning the 1972 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park Racetrack. In 1980, Rich Cream broke that mark with another world record time for seven furlongs on dirt in winning the Triple Bend Handicap. In 198 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Providencia Stakes
The Providencia Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf course scheduled annually in April at Santa Anita Park. The event currently carries a purse of $100,000. History Inaugurated in 1981, it has been run at miles for most of its existence. It was run at 1 mile in 2004 and from 2006 to 2009. In 2008, this race was upgraded from a Grade III to a Grade II, with its purse increased from $100,000 to $150,000. It has been downgraded to a Grade III again although its purse remains the same. Records Speed record: * miles: 1:46.80 – Lady of Shamrock (2012) *1 mile: 1:34.20 – Acting Lady (2009) Margins: * 7 lengths - Artica (1995) Most wins by a jockey: * 4 – Laffit Pincay Jr. (1982, 1984, 1987, 1995) * 4 – Alex Solis (1994, 1999, 2002, 2005) * 4 – Kent J. Desormeaux (1996, 1994, 2004, 2016) * 4 – Mike E. Smith (2003, 2012, 2017, 2022) Most wins by a tra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Antonio Handicap
The San Antonio Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Raced on the dirt, it is for horses age three and older. In 2017, the distance was shortened from miles to miles. The race was originally run under handicap conditions but is now run under allowance weight conditions, with specified weight reductions for horses who meet certain conditions. The San Antonio has been a Grade II event since 1990. The current purse is $200,000. The San Antonio was traditionally run in February and was frequently used as a prep race for the Santa Anita Handicap. In 2017, the race was run once in February, and then again on December 26, the opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meet. With its new position in the stakes calendar, the race now serves as a prep for the Pegasus World Cup. Inaugurated in 1935, the San Antonio Handicap was run at a mile and a sixteenth in 1940 and 1941. Records Speed record: * miles – 1:46.20 – Vigors ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santa Anita Handicap
The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for older horses in North America during the winter racing season. The ten-furlong Santa Anita Handicap currently offers a purse of $650,000. History The first race was held in 1935, just months after the track opened in late 1934, and the event was open to three-year-olds and up until 1969. The Santa Anita Handicap instantly became one of the nation's top races because it offered a minimum purse of $100,000, then a staggering amount for a horse race. In its early years, the race was most commonly referred to among horsemen and racing media as the "Hundred-Grander." Another nickname for the race dating back to that time, "The Big 'Cap", is still in regular use. Probably the dominant figure in the early years of the race was Seabiscuit, as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Del Mar Mile Handicap
The Del Mar Mile Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years and older run over a distance of one mile on the turf held annually in August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event currently carries a purse of $150,000. History The event was inaugurated on 2 September 1987 with additional sponsorship from Budweiser and the Breeders' Cup at a distance of as a one mile race on the dirt track and was won by the 9-1 shot Good Command who was ridden by United States' Racing Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron in a time of 1:35. The following year the event was by Precisionist, the 1985 U.S. Champion Sprint Horse who had come out of retirement after an unsuccessful stud career. For the third running the event had been classified as Grade III and the next year in 1990 a Grade II, the current classification. Budweiser continued sponsorship until 1995 and the Breeders' Cup until 2006. After sponsorship ceased the event was renamed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |