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Wednesday Notebook Hefner still a longshot in eight-horse Preakness field
Posted: Wednesday May 17, 2000 06:53 PM
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Hugh Hefner and entourage are in town for the Preakness -- Hugh Hefner the horse, that is, not the Playboy impresario. Owned by Hefner pal Ed Nahem, Hugh Hefner arrived at Pimlico from California on Wednesday morning and at 20-1 is a long shot in the eight-horse field for Saturday's $1 million Preakness. Hugh Hefner, the person, will not attend. Nor will the show-stopping women he brought along to the Breeders' Cup last November at Florida's Gulfstream Park in Florida. Hef will watch the race on TV. Nahem said last week he thought his colt had a chance for second place and a $200,000 prize. Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus is the 3-5 favorite in the morning line. "He's awfully good," Nahem said Wednesday of the Derby winner. Is he beatable? "Not unless he has a distinct dislike for the track." Hugh Hefner, a son of Bertrando, has won twice in six career starts and was second in his last race, the Snow Chief at Hollywood Park on April 30. The colt was 13th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. On Breeders' Cup day, Hugh Hefner, the person, showed up with an entourage of blonde women in the saddling area, stealing the spotlight from the 14 colts preparing for the race. Nahem, a 58-year-old former art and antiques dealer, has known Hefner for nearly 30 years and always wanted to name a horse after him. Nahem was turned down every time -- until he wrote a letter telling Hefner how good the colt was going to be. "He changed his mind," Nahern said.
Where are the horses?D. Wayne Lukas has been at Pimlico Race Course for more than a week, quite a long time for the Hall of Fame trainer with large stables in California, Kentucky and New York. Lukas arrived early with seven horses, including Cat Thief, who finished fifth in last Saturday's Pimlico Special. Lukas, who sends out High Yield in Saturday's Preakness, said he likes the racing surface but has been amazed there are so few horses training on the track in the morning. "Where are all the horses?" he asked. "I've never been to a place in my life where they're having a full-blown race and the barns are full and nobody comes out. They must walk 'em and then run 'em. "I've been here a week and I've never been on the track with more than four or five horses. At 7 a.m. in California, there will be a 100 out there. "Here, the outriders can go shower, have coffee and scrambled eggs, and come back and not miss anything."
Poor Derby, great PreaknessSeveral Preakness winners ran poorly in the Kentucky Derby before showing great improvement two weeks later at Pimlico. Among them:
Also, the filly Serena's Song was 15th in the 1995 Derby, and won the Black-Eye Susan at Pimlico 13 days later.
Hal's got hopeJockey Roger Velez says Hal's Hope should not be discounted in Saturday's Preakness even though he finished 16th in the Derby. "I know he's a good colt," Velez said. "He's earned $500,000. It's not like he hit Lotto, or came out of La la land to run. He's talented. He's like a raging bull. You hit him and knock him down and he keeps getting back up. And one of these days ... " Hal's Hope is owned and trained by 88-year-old Harold Rose. The colt won the Holy Bull Stakes and Florida Derby, and finished second in the Fountain of Youth.
Finish lineA Preakness first is set for Saturday -- the first brother jockey-trainer combination. Cash Asmussen, 38, will ride Snuck In, trained by his younger brother, Steve, 34. ... Victor Espinoza is the jockey for Hugh Hefner. ... The last Preakness favorite to win the race was Timber Country 1995. Charismatic, the '99 Derby winner, was an 8-1 choice when he won the Preakness.
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