Kat’s Eye: Talent and Beauty at Santa Anita

This afternoon, California-bred fan favorite California Chrome will return to racing in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes, which means that the 2014 Horse of the Year was on the main track for his jog this morning before most “regular” humans were even out of bed. 

With no light for photos and all things flowing smoothly, I thought I’d share a few observations from the past couple of days at Santa Anita Park.
After the heavy rain earlier in the week, we’ve been enjoying some incredibly temperate weather and breathtaking light shows in the morning and evening. If you have never been to this racetrack, idyllically positioned with the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop, you should try to get here at least once. Until you see if for yourself, you can’t fully appreciate the fact that it looks like something created by Hollywood.

My best friend, Kiera Starboard, who arrived by train last night from San Diego, joined me this morning. On her first visit to Santa Anita Park, it has immediately won her over. 
Notably, she was surprised at the congeniality, as we were greeted with a warm “good morning” from each person we passed as we navigated the shedrows on the backside of the racetrack. I attribute this to people doing what they love, and the positive energy generated by the horses.
While getting our coffee at Clockers’ Corner, we chatted with Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who chuckled as he asked what brought us out to the track at 5 a.m. (I guess two middle-aged women in the range of 6-feet tall gave him a strong indication that we were not there to work horses.) 
I had seen Hollendorfer’s 3-year-old filly, Songbird, jog the previous day and told him how much I looked forward to seeing her race this year.

Friends who are active handicappers have shared with me their excitement over the possibility of this filly winning the Kentucky Derby, if she is entered.
Yesterday, in the late morning as the sun began to shine, confusion was voiced trackside as a handsome 3-year-old trainee from Sherman Racing Stables galloped under exercise rider Dihigi Gladney. The colt bears such a resemblance to his famous stablemate that the team refers to him as “Chrome’s Stunt Double,” and it’s fun to watch people wonder out loud who they just saw. 

As for me, I’m always in the corner of any horse trained by my friends Art and Alan Sherman.
But nothing surprised me more than the speculation that arose regarding a photo I took of an exercise rider wearing the jersey of former Washington Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot.

My close friends and Team Sherman supporters, Matt and Courtney Smoot, spotted the rider as he and his mount loped around the track, and asked me to snap a photo for them, which I did happily. This morning they reported to me that, after sharing the photo with friends back on the East Coast, it was assumed that Matt was aboard the horse, wearing the Smoot jersey that he owns. I hope to assuage all doubt with this post. To my knowledge, Matt Smoot has at no time been allowed on a racehorse in Southern California.
Now it’s time to head back over to Santa Anita Park, where I expect the crowd is building excitement for the afternoon’s races. After all the hard work and preparation, this is the fun part.