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|
| Name | Avery Johnson. |
| What I do for a living | Head Coach for the New Jersey Nets (NBA). |
| How and when I was introduced to Thoroughbred Racing |
I was
introduced by my father when I
was five years old at Fair
Grounds racetrack in New
Orleans. It was a way for my
father and I to spend time
together.
|
| My favorite racetrack |
The Fair Grounds is my home racetrack, but there is no racetrack in the world, in my opinion, like Churchill Downs. |
| My favorite Thoroughbred racing event | The Kentucky Derby and Oaks. My wife loves the Oaks because it focuses on breast cancer awareness. |
| Other sports/teams I follow |
New Orleans Saints.
We were there at the
Super Bowl when they beat the
Colts in Miami
|
| What I would like to see more of in Thoroughbred Racing | Larger fields. |
| What I would like to see less of in Thoroughbred Racing |
Fewer
"one-shot" horses that just win
the Derby or Preakness and
nothing else.
More time between Triple
Crown races would help.
Then there would be more
true Triple Crown horses.
|
| Three words that define what Thoroughbred Racing means to me |
Excitement, passion, dedication
|
| First Thoroughbred track I ever attended was | Fair Grounds. |
| Favorite All-time Thoroughbred | Super Saver. I'm great friends with Kenny Troutt and the folks from WinStar. I was there when they won the Derby. |
| My personal best moment in the sport of Thoroughbred Racing | Just having the opportunity to go to the last three Kentucky Derbys. |
| Best racetrack food can be found at | Belmont Park. |
| My favorite jockey | Kent Desormeaux. |
| My favorite trainer | Easy one. One of my good friends, Todd Pletcher. |
| My Heroes |
My dad,
who passed away in 1992; my
college basketball coach Ben
Jobe; and my mentor and
basketball coach Gregg Popovich
of the San Antonio Spurs.
|
| Person in Thoroughbred Racing I’d like to have dinner with | Mike Repole. |
| My philosophy on life | You are blessed to be a blessing. It's all about giving. It's not about getting. |
| Favorite quote or motto |
A Bible
verse - Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in
the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own
understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge Him and He shall
direct your paths.
|
| Favorite animal other than a horse | A little Maltese my kids have at home. |
| Favorite non-Thoroughbred racing sports event I have attended | The Super Bowl. |
| Twitter Handle | I don't have one. |
| People I follow on Twitter | No one. |
| No. 1 Bucket List Item | To win an NBA championship with the Nets. |
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| Greeley's Legacy sports some leftover paint after creating a Moneigh to benefit ReRun's eBay auction (Image courtesy of ReRun) | Wise Dan wins the Grade I Clark Handicap with ease at Churchill Downs (Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com) | O'Prado Again poses after winning the Grade II Remsen at Aqueduct (Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com) |
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| To Honor and Serve captures the Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct by daylight (Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com) | Disposablepleasure (inside) wins the Grade II Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct despite a troubled start (Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com) | Awesome Feather continues her unbeaten streak in Saturday's Grade I Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct (Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com) |
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||
| A pony horse at Churchill Downs accepts a peppermint from young racing fans (Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com) |
FAN PHOTO OF THE WEEK
 |
| Congratulations to Terry Ford, winner of the November 17 Fan Photo contest! From Terry: "This photo is of Kentucky Derby Winner Animal Kingdom on the training track coming back off of his fracture/surgery after the Belmont. He seems to look for the cameras all the time - he is after all smart enough to know what they are for!" |
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NTRA
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Dec. 1, 1962: Ten thousand fans attended a ceremony at Tropical Park in honor of Carry Back's retirement. By Saggy out of Joppy, Carry Back was known as "the people's horse." He retired after 55 starts and earnings of more than $1 million.
Dec. 1, 1982: In the first race to feature mother and daughter jockeys, Patti Barton rode against her daughter, Leah, at Latonia. Patti finished fifth aboard Tam's Angel while Leah was tenth on Diane's Ms. Lolly.
Dec. 1, 2002: Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey broke his own single-season North American earnings mark after finishing third aboard Royal Gem in the Hollywood Derby at Hollywood Park. His total purse earnings of $19,032,509 propelled him past his 2001 total of $19,015,720.
Dec. 1, 2006: Russell Baze became the winningest jockey in horse racing history when he guided Butterfly Belle to victory in the fourth race at Bay Meadows for his 9,531st career victory. Baze surpassed the previous mark set by Laffit Pincay Jr.
Dec. 2, 1936: Fair Grounds, New Orleans, La., licensed its first female trainer, Miss Meryl Eckhardt of Flint, Mich.
Dec. 3, 1997: Jockey Russell Baze became the 12th rider in Thoroughbred racing history to win 6,000 races when he won the fourth race at Golden Gate Fields aboard Clover Hunter.
Dec. 6, 2001: Jockey Russell Baze gained his 400th victory of the year aboard Golden Peace at Golden Gate Fields, marking the ninth time in his career he had reached the 400-win plateau in a single year. No other rider has recorded 400 victories in a year more than three times. Baze, whose best total was 448 in 1995, won 400 races for seven straight years from 1992-98. A broken bone in his back limited his victory count to 373 in 1999. Baze then bounced back with 412 victories in 2000.
Dec. 6, 2003: Legendary Daily Racing Form writer Joe Hirsch retired after 55 years of covering horse racing.
Dec. 6, 2009: Trainer Steve Asmussen established a new North American, single-season record for wins by a trainer, when Poppin won the 13th race at Woodbine. The victory by Poppin gave Asmussen his 623rd tally of the year, one more than he registered in 2008.
Dec. 6, 2010: A crowd of 11,216 turned out at Hollywood Park to pay tribute to Zenyatta before she left for Lane's End Farm in Kentucky the following day to begin her retirement.
Dec. 7, 1957: A two-year-old colt named Silky Sullivan won the one-mile Golden Gate Futurity after making up 27 lengths, establishing a running style that became legendary. Horsemen still invoke the name of Silky Sullivan when referring to a horse that runs from far off the pace.
Dec. 7, 2010: The New York City Off Track Betting Corporation closed its doors after New York lawmakers failed to approve a bill that would have kept OTB open.
Dec. 8, 1989: Power to Geaux paid a record $2,922 for a $2 wager made at AK-sar-ben on the simulcast of the 11th race from Fair Grounds. The previous record for a payoff on a $2 wager was set June 17, 1912, when Wishing Ring paid $1,885.50.
Dec. 9, 1999: Jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., tied Bill Shoemaker's all-time record by registering his 8,833rd lifetime win aboard I Be Casual in the 4th race at Hollywood Park.
Dec. 10, 1977: In his second year of riding, Steve Cauthen became the first jockey to win $6 million in a single season when he rode a three-year-old filly, Little Happiness, to victory in the sixth race at Aqueduct. Cauthen was dubbed "The Six Million Dollar Man," and "Stevie Wonder" by his admirers and was named 1977 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, the Associated Press, ABC's Wide World of Sports and The Sporting News. He also received three Eclipse Awards, being voted an award of merit in addition to earning top honors as both a journeyman and apprentice jockey.
Dec. 10, 1999: Laffit Pincay Jr. became the world's winningest jockey when he registered his 8,834th career victory aboard Irish Nip in the 6th race at Hollywood Park. The victory eclipsed the previous mark of 8,833 wins held by Bill Shoemaker.
Dec. 10, 2007: Breeders' Cup World Championships officials announced the creation of three new Breeders' Cup races for 2008: the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly Turf and the Breeders' Cup Marathon.
Dec. 11, 1983: John Henry became the first racehorse to surpass $4 million in career earnings when he won the Hollywood Turf Cup with jockey Chris McCarron at Hollywood Park.
Dec. 12, 1942: More than 20,000 racegoers turned out to watch 1941 Triple Crown winner Whirlaway win the inaugural Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds, staged in part as a war relief effort by the newly formed Thoroughbred Racing Associations.
Dec. 12, 1997: Jockey Russell Baze, the only jockey to win 400 or more races in a year more than three times, accomplished the feat for a sixth straight season at Golden Gate Fields.
Dec. 13, 1986: Jockey Kent Desormeaux had his first career stakes win, aboard Godbey, in the Maryland City Handicap at Laurel.
Dec. 14, 1997: Maybe Jack drew off and won a match race against Pro on Ice at Suffolk Downs, making him the winningest horse of 1997 with 13 victories.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2
La Prevoyante Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $100,000, Grade III, 1 1-2M (T), Calder
Tropical Turf Handicap, 3&up, $100,000, Grade III, 1 1-8M (T), Calder
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3
Zia Park Derby, 3yo, $150,000, 1 1-16M, Zia Park
Native Diver Handicap, 3&up, $100,000, Grade III, 1 1-8M, Hollywood Park
Spectacular Bid Stakes, 2yo, $100,000, 6F, Gulfstream Park
Corte Madera Stakes, 2yo fillies, $75,000, 1M, Golden Gate Fields
Lightning City Stakes, 3&up (f&m), $75,000, 5F (T), Tampa Bay Downs
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4
Zia Park Distance Championship Handicap, 3&up, $200,000, 1 1-8M, Zia Park
Bayakoa Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $150,000, Grade II, 1 1-16M, Hollywood Park
Valedictory Stakes, 3&up, $150,000, Grade III, 1 3-4M, Woodbine