Arlington jockeys E. T. Baird,
Eddie Perez and J. Z. Santana, first, second and third respectively entering
Friday’s races, all scored riding doubles during the late afternoon program to
remain ranked in that order while separated by a single victory in one of the
closest leading rider contests seen recently at Chicago’s northwest suburban
Thoroughbred oval.
Baird won the seventh race on
Flying Dutchman Thoroughbreds’ Old Hickory for trainer Tim Ice and the eighth
on Feel The Thunder Stable’s Lookn Even Finer for Mike Stidham to earn his 25th
win of the season. Perez won the opener on Larry Owens’ Royal Posh for
Mark Cristel and the sixth on Team Block’s Hoodlum for Chris Block for his 24th
local score, and Santana won the fourth on Cherrywood Racing Stable II’s Happy
Henrietta for Michele Boyce and the fifth on M E S Stable’s Silky Sami for Jim
DiVito to get his 23rd victory this summer.
Interestingly, none of those
three jockeys has ever captured a riding title at Arlington
in previous seasons. Nor has James Graham, currently fourth in the standings,
although he has finished second several times.
However, especially on the eve
of Sunday’s Fathers’ Day and Family Day festivities at Arlington,
it was the Irish-born Graham who put the jockeys’ race in the proper perspective
when writing a letter to his own father back on the Emerald Isle earlier this
season.
“I don’t think much about
riding crowns,” he wrote to Paul Graham back in Finglas, Dublin.
“As long as I stay healthy, I am satisfied. I hope you are doing well
over there and staying healthy yourself, and I hope you come visit us soon.”
FATHERS’ DAY FEATURES FAMILIES AND FIELD
MUSEUM’S HORSE HISTORY
Chicago’s
world famous Field Museum
will make a field trip of its own to the Park Area at Arlington
on Sunday for Family Day on Fathers’ Day.
Arlington’s
guests will be able to explore the profound relationship between horses and
humans, and discover how almost every facet of human existence has been
influenced by this bond between men, women and these legendary, irreplaceable
and alluring creatures.
Also, Arlington’s
younger guests will get to enjoy a special horse-themed story time with Nili
Yelin, the Storybook Mom.
ARLINGTON
ANNOUNCER DOOLEY NOTED LOSS OF B-17
EARLIER THIS WEEK
Arlington
announcer John G. Dooley, an admitted World War II history buff, was able to
offer some personal perspective following the loss of the ill-fated Liberty
Belle B-17 that was destroyed by fire following an emergency landing Monday
shortly after takeoff from nearby Aurora Municipal Airport.
Fortunately, in Monday’s
mishap, the pilot, Capt. John Hess, was able to set the plane down in farm
field near Oswego,
and all seven people on board escaped before the historic plane was lost to
fire.
The B-17 was an essential
piece of equipment during World War II, and although about 50 of them remain in
one piece, less than 10 are currently deemed flight-worthy.
Late last fall, while
fulfilling his announcer duties at Fair Grounds Race Course, Dooley was able to
enjoy a 20-minute flight on another B-17, the Aluminum Overcast, based in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, which took off and landed from Lakeshore Airport in New Orleans.
“I was able to be in the
cockpit for both takeoff and landing,” said Dooley, who has made a lifelong
hobby of researching World War II history. “Now I can always say I
completed one mission.”