GaryMrMets
10-27-2005, 08:29 PM
Singletary Brings Chicago Feel to Belmont
By LARRY McSHANE
.c The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - The outfits are more appropriate for the 50-yard line at Soldier Field than the finish line at Belmont Park. The horse's name is, too: Singletary, an homage to the Chicago Bears' Hall of Fame middle linebacker.
Now, 20 years after Da Bears danced the ``Super Bowl Shuffle,'' trainer Don Chatlos and the horse's owners hope for a return to the winner's circle in the Breeders' Cup Mile.
``It's all working out so far,'' Chatlos said Wednesday after his defending champion 5-year-old drew the No. 9 post position. ``I'm very happy. We were hoping for a spot between 6 and 10. All we've got to do now is run the race.''
Chatlos acts as laid back as he sounds. His shirt, in the Bears' colors of navy blue and orange, bears the credo ``Just livin' the dream.'' He's wearing a matching baseball cap carrying Singletary's No. 50. And he seems more concerned about the White Sox in the World Series than the $1.5 million race on Saturday.
``All my family's in Chicago,'' Chatlos said wistfully. ``My uncle was at the first two games in Comiskey. He said it was better than any of the Bulls' championships.''
Chatlos joked with owner Billy Koch about last year's Breeders' Cup, when the trainer and his horse were an afterthought, not an attraction. ``I was busing the tables, right?'' he asked Koch, who nodded in agreement while capturing the scene on a tiny video camera.
Koch, too, was dressed for a tailgate at Wednesday's draw, where the fare was scrambled eggs, sausage and potatoes - served buffet-style, not off a grill. He sported a Chicago Bears throwback jersey - No. 50, of course, with the name ``Singletary'' across his back. And he wore the same cap as his trainer.
On Saturday, when jockey David Flores climbs aboard Singletary, his silks will be Bears blue and orange. Singletary (the player) wore the same colors with the Bears from 1981-92, winning the defensive player of the year award in 1985.
The horse's namesake, a Hall of Famer now working as linebackers coach with the San Francisco 49ers, was initially weirded out when Koch contacted him about naming Singletary.
Koch selected the name out of his devotion to the Bears, which began while he was attending Northwestern.
``I thought it was a little odd at first,'' said Singletary, making a face to reflect his dismay. ``But then I was fine with it. ... It's pretty cool. It's a pretty great gesture, and I know he's a great horse.''
Nobody was saying that last year. Going off at 17-1, Singletary won the Mile by a half-length - a stunning victory for the longshot who was purchased for just $3,200 by an unheralded 13-member team that bills itself as Little Red Feather Racing.
The defending champion is no longer running under the radar. The early odds listed him at 8-1, behind favorite Leroidesanimaux (7-5) and Artie Schiller (6-1) in the 12-horse field. The race, on turf, is for 3-year-olds and up.
Artie Schiller ran against Singletary as the favorite in last year's Mile, but finished a disappointing 12th in the 14-horse field. Leroidesanimaux has won all three of his starts this year, and the Brazilian-bred horse is looking for a ninth straight victory.
In all, there were 101 horses entered in the 22nd running of the Breeders' Cup. Three races - the Classic, the Juvenile and the Filly & Mare Turf - drew full 14-horse fields in the fourth Breeders' Cup set for Belmont.
Three undefeated horses - First Samurai in the Juvenile, Lost in the Fog in the Sprint, and Shakespeare in the Turf - highlight the eight-race, $15 million card on the biggest day in thoroughbred racing.
Only six horses have notched back-to-back victories in the Breeders' Cup. In addition to Singletary, three other horses are aiming for repeats: Ashado in the Distaff, Ouija Board in the Filly & Mare Turf and Better Talk Now in the Turf.
Antonius Pius, the 2003 winner in the Mile, finished second to Singletary in his bid to repeat.
10/27/05 06:15 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
By LARRY McSHANE
.c The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - The outfits are more appropriate for the 50-yard line at Soldier Field than the finish line at Belmont Park. The horse's name is, too: Singletary, an homage to the Chicago Bears' Hall of Fame middle linebacker.
Now, 20 years after Da Bears danced the ``Super Bowl Shuffle,'' trainer Don Chatlos and the horse's owners hope for a return to the winner's circle in the Breeders' Cup Mile.
``It's all working out so far,'' Chatlos said Wednesday after his defending champion 5-year-old drew the No. 9 post position. ``I'm very happy. We were hoping for a spot between 6 and 10. All we've got to do now is run the race.''
Chatlos acts as laid back as he sounds. His shirt, in the Bears' colors of navy blue and orange, bears the credo ``Just livin' the dream.'' He's wearing a matching baseball cap carrying Singletary's No. 50. And he seems more concerned about the White Sox in the World Series than the $1.5 million race on Saturday.
``All my family's in Chicago,'' Chatlos said wistfully. ``My uncle was at the first two games in Comiskey. He said it was better than any of the Bulls' championships.''
Chatlos joked with owner Billy Koch about last year's Breeders' Cup, when the trainer and his horse were an afterthought, not an attraction. ``I was busing the tables, right?'' he asked Koch, who nodded in agreement while capturing the scene on a tiny video camera.
Koch, too, was dressed for a tailgate at Wednesday's draw, where the fare was scrambled eggs, sausage and potatoes - served buffet-style, not off a grill. He sported a Chicago Bears throwback jersey - No. 50, of course, with the name ``Singletary'' across his back. And he wore the same cap as his trainer.
On Saturday, when jockey David Flores climbs aboard Singletary, his silks will be Bears blue and orange. Singletary (the player) wore the same colors with the Bears from 1981-92, winning the defensive player of the year award in 1985.
The horse's namesake, a Hall of Famer now working as linebackers coach with the San Francisco 49ers, was initially weirded out when Koch contacted him about naming Singletary.
Koch selected the name out of his devotion to the Bears, which began while he was attending Northwestern.
``I thought it was a little odd at first,'' said Singletary, making a face to reflect his dismay. ``But then I was fine with it. ... It's pretty cool. It's a pretty great gesture, and I know he's a great horse.''
Nobody was saying that last year. Going off at 17-1, Singletary won the Mile by a half-length - a stunning victory for the longshot who was purchased for just $3,200 by an unheralded 13-member team that bills itself as Little Red Feather Racing.
The defending champion is no longer running under the radar. The early odds listed him at 8-1, behind favorite Leroidesanimaux (7-5) and Artie Schiller (6-1) in the 12-horse field. The race, on turf, is for 3-year-olds and up.
Artie Schiller ran against Singletary as the favorite in last year's Mile, but finished a disappointing 12th in the 14-horse field. Leroidesanimaux has won all three of his starts this year, and the Brazilian-bred horse is looking for a ninth straight victory.
In all, there were 101 horses entered in the 22nd running of the Breeders' Cup. Three races - the Classic, the Juvenile and the Filly & Mare Turf - drew full 14-horse fields in the fourth Breeders' Cup set for Belmont.
Three undefeated horses - First Samurai in the Juvenile, Lost in the Fog in the Sprint, and Shakespeare in the Turf - highlight the eight-race, $15 million card on the biggest day in thoroughbred racing.
Only six horses have notched back-to-back victories in the Breeders' Cup. In addition to Singletary, three other horses are aiming for repeats: Ashado in the Distaff, Ouija Board in the Filly & Mare Turf and Better Talk Now in the Turf.
Antonius Pius, the 2003 winner in the Mile, finished second to Singletary in his bid to repeat.
10/27/05 06:15 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.