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By BERNIE DICKMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 26, 2001
Precisionist was as great a runner as the game has known. Campaigned by the late Fred W. Hooper, the son of Crozier and the Forli mare Excellently was one of the best handicap horses in the country from 1983-86. Among his accomplishments was winning the Breeders' Cup Sprint at 6 furlongs as a 4-year-old and a third-place finish in the 11/4-mile Breeders' Cup Classic the next year.
After his 5-year-old season, his owner brought Precisionist back to Hooper Farm to begin stud duty, but the stallion was soon found to have fertility problems. Precisionist was back at the races as a 7-year-old. Among other accomplishments, he won the Grade III Cabrillo Handicap, the Del Mar Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap and an allowance race at Del Mar in which he broke the track record for a mile.
At a time most top horses are either at stud or in retirement, Precisionist earned $411,688, raising his career total to just under $3.5-million.
When he went back to the farm, little had changed in his breeding status. Precisionist was deemed to have weak semen, and there was little chance for him to be successful at stud. By the time Hooper gave up on the horse, he could count the number of foals the stallion sired on one hand.
One of those foals was a filly named Personalized, whose 3-year-old colt by Gate Dancer has been running at Tampa Bay Downs for the past two months. Chief Inspector, bred by Hooper, finished seventh, fourth and third in his first three starts of the meeting for owner Larry Vaughn. Saturday, Chief Inspector was second behind Grand Texan in the 11th race, his first runner-up finish in seven lifetime tries. THREE IN A ROW: The saga of No Spend No Glow continues to gain momentum. The 9-year-old gelding by Spend a Buck came from behind Sunday once again to win a $25,000 optional claimer, running his record at the meeting to three victories in three starts. No Spend No Glow is in the barn of Jacinto Vasquez, a Hall of Fame jockey who won the Kentucky Derby twice, aboard Foolish Pleasure and the filly Genuine Risk.
After No Spend No Glow had started once in about 20 months, Vasquez entered him in a $4,000 claimer in January, and the gelding won by nearly 5 lengths without being claimed. He came back to win in a $4,000 starter allowance by 2, and Sunday's score made it three at the meeting and 14 in his career. Mike Allen guided him to a 1-length victory Sunday in 1:45:37 for a mile and a sixteenth.
MUCH THE BEST: Highly talented Djezebel won Sunday's $71,553 Jewels of the East Sapphire for Arabian 4-year-old fillies. The filly made her first start in Oldsmar, and she boosted her smart record to 6-2-0 in nine starts for owner Dianne Waldron. It was Djezebel's second stakes victory.
AQUEDUCT: Xtra Heat beat Erin Moor by 13/4 lengths in the $103,100 Grade III Cicada Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. The win was the 11th in 12 career starts.
FAIR GROUNDS: Tijiyr beat Northcote Road by a neck to win the Grade II $600,000 Explosive Bid Handicap. Tijiyr, ridden by Robby Albarado, completed 11/8 miles on a good Stall-Wilson turf course in 1:50 3/5, the fastest time of the meet. Northcote Road was a half-length ahead of 8-5 favorite King Cugat in the 13-horse field. Fair Grounds ends its 129th season today.
HIALEAH PARK: Gino's Spirits took the lead in midstretch and went on to win the $70,000 Hialeah Breeders' Cup Handicap for fillies and mares on the grass. Miss Tobacco rallied to finish second in a field of 10.
DERBY LANE: Former stakes winners struggled during Round 1 of the $100,000 Distance Classic on Saturday night. Forbe's Gift rebounded from an early jam in Race 5 to take second behind BD's Robin at 14-1. Season's fastest N Big Ed finished third. Last year's $100,000 Wonderland Derby winner, Greys Free Bird, was fourth, and 1999 All-Star winner Last Warrior was sixth. Derby winner Boot Scootin Gal, the favorite, regained the lead in the homestretch of Race 6. Reward Green came from far back to finish second, followed by N Big Fred, who tired near the wire. Tomoka Penny, the 1999 Distance Classic winner, finished seventh. In Race 9, Courageous Nicky, the co-wins leader with 11, began slowing in the homestretch in his third distance race of the season, dropping from second to fourth. Stephen Fetchit, 23-1, won, paying the biggest price of the night, $48.80. O'Shannon finished strong in second, followed by Bojangles Whine. The biggest upset came in Race 10, when Kiowa WW Hurby beat the box (left the box before it was fully extended), leaving Flying Waterford to deal with the early jam and finish fifth. Hurby was a finalist in last year's race. Touche Baby, the 1999 Derby winner, ran last. The four-race field will be cut Wednesday night. The top 16 based on points advance to Round 3 on Saturday. ... Shata Vallie died of cancer just short of his fourth birthday. Last month Shata Vallie beat the best greyhounds in the country, including Derby Lane Inaugural winner D's Jasmine, in Round 1 of the $75,000 Hollywood World Classic. The two-time All-American was scratched from the semifinals. Shata Vallie was a Kansas-based runner who won the 1999 $100,000 IROC, Great Kansas Shootout and Holiday Sprint. .
- Information from correspondent Vera Filipelli and Times wires was used in this report.