RACE HONORS THE MEMORY OF SANTA ANITA’S ICONIC SHOESHINE ATTENDANT
ARCADIA, Calif. (Dec. 30, 2021)–Originally scheduled for New Year’s Eve this Friday, the $100,000 Eddie Logan, for newly minted 3-year-olds at a one mile on turf, will now be run this Sunday, Jan. 2. With an encouraging weather forecast, a field of 10 has signed on to the race that honors the memory of Santa Anita’s iconic Shoeshine Attendant, who manned his stand outside Santa Anita’s Racing Office from Opening Day, Dec. 25, 1934, until shortly before his passing at age 98 on Jan. 31, 2009.
Ask any of those who were fortunate enough to have interacted with Eddie Logan through eight decades at Santa Anita and they’ll likely tell you he was as much a part of the fabric of The Great Race Place as were Longden, Shoemaker, Whittingham or “Papa” Mandella.
Here are but a few gems that he was likely to spout on any given race day:
“If you’ve got the leather, we can get it together.”
“Keep you mouth shut and your eyes open, you’ll learn something.”
And, on particularly cold, damp wintry days such as we’ve had lately, Eddie would customarily take a puff on his pipe, look up with a glint in his eye and say, “I need some Doctor Hennessy!”
Barsabas, one of three horses exiting the Grade III Cecil B. DeMille Stakes on Nov. 28, Boise, a minor stakes winner on synthetic Dec. 4 at Golden Gate Fields, Cabo Spirit, third, beaten a nose by Barsabas and Handy Dandy, a recent one mile turf allowance winner, all rate big chances in a wide open affair Sunday.
Trained by Ryan Hanson, Barsabas was off at 49-1 in the one mile turf DeMille at Del Mar and was extra game late, just holding off Cabo Spirit to his outside for second money while beaten a half length for the win.
Owned by Christopher Drakos and Ryan Hanson, Barsabas is a Kentucky-bred gelding by Tale of the Cat who has two wins from seven starts and will be going two turns for the second time and be ridden for the fourth time in a row by Tyler Baze.
Trained by Jonathan Wong, Boise has done little wrong, taking five furlong maiden special weight Sept. 24 at Golden Gate, running a close fourth in an ungraded one mile turf stakes Nov. 5 at Del Mar and then rallying from off the pace to win the one mile Gold Rush Stakes on Tapeta at Golden Gate in his third start, Dec. 4.
Owned by Jason Hall, Scott Herbertson and Sheldon Steinmetz, Boise, a Kentucky-bred colt by Temple City, will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat.
Off at 8-1 in the Cecil B. DeMille, Cabo Spirit rallied well to finish third, beaten a half length. Trained by George Papaprodromou, he broke his maiden two starts back going one mile on turf at Del Mar Nov. 7 and will be ridden back by Victor Espinoza. Owned by Kretz Racing, LLC, Cabo Spirit, who has one win from six starts, will be going a mile on turf for the third consecutive time.
With a best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 75, Handy Dandy, a 2 ¼ length one mile maiden turf winner on Nov. 28, will hope Kent Desormeaux can once again apply the Midas Touch, as he did on Nov. 28. In what will be his second time on the grass, Handy Dandy would appear to rate a huge chance with Ruben Alvarado taking over the training from Peter Miller on Sunday. Owned by Altamira Racing Stable, CYBT, Marc Lantzman and Michael Nentwig, this Florida-bred gelding by Fury Kapcori will be making his fourth start.
THE 100,000 EDDIE LOGAN STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTHS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 10 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT
- Street Art–Drayden Van Dyke–118
- Barsabas–Tyler Baze–118
- Cabo Spirit–Victor Espinoza–120
- Maglev–Umberto Rispoli–118
- Handy Dandy–Kent Desormeaux–120
- C’Mon Man–Juan Hernandez–118
- Bally’s Charm–Jessica Pyfer–118
- Boise–Flavien Prat–122
- Derecho Dandy–Joe Bravo–120
- Unreal–Abel Cedillo–118
Special early first post time for a 10-race card on Sunday is at 12 noon. Admission gates open at 10 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.
Santa Anita Press Release
Photo: Eddie Logan (BENOIT PHOTO)
