Sise Has Strong 'Prospect' on the Derby Track

Cliff Sise Jr. couldn’t be blamed for being smitten with Derby Fever after Prospect Park aired to a 5 ¼-length victory in a one-mile overnight race at Santa Anita on Friday.

It wasn’t just the margin of victory that impressed not only Sise, but hard-core race trackers. The 3-year-old son of Tapit owned and bred by Marty and Pam Wygod barely took a deep breath as Kent Desormeaux had the Kentucky-bred colt in hand the final sixteenth.

It was the second straight win from five starts for Prospect Park, who does his training at San Luis Rey Downs where the 63-year-old Sise has some 30 horses in training, including some promising youngsters.

“Marty always wanted me to break his babies,” Sise said. “Marty was nice enough last year to send all the 2-year-olds to me. I didn’t know if I was going to get them ready for other trainers, or what.

“But he came out one day and we had a little celebration at the barn and told me he was going to let me run Prospect Park, so as of right now, everything’s good.

“I loved the horse on Friday. He changed so much from the race before (a neck victory in a maiden allowance route at Santa Anita on Dec, 27). He ran good that day but he got sick two nights before with a little colic. We don’t know how much that took out of him.

“He was OK the morning of the race so we ran him and he won. After that race he came back and trained like a different horse. He was stronger, and everything’s going good at the right time now.”

Asked if he had a race in mind, Sise said, “Not really. I’ll leave that up to Marty Wygod. We’ll try to find the easiest spot for him.”

Sise, who at 20 was the youngest to get a trainer’s license at that time when he started his career, has never run a horse in the Kentucky Derby, but that doesn’t stop him from dreaming.

“I had a couple I hoped would run there,” he said, “but something always happened.”

Sise recently returned to training a year after another endeavor.

“I stopped as a trainer to run Rancho Paseana for Jenny Craig for two years,” Sise said. “That was enjoyable, but when San Luis Rey reopened, I came back to training in January of last year.”

SANTA ANITA JOCKEYS-HOLY ANGELS ON TAP FEB. 12

The 48th annual Santa Anita Jockeys vs. Holy Angels School Charity Basketball Game will take place Thursday, Feb. 12, at La Salle High School in Pasadena with proceeds to benefit the Holy Angels athletic program, the Kentucky-based Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) and the Eye on Jacob Foundation.

Sponsored by J. Paul Reddam’s CashCall and Santa Anita Park, game time is 7:15 p.m., with admission doors opening at 6:15 p.m.

Hall of Fame jockeys Kent Desormeaux, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Mike Smith, Alex Solis and Gary Stevens will be available for an autograph signing session beginning at 6:30 p.m.

With Pincay serving as honorary team captain, Desormeaux, Smith and Solis will comprise a team of fellow active riders such as William Antongeorgi, Tyler Baze, Rafael Bejarano, Brice Blanc, Brandon Boulanger, Alex Canchari, Victor Espinoza, Santiago Gonzalez, Mario Gutierrez, Aaron Gryder, Edwin Maldonado, Felipe Martinez, Corey Nakatani, Irving Orozco, Martin Pedroza, Fernando Perez, Tiago Pereira, Flavien Prat, Iggy Puglisi, Kayla Stra, Joe Talamo, Elvis Trujillo, Drayden Van Dyke and perhaps others.

“We look forward to this game every year,” said Nakatani, perennially one of the most competitive jockeys on the squad. “The game is fun for everyone, the jocks, the Holy Angels’ kids, all of our families and the fans who come to support us. It’s a great night where we can all get together, have fun and help raise money for some great causes. I’ve really enjoyed it over the years.”

The PDJF helps assist permanently disabled jockeys nationwide, while the Eye on Jacob Foundation, named for Jacob Desormeaux, who is the 16-year-old son of Kent, benefits those suffering from Usher’s Syndrome. An extremely rare neurological disorder, Usher’s Syndrome causes progressive loss of hearing, imbalance, and eventual loss of sight in approximately 14,000 children in the United States.

HRTV’s Kurt Hoover, a former standout cager at Arcadia High School, will again coach the jockeys’ team. Known for his laid-back approach, Hoover stated his game-day philosophy will be similar to that of past years—“We’ll keep the clock runnin’ and just let ‘em run and gun.”

Tickets are $5 per person, and for every two tickets purchased, individuals receive one free admission ticket to Santa Anita. Additionally, there will be opportunities to win a trip to Las Vegas and a Paintball Package to Hollywood Sports Paintball and Airsoft Park.

La Salle High School is located at the southwest corner of Michillinda Ave. and Sierra Madre Blvd. in Pasadena, approximately four miles northwest of Santa Anita. Admission tickets and promotional tee shirts are on sale now at Champions! Gifts and Apparel in Santa Anita’s East Paddock Gardens, or through Holy Angels School.

Source: Santa Anita Communications