Dutrow has eyes trained on bigger, better prizes

Horse Racing

WANTED: Big-time owner to propel Maryland trainer into big-time racing.

Tony Dutrow hasn't taken out that advertisement yet, but the thoughtful, successful Maryland trainer has his eyes fixed firmly on the prize.

Since August, he has saddled horses in Maryland who have finished in the money 86 percent of the time. He is clearly succeeding at this level. He looks forward to the day when he can compete at his sport's highest level.

"I'm not frustrated," he said of his inability to buy more expensive horses. "But I'm feeling now that I hope someone notices me and gives me a chance, because I think I can do it."

Ever since merging his fledgling stable with the established stable of his late father, Richard Dutrow, in February 1999, Tony Dutrow has won nearly a third of his races. This year, through Friday, his horses have won 73 of 225 starts (32 percent). Seventy-three of those starts and 21 of those wins have come outside Maryland, usually against higher-grade horses and higher-profile trainers.

Dutrow, 43, manages 30 horses at his Laurel stable. He owns part of most of them. He also picked most of them out at the sales. He says that in the past two years he has purchased about 40 young horses; they've averaged about $75,000.

"We can buy those kind of horses and compete for this kind of money," Dutrow said, referring to purses in Maryland. "But with the kind of horses I have, I can't compete [on a national level]. I didn't show up on Breeders' Cup day this year. I couldn't compete."

Dutrow rattled off what he or his owners have paid for some of his best horses.

Purchased as yearlings: Native Heir, $20,000; Touch Love, $20,000; Saratoga Games, $22,000; Global Gait, $26,000 (later sold to Beverly and Bob Lewis in California for $800,000); Nice Boots Baby, $57,000; Totally Wild, $57,000; Burning Roma, $90,000, and the unraced but soon-to-start Smooth Jazz, $95,000. Purchased as 2-year-olds: Saratoga Blues, $30,000, and Coach Knight $75,000.

"Those horses will win stakes in Maryland, Delaware, Jersey, and in the winter time in New York [at Aqueduct]," Dutrow said. "But it's very hard to win stakes at Belmont or Saratoga with those kind of horses."

Dutrow has done it, but not as often as he would like. He said that it wouldn't make sense to move to New York with his current stable, but that if a wealthy owner offered to let him upgrade his stock, he would move.

For the time being, he said, he tries continually to become better at buying and training horses so that if or when the opportunity arises, he'll be ready. He fears that the current racing climate in Maryland might prevent him from even continuing to buy racing prospects worth an average of $75,000.

"As good as I'm doing, I'm still desperate for the money every year," Dutrow said. "If things in Maryland racing stay the way they are, I'll look for something else. I don't want that to happen, but I will have to look for something else."

Willie White, one of Dutrow's owners, said that the trainer is "the most serious-minded individual I have ever seen in this game. He's very strategic in his planning. He's very patient with his horses. You walk into his barn and his people are happy, his horses are happy."

Although Tony Dutrow is listed as trainer, his brother, Chip, is his associate around the barn.

"They're both very disciplined in their approach to this game," White said. "And it pays off. That's how they get the numbers they do. They are serious about every inch of it."

Xtra attention

Xtra Heat will be honored with her own special day Saturday at Laurel Park.

A winner of 17 of 23 races and runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, the 3-year-old filly will parade after the fifth race from her Laurel barn to the winner's circle. She will pose for photos with her connections, including her regular jockey, Rick Wilson.

They will receive trophies. Xtra Heat will receive a Christmas stocking of equine goodies. And patrons will receive Xtra Heat buttons and chances to win Xtra Heat caps, T-shirts and an autographed print of the filly.

Xtra Heat will likely be a finalist for two Eclipse Awards: sprinter and 3-year-old filly. Her trainer, John Salzman, plans on starting her 4-year-old season Jan. 1 in the $75,000 Interborough Handicap at Aqueduct.

Coast to coast

It's cross-country competition at its best. Ramon Dominguez, the Maryland regular, is battling Russell Baze, the Northern California star, for most wins by a jockey in 2001. Through Thursday, Dominguez led 412-409.

Dominguez has not only been winning in the afternoon at Laurel, but he also has inherited Travis Dunkelberger's mounts in the evening at Charles Town. Dunkelberger bruised ribs Wednesday in a gate mishap at Charles Town. He is expected to miss one week.