Kentucky Derby

Racing at Santa Anita could very well be at a crossroads with Saturday's 75th running of the Santa Anita Derby. A good turnout might mean the track literally is on the verge of a new era. A poor turnout would be another black mark on the sport. No one will be rooting harder for an attendance of around 40,000 than Santa Anita's new CEO, who, coincidentally, is named Mark Verge. The Santa Anita Derby, which has produced 15  Kentucky Derby  winners, offers a good field, headed by 6-5 favorite Creative Cause.

Laffit Pincay Jr. has won more races than any jockey in history. He has won the Kentucky Derby and has been a member of horse racing's Hall of Fame for 25 years. And he makes time to reach out to children. The 53-year-old jockey, a former Glendale resident, visited Horace Mann Elementary School to sign autographs, answer questions and take pictures with sixth-graders. It wasn't a publicity stunt. It was simply a man who accepted an offer to talk with the children.

Each year on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby, a horse race restricted to 3-year-old thoroughbreds is run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. It is the most watched, the most wagered upon, and the most anticipated horse race in the world. ?The First Saturday in May? is a fascinating and cleverly edited documentary that examines the race from the points of view of six trainers who have entrants in the edition that was run in 2006. Anticipation of ?The Derby? begins every year in the late fall when the best 2-year-olds in training are assembled for the Breeders?

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE ? The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 64th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk's Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the fourth meeting of the year: FALCONS GET LESS TIME TO PREPARE FOR TOP FOE Crescenta Valley football Coach Alan Eberhart said some breakdowns at critical junctures of the Falcons' games this season have led to some difficult losses. The Falcons are 1-4 and 0-2 in league. Crescenta Valley will have a tough test when it faces Burroughs, which is ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Central Division, in a Pacific League contest at 7 p.m. Thursday at Glendale High's Moyse Field.

Chuck Benedict IF YOU GO: WHAT: Derby Day 2000. WHERE: Equestrian Center, 480 [P]Riverside Drive, Burbank. WHEN: 11 a.m. Saturday. MC: Fritz Coleman, KNBC-4 weatherman. ADMISSION: $50. INFORMATION: 242-2434. A year ago, a good friend invited Fran and me to be his guests at the Burbank Equestrian Center to watch the Kentucky Derby on a big screen. "Big deal," I kidded him. "I am not a horse player." He laughed. "You will be this Saturday.

Association to host annual fundraiser The Glendale Assn. for the Retarded and its foundation will host their 17th annual fundraiser, “Derby Day: Run for the Roses” in the Royal Crest Room from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Pickwick Banquet Center in Burbank. Derby Day is a “Southern Style Affair,” featuring a buffet luncheon, a silent and live auction. Guests will be made to feel like they have a front-row seat at Churchill Downs while watching taped horse races on 10-foot screens and wager “Derby Dollars” on five races, including the live broadcast of the Kentucky Derby.

Horace B. "Tex" Taylor, who founded Los Angeles' Taylor's Steakhouse more than 50 years ago, died April 4 in Solana Beach of natural causes, it was reported last week by the Los Angeles Times. Taylor was an owner, trainer and breeder of horses who, in 1953, opened Taylor's Tavern on 8th Street, which later became Taylor's Prime Steaks. His son, Bruce, added a second restaurant to the family chain when he opened Taylor's in La Cañada Flintridge during the late 1990s. The senior Taylor was born 89 years ago in Luling, Texas, and was an outstanding athlete in his youth.

Alex Coolman GLENDALE -- The running of the Kentucky Derby: it's an event horse-racing fans anxiously wait for each year. Sandy Doughty is looking forward to it too, but not just because of the race itself. Doughty is the director of the Glendale Foundation for the Retarded, a group that for the last nine years has held a "Derby Day" fund-raiser in conjunction with the famous face. It's an event that lets participants get the feeling of being at Churchill Downs to watch the race, but all the bets on the horses go to the foundation.

Racing at Santa Anita could very well be at a crossroads with Saturday's 75th running of the Santa Anita Derby. A good turnout might mean the track literally is on the verge of a new era. A poor turnout would be another black mark on the sport. No one will be rooting harder for an attendance of around 40,000 than Santa Anita's new CEO, who, coincidentally, is named Mark Verge. The Santa Anita Derby, which has produced 15  Kentucky Derby  winners, offers a good field, headed by 6-5 favorite Creative Cause.

Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver couldn?t have run faster than the Derby Day Committee gals of the Glendale Assn. for the Retarded. Auction Chairwoman Suzanne Coscarelli Suzanne Coscarelli and winner of the Campbell Award of Excellence led her committee well past the starting gate to accrue thousands of dollars? worth of silent- and live-auction items Saturday in Burbank?s Pickwick Banquet. Honoree Coscarelli, whose award was presented by Glendale Councilman Dave Weaver , has continuously chaired Derby Day since its inception 19 years ago. Her committee of sleek fillies included Dianne Endsley, Lili Joseau-Simpson, Carol Jouroyan, Karen Pagliuso and foundation Director Sharon Roth . Association Executive Director Sandy Doughty welcomed more than 400 supporters, who watched the Kentucky Derby, live from Churchill Downs, on 10-foot-high screens.

City plans special senior luncheons The city of Glendale Adult Recreation Center, 201 E. Colorado St., and Sparr Heights Community Center, 1613 Glencoe Way, are hosting two celebrations for Glendale seniors. The Cinco De Mayo Fiesta will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday featuring a Mariachi band, activities and a meal in keeping with the theme. The Mother?s Day Luncheon will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday. Every mother and grandmother in attendance will receive a rose.

Life atop the Chevy Chase canyon has been good to Suzanne Coscarelli for the past 30 years. She has enjoyed financial success and traveled a lot. Despite these pleasures, however, she has always been aware that they are not enough. “I’ve been very, very lucky in life,” Coscarelli said. “I want to share that.” For nearly two decades, Coscarelli has been volunteering on the Glendale Assn. for the Retarded’s (GAR) board of directors. Founded in 1954, GAR provides support for developmentally disabled adults in the community.

The Kentucky Derby race and festivities always touch so many people, not just those who make the trip to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., but people throughout the world. Right here in Glendale, members of the Kiwanis, Rotary and Soroptimist clubs turned out in force on Derby Day in support of the work done by the Glendale Assn. for the Retarded. The club members and many others from our community filled the Royal Crest Room at the Pickwick Banquet Center in Burbank for lunch, race watching and bidding at silent and live auctions.

Association to host annual fundraiser The Glendale Assn. for the Retarded and its foundation will host their 17th annual fundraiser, “Derby Day: Run for the Roses” in the Royal Crest Room from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Pickwick Banquet Center in Burbank. Derby Day is a “Southern Style Affair,” featuring a buffet luncheon, a silent and live auction. Guests will be made to feel like they have a front-row seat at Churchill Downs while watching taped horse races on 10-foot screens and wager “Derby Dollars” on five races, including the live broadcast of the Kentucky Derby.

Each year on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby, a horse race restricted to 3-year-old thoroughbreds is run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. It is the most watched, the most wagered upon, and the most anticipated horse race in the world. ?The First Saturday in May? is a fascinating and cleverly edited documentary that examines the race from the points of view of six trainers who have entrants in the edition that was run in 2006. Anticipation of ?The Derby? begins every year in the late fall when the best 2-year-olds in training are assembled for the Breeders?

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE ? The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 64th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk's Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the fourth meeting of the year: FALCONS GET LESS TIME TO PREPARE FOR TOP FOE Crescenta Valley football Coach Alan Eberhart said some breakdowns at critical junctures of the Falcons' games this season have led to some difficult losses. The Falcons are 1-4 and 0-2 in league. Crescenta Valley will have a tough test when it faces Burroughs, which is ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Central Division, in a Pacific League contest at 7 p.m. Thursday at Glendale High's Moyse Field.