Trainer George Anthrop got off to a good start on opening week at Cal Expo, as he reported to the winner’s circle with two of his five invaders from the eastern United States.
The 57-year-old conditioner is 48-for-212 on the season while sporting a solid .326 UTRS and in his career has recorded 617 victories while closing in on the $2 million mark in earnings.
“I brought out eight horses, and I expect another dozen to be coming in shortly from Colonial and Indiana Downs,” Anthrop related. “The last time I didn’t ship out here until March and because we went from the cold to the warm weather, a lot of them got sick. There was also some bad luck along the way and they didn’t really start racing well until the end of the meet.
“This time we’re coming out earlier and hoping to get off to a better start. It was certainly nice to get a couple of wins right off the bat and we’re looking forward to having some fun here.”
Anthrop pointed out that the horses that are showing up under his care have been chosen specifically for the mile track. “In general, we’re talking about trotters and pacers who do their best on a bigger track. I also expect that the overall quality of the barn will pick up after some of the others get here.”
During the course of the discussion, Anthrop was surprised to hear that he was on the verge of reaching the $2-million plateau in earnings for his trainees. “I just have one question,” he said. “Where did all that money go?”
(Cal Expo)