Happily Unbridled

Vinnie Perrone, who for years covered Thoroughbred racing for the Washington Post, was announced Dec. 30 as winner of the Eclipse Award for writing in the feature/enterprise category.

Jason and Tom analyze the El Conejo Handicap (gr. III) at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day. Also The Wizard’s Spotlight Play is Fair Grounds Race 7 on Thursday, January 1.

Square Eddie, who worked six furlongs Dec. 29 at Hollywood Park in a sharp 1:12 2/5 for trainer Doug O’Neill, is scheduled to stay in California and will make his next start in Santa Anita’s San Rafael Stakes (gr. III) Jan. 17.

Joe Crispin, who has been the leading rider at Portland Meadows the past two seasons, will be out for an estimated six to eight weeks with a cracked hip. He sustained the injury in the track’s third race Dec. 29 when his mount, Dynamite Ollie, clipped heels and fell.

The 10th annual Daily Racing Form National Handicapping Championship will be held in January, 2009, in Las Vegas, and carries with it a $500,000 first prize, and an Eclipse Award as Handicapper of the Year to the winner.

Thoroughbred racing’s all-time winning jockey Russell Baze and three of his colleagues will fly up from Northern California to take on four of the top riders at Portland Meadows Jan. 7 in the first Golden Gate versus Portland Meadows Jockey Challenge sponsored by XpressBet.

Virginia Kraft Payson, who owns Payson Stud in Lexington and the Payson Park Thoroughbred Training Center near Staurt, Fla., and prominent Colorado real estate broker David Libby Cole were married Dec. 19 at the Vail (Colorado) Chapel.