For Immediate Release

Contact: Ed Golden

Ordinarily, jockey Fernando Valenzuela would be a fixture at Fairplex Park.

Not this season.

A serious spill in the last race on Big 'Cap day at Santa Anita on March 3

resulted in a broken forearm that has sidelined the likeable jockey for more

than six months.

The cousin of world class rider Pat Valenzuela, Fernando has toiled

diligently and without fanfare in relative obscurity at the lower echelon of

a game he loves.

Not unlike his more famous cousin, but certainly for more socially

acceptable

reasons, Fernando is in the midst of his umpteenth comeback.

"I'll be getting on horses this week, so I should be back in about three or

four weeks," Fernando said during a visit to Fairplex Park on Friday. "I'm a

little heavy right now, so I've got to trim down."

Valenzuela has a six-inch scar on the lower part of his left forearm. It's

so

gruesome, Frankenstein's monster would envy it. It is the culmination of his

most recent spill.

"What happened was, in March I broke a bone in an injury I had before,"

Valenzuela said. "I had a metal plate in the arm before the accident in

March, and when I went down I broke the same arm. I had to wait until it

healed. I had planned to have the plate from the first injury removed, so I

did that, but then I had to give the latest injury enough time to let the

holes fill in and heal properly."

Six months with little or no income is trying on the budget, as well as

one's

emotional state. Valenzuela took it in stride.

"You just have to wake up each day and make the best of it," said the

33-year-old San Diego native. "You can't sit there and cry about it. I've

been through plenty of accidents before. This is not the first time. I've

learned the best thing to do, is worry about healing properly first, then

coming back to ride."

Fernando and Patrick are not what one might call soul mates, but they do

maintain contact.

"We've seen each other a couple times throughout the summer," Fernando said.

"But he's been kind of doing his work and I've been kind of doing my own

thing. With the passing away of his father, it's been kind of tough, but I'm

just looking forward to starting up in the next couple weeks."

Patrick's career has been marked by suspensions for various substance abuse

violations, while Fernando's has been relatively clean. P. Val's latest

comeback at age 39 is his best yet. Except for taking a day off for his

father's funeral, he hasn't missed a beat.

"I'm not surpised (at how well he's doing)," Fernando said. "He's a very

talented rider and he's a very likeable guy. I'm very happy to see him back

up on top and riding good horses. Hopefully, I'll be back and riding good

horses, too."

STRONG LINEUP ANTICIPATED FOR RALPH M. HINDS INVITATIONAL ON CLOSING DAY

Fairplex Park racing secretary Richard Wheeler expects a large field in the

track's marquee event, the 24th running of the $100,000 Ralph M. Hinds

Pomona

Invitational Handicap, on closing day, Sept. 29. Wheeler named the following

horses (trainers in parenthesis) as possible for the about 1 1/8-mile race:

Sigfreto (Doug Peterson); J.T.'s Song (Mike Mitchell); Truly A Judge (David

Bernstein); Reba's Gold (Dan Hendricks); Macaneo (Roger Stein); Dixie Thrill

(Doug O'Neill); San Nicholas (Jeff Bonde); Nate's Colony (Jack Carava); Hook

Call (A.C. Avila); Moving's Gold (Juan Garcia); Most Likely (Bruce Headley);

Bonus Payday (Pe