LOS ALAMITOS : The Traveling Man Has Returned After a Stint With Thoroughbreds

Joe Anderson, the traveling man, is back, full time, in the seat of a sulky.

Anderson, who has visited every continent except Antarctica, disappeared from the driver and trainer standings at Los Alamitos last year after having been among the leaders for a decade.

Anderson has trained at Rancho Monterey, a private 30-acre site in San Jacinto, for the last 12 years. In 1988, he shifted the emphasis of his training from standardbreds to thoroughbreds because of the precarious state of harness racing in California.

Attempting to emulate Charlie Whittingham, rather than Stanley Dancer, Anderson saddled several thoroughbreds at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar in 1988 and ‘89, winning six races with Crackedbell, Complete Accord and Varennes.

But when Los Alamitos opened under new management this winter, Anderson decided to make another 180-degree turn.

“The day I heard Lloyd Arnold bought the track, I made the transition back,” Anderson said the other day. “I’m excited again, and rebuilding a stable.

“I had 200 harness horses and sold all of them over a 1 1/2-year period,” Anderson said. “At the same time, I built up to 15 thoroughbreds. Now, I’m back to about 25 standardbreds and still have three thoroughbreds.”

Rancho Monterey, owned by Art Pineda, is a self-sufficient training center with a half-mile track and pool. It can stable 60 horses and has 20 paddocks.

“Actually, there is a second track inside the half-mile track,” said Anderson. “When I started training thoroughbreds there, I had Steve Wood from Pomona put wood chips and sand on the half-mile track. It took me one day after Lloyd took over to convert the half-mile track back and use the inside track for thoroughbreds.”

Anderson spends Monday and Thursday mornings at Rancho Monterey, four other mornings at Los Alamitos and drives at the Orange County track Tuesday through Saturday nights. He resisted the temptation to devote serious attention to both breeds.

“I drive at Los Alamitos until 11 at night, and thoroughbred trainers get up at 4 in the morning,” said Anderson, who lives in Chino Hills. “You can’t burn the candle at both ends.”

So Anderson transferred most of his thoroughbreds to other trainers, most notably Terry Knight and Victor Garcia at Santa Anita, but still dabbles with three at the farm.

“We start out at 6 a.m. with the thoroughbreds,” said Anderson. “They don’t need as much time. They will gallop two or three miles. Then we start around 8:30 with the harness horses. There is more conditioning involved with the standardbreds. They will train five to eight miles a day.”

Relaxing in his blue and white silks with gold stars on the shoulders, Anderson called his thoroughbred training experience invaluable.

“The year and a half I spent over there was one of the best experiences of my life,” he said. “It sounds funny because I’ve won more than 1,500 harness races. To win 10 in a week is nothing. I only won six thoroughbred races.

“But I’ve gained a whole different perspective on how to conduct my business and how to get better horses. I’ve been all over the country and all over the world, and I have a lot of respect for the thoroughbred trainers here, not only as good horsemen but for how professionally they run their operation.”

Even so, Anderson did not hesitate to return. Pineda and Carmen Koosa, his two primary owners in both sports, assured him of their support.

“Koosa gave me carte blanche,” said Anderson. “After Lloyd bought the track, he said, ‘Build me a stable.’

“Realistically, it would have taken me two to three years to get on my feet with the thoroughbreds. “Ten to 15 horses is not enough action. You need 50.”

Anderson, who drove more than 200 winners and earned about $900,000 in purses in both 1986 and 1987, drove only for other trainers on Friday and Saturday nights last winter.

“I hadn’t driven in 10 months when the meet opened,” said Anderson. “It took a while to get the timing back.”

He is fifth in the driver standings with 38 winners.

“This is more hands-on,” Anderson said. “You can train and drive your own horses. You might be able to race a harness horse four times in a 30-day period. A thoroughbred might only be able to run once during that time.”

Anderson, 39, was born in Chattanooga, Tenn., and grew up in Orlando, Fla.

“I’ve been around horses since I was 8,” said the 5-foot 6-inch, 140-pounder. “During spring break from college in Ft. Lauderdale, I saw an ad for help wanted at Pompano Park. I thought it was a thoroughbred track and knew I could ride a horse. That’s when I found out you hook a sulky to them and don’t ride them.”

During his early years in the sport, Anderson spent his savings on trips to Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Australia.

“I grew up reading National Geographic and always have been very curious,” he said. “I’m still intrigued by the unknown. Maybe that’s why I got into this business. You never know.”

Anderson worked his way west in the late 1970s.

“The first horse I bought was Blaze Eustace for $1,500 at Los Alamitos,” he said. “He was an unruly horse that I qualified. The first time I raced him, he won.”

Anderson has also driven in New York, New Jersey and Illinois. He has traveled to Australia and New Zealand on five occasions to buy horses. He drove in France two years ago. Horses have enabled Anderson to see the world.

Most of his stable consists of horses from Down Under.

“I just got a pacer from Australia named Zobadias--for Koosa--who went 1:57 on a half-mile track there and is getting ready to qualify,” Anderson said. “I plan to go back to Australia in June and July and acquire a lot of young horses that will fit the series here in the fall.

“I just went back to the (New Jersey) Meadowlands a few weeks ago and sold three horses. Ten to 15 drivers inquired about coming out here after the meet there closes in August.”

Harness Racing Notes

Trixie Norton, the 5-year-old pacing mare that stumbled and fell in an exhibition harness race for thoroughbred jockeys Jan. 26 at Los Alamitos, sidelining Laffit Pincay with a broken collarbone, won Feb. 13 in her first start since the spill, clocking 2:00 4/5 for Ross Croghan. . . . Another pacer that fell in a previous outing also opened eyes recently. General Early, an unraced 3-year-old colt, qualified in 1:56 3/5 for Jim Lackey. The Peter Lobell colt, trained by Al Fenaughty, won his first qualifier in 2:04 4/5, then fell in a second qualifier. Lackey also won the $20,000 final of the Stanton Pacing Series last Wednesday with Absolute Gem nipping archrival Flight Stripe by a neck in 1:56 1/5.

Ed Hensley enjoyed a productive week with five winners, including longshot Ebony Glo in the $15,000 free-for-all pace for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles Friday. He also scored Saturday with Charlie Too N, the fourth consecutive time he has won with the pacer since trainer Dale Glasco put him in the seat. . . . Dare You To, making his second start since October, showed his class by humbling Storm Prince, Anatolian Story and Power and Glory Saturday in a $17,500 leg of the marathon pacing series at 1 1/4 miles. The 5-year-old son of Abercrombie unleashed a powerful move down the backstretch the final time with Stan Bayless to take charge.

Speedy but erratic Alfa Star, who lost a 1:57 3/5 victory the previous week when he was disqualified for interference, made amends by winning the $15,000 invitational trot Saturday. . . . Vastly improved sophomore pacer Eminem won his forth in a row Saturday, handling older horses on an off track for Rick Plano. . . . Tom Swift, who has won 10 races in his first meet here, was suspended for 10 days through March 1 for an incident in the second race Thursday. While driving Friends and Lovers, Swift was guilty of “careless driving near the half, which resulted in an avoidable accident with Killbuck Lobell,” according to stewards. Swift, 40, was a leading driver at Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs for several years.

Capital Game and Little Sur head a field of 10 in a $20,000 California Sire Stake trot for 3-year-old colts this evening. On Thursday, Divine Spirit and Gist top a lineup of 10 in a $20,000 California Sire Stake trot for 3-year-old fillies. . . . Los Alamitos is forming W.H.O., the initials for Women’s Harness Organization, an auxiliary group.