Millionaire Full Moon Madness
Seeks More in Millions

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 23, 2005) -- Full Moon Madness is the Jack LaLanne of Thoroughbreds.

Not only is the California-bred gelding fit at age 10, he’s competitive. He’s still racing and doing it well, adding to his bankroll of more than $1 million almost every time he runs. In 46 career starts, the chestnut son of Half A Year has 15 wins, 11 seconds and 12 thirds, with earnings of $1,097,805.

He has two seconds and a third for his new connections, owners Pablo Suarez, Mark Schlesinger and Florida Marlins catcher Paul Lo Duca, and the meet’s leading trainer, Doug O’Neill. Next up for Full Moon Madness is the $300,000 Vinery Farms Sprint at Santa Anita on Sunshine Millions day next Saturday.

“We claimed him at Del Mar (for $40,000) last August,” O’Neill said. “He’s been very well cared for by Bob Marshall and Ruben Cardenas, who had him for the longest time. This horse reminds me so much of FJ’s Pace (another 10-year-old that O’Neill recently retired with 20 wins from 68 starts) because every time you run him he gives you 110 percent. I feel very happy to have him and it’s a credit to his previous connections as to how good he’s doing right now.”

Full Moon Madness has had his physical ailments throughout his lengthy career but they haven’t affected his desire to win.
“When horses like this are doing good and feeling good they just want to beat you,” O’Neill said. “I know a lot of them don’t have that attitude or our job would be a lot easier. This horse is amazing in that whether he runs against claiming horses or stakes horses he gives 110 percent.

“Around the barn he’s very classy, calm and relaxed. He’s real eager to train. He acts like a young horse, real full of himself and he’ll work fast if you let him. He’s a feeling-good kind of horse.”

First post time at Santa Anita on Sunshine Millions day is 11:45 a.m. Gates open at 10. The festive eight-race program worth $3.6 million, matching California-breds against Florida-breds in four races each at Santa Anita and Gulfstream will be televised nationally on NBC from 1-3 p.m.

Florida-breds won six of the eight races last year and won the competition on points, 45-27, based on five for first, three for second and one for third. Florida-breds also won the inaugural competition in 2003, 56-16, taking seven of eight races.

Sunshine Millions day offers a unique wagering menu and exciting on-track events including a Miss Sunshine Millions pageant, an infield party with live music, performances by the Pacific Dream Girls dance troupe, Sunshine Millions cheerleaders, free Sunshine Millions T-shirts to all THOROUGHBREDS members with paid admission while supplies last, and an after-party at Sirona’s.

This year’s Sunshine Millions race sponsors are: Barretts/CTBA (Distaff), Cloverleaf Farms (Filly & Mare Turf), Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company (Classic), Ocala Stud (Dash), Padua Stables (Filly & Mare Sprint), Pepsi (Oaks), Vinery Farms (Sprint) and Warren’s Thoroughbreds (Turf).

In other Sunshine Millions developments:
Nick Hines plans to run Charming Colleen in the Oaks for owner James McIngvale. A California-bred daughter of 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic, Charming Colleen was fifth of seven in the Grade I Hollywood Starlet at 1 1/16 miles last Dec. 19, beaten 11 lengths, but Hines expects significant improvement in the six-furlong Oaks.

“This should be a better spot for her,” Hines said. “We decided to bypass the Santa Ynez (a Grade II race at seven furlongs on Jan. 17). It would have been nice going seven-eighths but I think at this stage she’s more of a sprinter-to-middle distance (horse) as opposed to routing, and we were behind the eight ball going into the Starlet. As well as she was doing and as much talent as she has, we were biting off a little more than we could chew at the time.”

Charming Colleen had two wins and two seconds at Emerald Downs before McIngvale purchased her privately late last year.
Cozy Guy (Classic) worked four furlongs Sunday at Santa Anita for Dan Hendricks in :48.