Here's a horse Harry Kalas would have loved
SHEZOUTAHERE RAN IN the third race at Philadelphia Park on Tuesday. On paper, the second-time starter looked as if she should have been, maybe, 5-1. The bettors made her 5-2.
The day after the death of Harry Kalas, a man who liked to spend time at race tracks, it was hard to resist Shezoutahere.
Alas, the 3-year-old filly finished a distant second, 7 1/4 lengths behind the winner, Domestic Bliss. She did, however, finish 13 lengths in front of the favorite, Gypsy Chimes. The 7-furlong race on a sloppy track was for horses that had not won a race.
Shezoutahere, a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of the solid Pa. sire Power by Far, has raced just twice. She was claimed for $25,000 from her first start by trainer Keith Lebarron for owner Vince Campanella. The filly's first trainer, Andrea Gonzalez, was also her breeder. The original owners were Longball Stables LLC and Knable Stable. So, it is rather clear how Shezoutahere got her name.
Shezoutahere finished fifth in her debut on March 7, also at the "Pha." Her second race was decent, approximately 8 lengths better on the speed figure scale than her first.
Shezoutahere's sire, Power by Far, stands at Peter Giangiulio and Barbara Geraghty's Castle Rock Farm in Unionville (Chester County) for $2,000. Power By Far earned $544,335 on the track, winning 15 times in 32 starts, including 10 stakes at Philly Park, Penn National, Laurel Park, the Meadowlands and Colonial Downs. It would no shock if Harry cashed a ticket or two on Power By Far who raced from 1997 to 2000.
Shezoutahere may not become a stakes winner, but she has a great name. And was named in honor of a great man's signature home-run call.
Pinch-hitting for a legend
Sheppard is 98 and has been the team's PA announcer since 1951. However, he has not worked a game since late in the 2007 season due to a bronchial infection.
The Yankees said Sheppard will return when he fully recovers.*
- Dick Jerardi
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Speaking of baseball voices, Paul Olden is taking over as the Yankee Stadium public-address announcer in the absence of Bob Sheppard.
