David Cassidy in the News
Cassidy's Horse Could Be King
Mayan King tries to keep his record unblemished as he takes on eight others in the $500,000 Lane's End at Turfway Park.
March 26, 2005
By Bob Mieszerski
Los Angeles Times
Unbeaten Mayan King, owned in part by David Cassidy, who rose to fame as Keith Partridge on "The Partridge Family" TV show in the early 1970s, will make his first start in a graded stakes when he takes on eight other 3-year-olds today in the $500,000 Lane's End Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
Trained by Gary Contessa and also owned by Ed Lipton, Cassidy's friend and neighbor in Florida, and Our Canterbury Stables, Mayan King broke his maiden at six furlongs, then stretched to a mile and won again. Both victories were over Aqueduct's inner track. Three of the last four winners of the Lane's End earned their most recent victories at Aqueduct, including last year's upset winner, Sinister G.
Purchased for $210,000 at the Ocala sale a year ago, Mayan King is a son of Stephen Got Even, who won this race in 1998 when it was called the Gallery Furniture.com Stakes.
"He was a horse I had to have," said Cassidy, who has long been involved in racing as an owner and breeder. "The day I bought him, I thought he was a [Kentucky] Derby horse."
In the 1 1/8 -mile Lane's End, Mayan King will be racing Andromeda's Hero, which is trained by Nick Zito; Diamond Isle, Magna Graduate, Flower Alley, Mr Sword, Spanish Chestnut, Wild Desert and California shipper Texcess.
A gelded son of In Excess, Texcess is the richest member of the cast, thanks primarily to his win in the $1-million Delta Jackpot in December at Delta Downs in Louisiana. However, he enters the Lane's End off a loss as the 7-10 favorite in the San Mateo Mile on Feb. 12 at Bay Meadows.
