ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -Larry Jones is in the final stretch of the long goodbye.
Jones announced earlier this year that he was retiring at the end of this season. The emotional strain triggered by a fatal breakdown by the filly Eight Belles after finishing second in last year's Kentucky Derby, and a desire to escape the morning alarm clock, prompted Jones to call it quits.
The trainer with the trademark cowboy hat is hanging up his Stetson.
Jones visited Santa Anita for Breeders' Cup week to see old friends, and to receive the ``Mr. Fitz Award'' from the National Turf Writers on Wednesday night for ``typifying the spirit of horse racing.''
Jones, 53, will not be part of the Breeders' Cup weekend. He saddles only two more runners, both at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Jones will then turn over the training to his wife Cindy.
``Sunday morning, I'm sleeping late,'' Jones said. ``I'm going to kick her and tell her it's time to go to work. We've been looking forward to this. I get to wind up exactly where I started. My first official race was at Churchill Downs.''
They will retain 23 horses which they own totally or in partnerships. There will be no outside clients for a barn that, at times, had five times that number.
Jones will step away, consulting when needed and helping school the young horses.
``I don't want to be under the pressure to rush and get things done,'' Jones said. ``I need to quit that. It can get overwhelming, no matter what business you're in. Enough is enough.''
Jones finishes 0 for 3 in the Breeders' Cup, getting a pair of seconds in 2007 with Hard Spun in the Classic and Proud Spell in the Juvenile Fillies.
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SQUARE EDDIE LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK: Few things have gone right for Square Eddie since last year's Breeders' Cup.
Now 3 years old, Square Eddie looks to make a comeback Saturday in the $1 million BC Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
He is a 20-1 longshot from post No. 8 in the 6 1/2-furlong race.
After finishing a game second in the last year's BC Juvenile, Square Eddie was often mentioned as a leading contender for the Triple Crown.
``We definitely had Derby fever,'' trainer Doug O'Neill said Tuesday.
Square Eddie never made it. He suffered a shin injury after a second-place finish in the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita in January. The colt was laid up until the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, only two weeks before the Kentucky Derby. After a third-place finish there, O'Neill pressed on to Louisville for the Derby.
``He ran a beautiful race,'' O'Neill said. ``If we had any dream of the Derby, he needed that race under his belt.
But the shin flared again, only days before the Derby, ending the Triple Crown push.
``That was brutal,'' O'Neill said. ``It was frustrating to get that close.''
Square Eddie went back to the sidelines until re-emerging last month with a sixth-place finish in the Ancient Title Stakes.
O'Neill has lined up Frankie Dettori, one of the Europe's top riders, to pilot Square Eddie for the return to grass for the first time since he started the spring of his 2-year-old season in England.
``He's as sound as could be, he's doing fantastic,'' O'Neill said. ``Square Eddie acts like a horse who should be in these high-class races.''
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A FAST TRACK: The Breeders' Cup was contested over a synthetic track for the first time last year and that became one of the major story lines.
With Santa Anita hosting the championships for a second straight year, the artificial track is back in the spotlight. It's the reason Jess Jackson, owner of leading Horse of the Year candidate Rachel Alexandra, elected to skip the Breeders' Cup.
The synthetic tracks were sold as safer, largely maintenance-free surfaces. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said that if they're treated more like dirt tracks and watered regularly, they can perform just fine.
``When they first came out, they were so unfair,'' he said. ``Certain horses liked them, certain horses don't. If they keep watering it, it will be fair. This track has been playing more fair lately. The way they've had it the last week is the best that I've seen it. It shouldn't be a problem.''
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TUESDAY WORKS: Mushka (Ladies' Classic), Piscitelli (Juvenile), Mambo Meister (Dirt Mile), Zip Quick (Juvenile Turf) and Desert Code (Turf Sprint) had their final Breeders' Cup workouts Tuesday at Santa Anita.
Mushka turned in a three-furlong drill in 38.60 seconds for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
``We didn't want to do much on top of the race,'' Mott said. ``We just wanted her to feel the track, stretch her legs. She went well.''
Mushka could be the synthetic-track wagering play in the race. She is 2 for 2 on artificial surfaces, winning twice at Keeneland, including a victory last time out on a rival's disqualification in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes.
Piscitelli was clocked in 52.60 seconds for a half-mile; Mambo Meister and Zip Quik both went five furlongs in 1:00.40.
Desert Code, last year's Turf Sprint winner, looked eager for a title defense with a sharp half-mile drill on the grass in 47 seconds.
``He looked like he was finishing really well,'' trainer David Hofmans said. ``I believe he's coming into this race even better than he was last year.''
Several prominent runners arrived from New York on Tuesday, including Quality Road and Gio Ponti for the Classic and D'Funnybone for the Juvenile.
