Front Pages

(page 1 of 3)

Derby Dreams

SOLANA BEACH CHEF-RESTAURATEUR Jeffrey Strauss never thought he’d end up owning a racehorse, let alone a favored contender in this year’s Kentucky Derby (May 2). But in spring 2008, Jeffrey and his brother Bill, with whom he owns Pamplemousse Grille, purchased a 20 percent stake in a 2-year-old colt at a Florida sale.

“I just decided to give it a shot,” says Jeffrey, whose restaurant sits in the shadow of the Del Mar Racetrack. “We knew right away this horse was something special.”

Special, indeed. Now 3 years old, The Pamplemousse fast became a favorite among oddsmakers after a string of major victories——highlighted by a February win (by six lengths) at Sham Shakes in Santa Anita——with veteran jockey Alex Solis. Strauss and the horse’s co-owners (Alex Solis II among them) had high hopes for the Kentucky Derby, but trainer Julio Canani decided to scratch The Pamplemousse from competition after an early April exam revealed a tendon lesion in the horse’s left front leg.

“We probably could have run him, but it wouldn’t have been in the best interest of the horse,” says Strauss. With help from Canani, whom Strauss calls a “master” at rehabilitating horses, The Pamplemousse should be back to racing within six months to a year. “We don’t know exactly when, but we do know there will be no rush whatsoever,” says Strauss. He hopes the horse will be well enough to make his Del Mar debut at the 2010 Pacific Classic. “He’s got a lot of racing left in him.”

Despite the ill-fated turn on the track to Kentucky, the Strauss brothers have found their star in The Pamplemousse. He’ll be featured on the second season of the popular Animal Planet reality-TV show Jockeys. “He loves the camera,” says Jeffrey. “He’s really a ham.”

To watch The Pamplemousse in action, do an online search at YouTube.com. ——JULIA BEESON POLLORENO

Prize Writer

A PASSION FOR WRITING and storytelling gripped Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum at a young age and never let go.

“I’m one of those types who’ve always wanted to write, and I’ve been doing it since I was a kid,” says Bynum, who was named a finalist for the prestigious 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Ms. Hempel Chronicles. Told in eight separate stories, the book was singled out among 350 novels and short-story collections by American authors published last year that were competing for the award, the country’s largest peer-juried prize for fiction.

“I was astonished,” says Bynum about hearing she was named among the four finalists (Joseph O’Neill won for his novel, Netherland). “They’re writers I have literary crushes on,” she says of her competition. Bynum, other finalists and the winner will be honored May 9 at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

A graduate of Brown University and the Iowa Writers Workshop, Bynum, 37, is among core faculty of the writing program at UCSD. “Getting to teach has been a huge gift,” she says. A resident of Los Angeles (her husband works in the film industry), she commutes to San Diego a few times a week. “Sometimes I dread the drive——it hasn’t broken me yet——but the students make it worthwhile.” ——JULIA BEESON POLLORENO

Running Uphill

IT’S THE SEVENTH LARGEST marathon in the country, known for attracting more than 15,000 runners to our sunny clime and generating millions in revenue for our city. Streets close to traffic, spectators swarm the sidelines, and nearly 50 bands perform when the San Diego Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon kicks off.

But this year, the 12-year-old race——set for May 31——faces unprecedented challenges. The new owners of the Los Angeles Marathon announced last year they would move their race day——initially the first Monday in March——to Memorial Day, just six days before San Diego’s marathon. That could have a negative impact on registration numbers and the charities that benefit from a large sports event.

Then earlier this year, The San Diego Union-Tribune exposed the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon’s questionable financial dealings. It was discovered that Elite Racing, the marathon’s organizer, had collected more than $600,000 in public subsidies and grants over the past decade in support of the event. That support was given to the Elite Foundation for Children, Education and Medical Research, a nonprofit charity and cosponsor of the race.

The foundation benefited from a city policy for nonprofits that cuts costs for police services, valued at about $45,000 a year. The county also provided annual grants of about $20,000. When the foundation was targeted for payouts to the forprofit Elite Racing, the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon rescinded a $375,000 tourism grant application for the 2010 event.

Competitor Group, responsible for producing Rock ’n’ Roll Marathons in nine states, acquired Elite Racing last year. Its leaders say they were unaware of the foundation’s actions.

“It came as a shock to the new ownership,” says Scott Dickey, Competitor Group’s COO. “We have hired an outside, third-party auditor and law firm to help us through a process of auditing and reviewing all the transactions in the history of the foundation. We will be sitting down with the appropriate folks at the city and the county to review the activity and do whatever is necessary to rectify it, so that the race, in no way, is tarnished.”

The course tours San Diego’s renowned tourist attractions, beginning in Balboa Park and traveling past the zoo, Petco Park, the Gaslamp Quarter and SeaWorld, ending at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Runners pay up to $135 to participate in the marathon, which has featured concert headliners such as Seal, Ozomatli, Chris Isaak, Pat Benatar and Smash Mouth. (No word on a headliner for this year.) A four-person relay has been added to attract “jolly joggers and marathon moms,” or those who typically would be incapable of completing 26.2 miles solo.

The Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon’s official charity is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team-In-Training program. Its participants have raised more than $100 million over the past decade for the society.

For more information: 858-450-6510 or rnrmarathon.com. ——MARCIA MANNA

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to San Diego Magazine »