Bo Derek should lead horse racing board

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It would be a move that creates a ton of publicity, and if there’s one thing the economically slumping sport of horse racing could use right now, it’s a news-making event that doesn’t deal with a breakdown at the finish line or a positive steroid test.

Bo Derek needs to be named chairwoman of the California Horse Racing Board.

Chairman Richard Shapiro on Monday announced his resignation. His likely replacement is former chairman John Harris, best known for his Coalinga-based Harris Ranch, a must-stop meal on the drive to the Bay Area.

But Derek, the actress who was named to the CHRB earlier this year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is by all accounts a devoted horse lover whose most recent book title reveals her passion.

She is, of course, no stranger to passion. Her website tells how she ‘vaulted into the national spotlight in 1979 as the perfect fantasy woman in ‘10,’ Blake Edwards’ sophisticated film comedy,’ with Dudley Moore. ‘Her tawny coloring and sensuous figure captivated men everywhere,’ noted the website.

And that’s precisely what’s needed now. Men gamble. Men love the occasional day at the races, along with the beer, the food, the cigars, the camaraderie.

Add Bo Derek to the mix and horse racing could hit a trifecta.

-- Lance Pugmire