The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)ANTESPEND HEADS FIELD OF EIGHT FILLIES FOR SUNDAY'S DEL MAR OAKS
Jack Kent Cooke's Antespend, winner of eight of 12 races with purse earnings of $673,179, is set to tackle her fourth Oaks of the year as she heads a field of eight 3- year-old fillies for Sunday's Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Oaks, an invitational, 1 1/8- mile race over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. The winner's share of the purse is $150,000.
All Oaks' runners carry 120 pounds.
Antespend, trained by Hall of Famer Ron McAnally, won the Santa Anita Oaks March 10, finished fourth in the Kentucky Oaks May 3 and finished second to stablemate Listening in the July 13 Hollywood Oaks. The daughter of Spend a Buck will be ridden by Chris Antley.
Expected to draw much support from the crowd Sunday are Juddmonte Farms' True Flare and Prestonwood Farm and Seelbinder's Gastronomical, who finished 1-2, respectively, in Del Mar's Grade II San Clemente Handicap July 27. Corey Nakatani will ride True Flare for trainer Robert Frankel, and Eddie Delahoussaye draws the mount on the Martin Jones-conditioned Gastronomical.
Ernest Auerbach's Boncozy and Wilsong Farms' Lasha both come out of the San Clemente, where they finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Paul Toscano will be aboard Boncozy and Rene Douglas gets the call on Lasha.
Martha G. and Ray T. Parfet's Chile Chatte comes into the race off an allowance victory in her first start of the year, and gets Alex Solis in the irons. Total Return Stable's Hilary will try stakes company for the first time in the United States, and Chris McCarron rides. Rounding out the field is Edmund Gann's Paranomelody, who will be making her U.S. debut for trainer Frankel after posting four wins in seven starts in France. Kent Desormeaux has the call.
OWNER GARY BISZANTZ REGISTERS TENTH WIN OF THE MEETING
Although his name doesn't appear on the Top Ten list among owners at Del Mar this summer, Gary Biszantz is the hottest owner around. The victory by his Warshanor in Thursday's eighth-race feature gave him 10 wins in 20 starts through the first 20 days of the meet.
Biszantz said this morning that he's going to have to raise his sights on what he hoped for during the meeting. "I thought if we won 10 races we'd be doing well [for the meet]," Biszantz said. "Maybe we'd better be looking for 20. After all, we're only halfway through the meet, and most of these winners will be coming back for another shot."
Biszantz doesn't show up in the standings because, unlike his fully owned Warshanor, nearly all of his horses are owned in partnerships. "We enjoy being in partnerships," he said. "It's fun, and everybody enjoys themselves. And it brings new people into racing. We're trying to give the industry positive vibrations."
The owner said he expected a good showing at Del Mar because his two trainers, Walter Greenman and Mike Puype, have been pointing his horses toward this meeting. "We came in here fresh and ready to win," he said.
As impressive as the 10-for-20 statistic is, Biszantz said his stable, in July and August, has posted a remarkable statistic in purse-money positions by bringing back a check in every one of its 40 starts.
MCANALLY POINTS MATTY G FOR RICH, PRESTIGIOUS DEL MAR DERBY
A couple of 2-year-olds who shone well at last summer's Del Mar meeting for trainer Ron McAnally will be showing up again soon at the seaside course.
Double J Farm's Matty G, who broke his maiden at Del Mar, is being pointed toward the Grade II, $300,000 Del Mar Derby on Monday, September 2. Matty G prepped for the 1 1/8-mile turf race by winning a $50,000 allowance race on the grass on August 3 at Del Mar. McAnally said he expects Chris McCarron to ride the 3-year- old, who helped set the pace before finishing 17th in this year's Kentucky Derby.
Future Quest, who won last year's Del Mar Futurity and Santa Anita's Norfolk Stakes before being injured, is training toward a start in the Inverness Stakes August 29 at the seaside track. The race is for 3-year-olds going 6 1/2 furlongs, and McAnally expects Kent Desormeaux to be aboard.
15 NOMINATED TO NEWLY NAMED BEST PAL STAKES FOR 2-YEAR-OLDS
Fifteen 2-year-olds have been nominated to Del Mar's Grade III, $100,000- added Best Pal Stakes Wednesday. The race was formerly called the Balboa Stakes, but renamed this year in honor of California's all-time money-winning horse who had some of his most impressive races at the seaside track, including a victory in the Balboa in 1990. The race will be run at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Topping the list of nominees are the undefeated Swiss Yodeler, whose most recent victory was in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship on July 21, and Red, beaten a head in the Hollywood Juvenile and winner of Del Mar's Graduation Stakes on July 31.
The other nominees are Anet, Deeds Not Words, Fearless Pirate, Golden Bronze, Latin Dancer, Renteria, Silver Charm, Steel Ruhlr, The Texas Tunnel, Thisnearlywasmine, Tru Story, Wrightwood and Zippersup.
14 FILLIES AND MARES NOMINATED FOR OSUNITAS HANDICAP ON TURF
Tabled With Saros, Sleep Easy, Real Connection and Raw Gold lead a list of 14 nominees for the $100,000-added Osunitas Handicap to be run Saturday, August 24, at Del Mar. The race will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
Also nominated are Call Account, Dusty Girl, Grafin, Inscrutable Dancer, Olimpia Dukakis, Port Plaisance, Pourquoi Pas, Princess Afleet, Sixieme Sens and Slewvera.
WINDSHARP TO SKIP ARLINGTON'S BEVERLY D FOR DEL MAR HANDICAP
Trainer Wallace Dollase reported this morning that his graded-stakes- winning mare Windsharp is going to pass on Arlington International Racecourse's Grade I Beverly D Stakes August 24 in favor of the Grade II, $250,000 Del Mar Handicap on August 31. The race will be run at 1 3/8 miles on the turf.
Dollase also reported that The Thoroughbred Corporation has purchased graded-stakes winner Nonproductiveasset and a half-interest in both Windsong and multiple-graded-stakes winner Jewel Princess. Dollase will continue to train all three.
SHORE LINES: For all practical purposes, jockey Matt Garcia is finished for this racing season at Del Mar following the stewards' assessment of a 15-day suspension for "careless riding" as a result of the disqualification of Auvergne in the seventh race Monday. The suspension begins August 24, directly on top of a seven- day suspension that began today and ends August 23. The second suspension is to run through September 9, and the season ends September 11. The first suspension was a result of the disqualification of Wrapped In Hope in the fourth race on Sunday. In that incident, Not Too Shamme went down with jockey Kent Desormeaux and jockey Paul Atkinson also fell from his mount. Not Too Shamme had to be euthanized. The 15-day suspension is the most severe given in recent memory at the seaside course .... The popular team penning competition that draws Del Mar jockeys, celebrities and other riders will hold forth for its third straight year on Tuesday, August 27, in the horse show arena adjacent to the racetrack. Proceeds go to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)