The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)EIGHT SET FOR FIRST BEST PAL STAKES, FORMERLY THE BALBOA STAKES
Eight 2-year-olds are set to contest today's inaugural running of the Grade III Best Pal Stakes, formerly the Balboa Stakes. The race was renamed this year to honor Golden Eagle Farm's Best Pal, who is California's all-time money-winner and fourth on the national list. The 8-year-old gelding, whose first graded stakes victory came in the Balboa in 1990, was retired to Golden Eagle Farm in March.
Nine were entered on Sunday, but Renteria was scratched from the race because of a slight fever, said trainer Jerry Dutton. If all eight go to the post in the 6 1/2-furlong Best Pal, the purse will be $105,550, with $65,550 going to the winner. For any further scratches, subtract $600 from each figure.
Heading the field is Heinz Steinmann's undefeated Swiss Yodeler, who won the Grade II Hollywood Juvenile Championship July 21 for his fourth straight victory.
FOR OPENERS, TRAINER NOBLE THREEWITT HARD TO BEAT IN THE STATE
You say you want to start a racetrack in California? Call Noble Threewitt and he will come.
Threewitt, 85 but carrying the look and spring of a man 20 years younger, has run horses on opening day at all five tracks in California. And for good measure, he also helped open Longacres Racetrack in Seattle. The only California racetrack he didn't open was old Tanforan, which was in business in San Bruno prior to the state legalizing pari-mutuel betting in 1933. He was at Bay Meadows' opening meting in the fall of 1934, and helped open Santa Anita that Christmas Day. Del Mar (1937), Hollywood Park (1938) and Golden Gate Fields (1941) are also on his opening-day list.
He was feted this spring at the opening of Emerald Downs for his participation in the opening-day festivities in 1933 at Longacres, which was closed in 1992 and now has been supplanted in Washington by Emerald Downs, in nearby Auburn. "They named a race after me, and they had me down in the winner's circle," Threewitt said. "When they announced I had been at Longacres on opening day, some guy back of the winner's circle hollered out, 'How old are you, anyway?'
Threewitt started this Del Mar meeting with six horses, but is down to five, after his first winner of the meet, Sri Narayana, was claimed out of the ninth race last Thursday. Threewitt's appearance this year comes after missing his first-ever Del Mar meeting last year, because, as he says, he didn't have any horses he thought fit.
Threewitt was born and reared in the coal community of Benton, IL., and got involved in racing as a rider around the fair circuit in Southern Illinois. He rode some in Kansas City before getting too big to ride races. He wound up at Caliente in the winter of 1931 and was there in 1932 for the great Phar Lap's victory in the Caliente Handicap.
The biggest change in racing over the years, he says, is the purse structure. "Guys like Charlie Whittingham and me always talk about the good old days," Threewitt said. "But the money wasn't there. When we were racing at Bay Meadows, the bottom purse was $400, $290 to the winner. When Santa Anita opened, the bottom purse was $800. We thought we were rich to be able to run for that."
Twenty years later, when his trainee, Correlation, was a 3-year-old, he won the Florida Derby and the Wood Memorial, and both purses were worth $100,000.
When asked to give a rundown on his top owners over the years, Threewitt said, "That's one of my problems [in not having many horses these days]. The best of my owners over the years have all passed away. I've outlived them all." One of his favorite owners, he said, was Mrs. Cecilia Harper, mother of Del Mar President and General Manager Joe Harper. Among her many stars, was the multiple-stakes winner Your Host.
Among Threewitt's big winners at Del Mar, Honey's Gem and Sea Eagle stick out as winners of the Ramona Handicap in 1960 and 1965, respectively. And King of Cricket's record of 1:07 3/5 for 6 furlongs still stands. He set the mark on August 22, 1973. In more recent days, Threewitt trained Devoted Brass, who won both the San Rafael Stakes and the Swaps Stakes in 1993.
So what gets the credit for his long life? "I just tell everybody I've lived a clean life," he said. "It just happened. I kind of work at it. I get a lot of exercise. For many years, I chinned myself on a chinning bar 20, 30 times every morning at home. And I try not to do anything that I think might endanger my health."
There's a backstretch story that has Threewitt and Whittingham usually being the first ones through the gate every morning, but Threewitt acknowledges that Whittingham beats him through the gate sometimes. "But he has about a five- minute advantage on me," Threewitt said. "Charlie doesn't drink coffee, and he doesn't have to comb his hair."
Threewitt says he's never contemplated retirement. "I have no hobbies. I wouldn't know what to do."
HEALING GARY STEVENS EXPECTS TO BE RIDING BY FIRST OF THE MONTH
Jockey Gary Stevens, recovering from surgery on his left shoulder, said this morning he expects to be back riding at Del Mar by the first of September, a full month before he thought the surgery would allow him to return.
Stevens got up on horses for the first time on Tuesday, working four mounts. He worked five this morning. He said the doctor has given him the go-ahead to get up on a few horses each morning for 10 days. "I feel very, very good," Stevens said, adding that he worked really hard to stay fit during his three-month hiatus from race-riding. But, he said, "It's a lot harder to get fit than stay fit."
JOCKEYS, AGENTS FIND THEMSELVES IN A GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS
The Domino Theory is alive and well at Del Mar - at least as it affects jockeys and their agents.
It all started last week with the switch of jockey Kent Desormeaux from Gene Short to Ron Anderson, who also handles the riding assignments for the injured Gary Stevens and Chris Antley. Rules state that an agent can handle no more than two riders, leaving Antley in no-man's land with Stevens expected to return soon.
This morning, Antley said Tony Matos would be booking his mounts from now on. Matos currently handles the book of Rene Douglas.
Goncalino Almeida and his agent of two years, Vince DeGregory, parted last week, also, and Almeida has hired Don Pierce, who ranks fifth on the all-time stakes-winning list for jockeys at Del Mar. Pierce also handles riding assignments for David Flores, who is among the leading riders at this meet.
And that's not all. Agent Ray Kravagna added Michael Hunter to his rider stable where he'll join Fernando Valenzuela. At the same time, Kravagna gave up Paul Atkinson, who went with Craig O'Bryan, who also books rides for Corey Black.
TRAINER, RACING FORM HANDICAPPER SET FOR WEEKEND SEMINARS
Trainer Dan Hendricks, who is one of a number of bright young conditioners in racing, will share his insights into handicapping and his thoughts on the day's races on Saturday at one of two free handicapping sessions offered this weekend by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
On Sunday, Vince Bruun, the Southern California handicapper for Daily Racing Form, will give handicapping tips and share with seminar attendees his thoughts on the day's races.
The seminars each day run from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Jack Minger, of the Del Mar media department, serves as host.
SHORE LINES: A belated happy 65th birthday to trainer Bill Shoemaker, who also is the world's winningest jockey with 8,833 victories, and a member of racing's Hall of Fame. "Shoe" hit 65 last Monday, August 19 .... Trevor Denman, Del Mar's track announcer, will turn to the compute screen on Thursday to answer questions put to him in a special hosted chatroom on the track's Internet site. Denman will be online from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)