The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)FIELD OF 10 HEADED TO SUNDAY'S GRADE II DEL MAR DEBUTANTE
Featuring undefeated Starry Ice, a field of 10, including an entry, is expected to go postward in Sunday's Grade II, $250,000-guaranteed Del Mar Debutante, the seaside track's premier race for 2-year-old fillies. The race will be run at 7 furlongs, and the winner's portion of the purse is $150,000
Four-time winner Starry Ice, trained by Jerry Dutton, and Desert Digger, half of the 5 C Stable entry, will carry high weight of 119. Among Starry Ice's victories is the Grade II Landaluce at Hollywood Park. Desert Digger comes into the race off a victory in the Grade II Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar August 7. Since her regular rider, Eddie Delahoussaye, will be riding Eltish in Sunday's Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park, Starry Ice will get the saddle services of Alex Solis, the meeting's fourth- leading rider. Patrick Valenzuela, the meet's third-leading rider, will be aboard Desert Digger, as he was in the Sorrento.
The other half of the entry is Merry Krisoke, who will be ridden by Laffit Pincay, Jr. Desert Digger is trained by Marcello Polanco and Merry Krisoke is trained by Ceasar Dominguez.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas also will have two fillies in the race, but they will be uncoupled since they have different owners. The Lukas runners are Montecito, with Brice Blanc up, and Sharp Cat, with Rene Douglas in the irons. Lukas has won the Debutante a record eight times.
Broad Dynamite, who flashed 5 furlongs in :56 4/5, just two ticks off the track record, on Del Mar's opening day, has been supplemented to the race for $10,000. Chris Antley will ride.
Adding more competition to the field are True Melody, with Martin Pedroza up; Kamali, with Michael Hunter; One More Angel, Kent Desormeaux; and Queen of Money, David Flores.
CHRIS MCCARRON RIDES FOUR WINNERS; ONE BRINGS 102ND STAKES WIN
Hall of Fame rider Chris McCarron had his best day of this summer's Del Mar meeting on Thursday when he booted home four winners. His fourth of the day brought him his 102nd stakes victory, which continues to build his record number of wins in added-money events at the seaside track.
McCarron's winners: Made of Jade in the first race, Rumpipumpy in the third, Tom Cruiser in the seventh and Advancing Star in the eighth-race feature, the $70,675 C.E.R.F. (California Equine Retirement Foundation) Stakes.
McCarron's four wins put him on this season's "quad squad" with Corey Nakatani, who won four races on August 8. McCarron's wins also enriches the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, which was established in 1987 by McCarron and his wife, Judy, along with comedian Tim Conway, to the tune of a $500 donation to the fund by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
McCarron won't be riding today, Saturday or Sunday at Del Mar because of out-of-state stakes commitments. He's traveling today to Chicago where he will ride Alpride for Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally in Arlington International Race Course's Grade I, $500,000 Beverly D Handicap Saturday and Awad for trainer David Donk in Sunday's Arlington Million.
McCarron will have plenty of local company in the Beverly D. Kent Desormeaux will ride the Marty Jones-trained Auriette, Patrick Valenzuela will ride the Bill Mott-trained Duda, and Corey Nakatani rides Matiara for trainer Richard Mandella. McAnally will have a second runner in the Beverly D, Olimpia Dukakis, who will be ridden by Arlington regular Aaron Gryder.
In Sunday's Arlington Million, McCarron will be joined by Nakatani, who will ride Sandpit for Mandella. Also on Sunday, Eddie Delahoussaye will be out of town to ride Eltish for Hall of Fame trainer Robert Frankel in the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park. Possible favorite in the Iselin is Robert and Beverly Lewis' Serena's Song, trained by D. Wayne Lukas.
JOCKEY RACE TIGHTENS A BIT AFTER MCCARRON'S FOUR VICTORIES
Jockey Corey Nakatani continues to hold a reasonably comfortable lead in Del Mar's jockeys' standings, but Chris McCarron's four-win day on Thursday did tighten the race a bit. Nakatani's lead was pared to six after the day's activities, in which he scored no victories and took off his final two horses after his mount in the sixth race, Kicking Bear, apparently suffered a heart attack, fell and died on the track. Nakatani injured his ankle as he jumped off the staggering horse.
Nakatani, who has taken off his horses today, has chalked up 34 wins so far, and McCarron sits second with 28. Patrick Valenzuela is third with 24 wins and Alex Solis is fourth with 21.
Making a run at the leaders is Kent Desormeaux, who booted home two winners on Thursday to jump into the top five in the standings with 17 victories. Eddie Delahoussaye heads the second five with 16.
In the trainer standings, Jenine Sahadi and Mike Mitchell are tied at the top with 10 wins apiece. Sahadi's come from 27 starts for a 37 percent win figure, and Mitchell's come from 42 starts for a 24 percent mark.
Ron McAnally's nine put him in a close second spot, with Walter Greenman and Bob Baffert, both with eight, also knocking at the door.
BISZANTZ SUCCESS UNDERLINES THE INCREASING USE OF PARTNERSHIPS
Owner partnerships in racing have become a major force over the past several years, and owner Gary Biszantz is one who has helped foster this movement, especially in Southern California. Having said many times that he enjoys sharing with friends whatever success comes his way in racing, this Del Mar meeting has allowed him to fulfill that goal.
Statistics on partnerships, through last Monday, show Biszantz and his partners, of which he has several, have gone to the winner's circle 10 times in 23 outings, with purse earnings of $373,275. Biszantz insists that aside from the winning, part of his motivation is to bring new people into the game.
The Lima Family Trust has scored seven victories and Haras Santa Maria de Araras shows five victories.
CAMP DEL MAR REGISTERS HUGE GAINS IN NUMBERS OF KIDS DAILY
Camp Del Mar, a daily event for children operated by the YMCA and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, has been a monumental success so far this season, showing a 60 percent increase in numbers of children from the inaugural season in 1995.
Through Wednesday, August 21, the camp had logged 912 youngsters, as against 554 through the same date last year. Except for this year's opening day on August 24 and one other day, daily figures have been far and away superior to last year's daily numbers. In some cases, this year's daily numbers have been as high as nearly five times those of last year, and it hasn't been uncommon for the numbers to be double, sometimes triple those of last year.
The camp is held in a playground area of the racetrack's grandstand and infield and is open to children ages 3 to 12 from the time the gates open on a race day until 30 minutes after the final race. The charge is $19.50 per day and includes lunch, a snack, a T-shirt, and a games and activities program that ranges from art to cooking to computers to sports, all overseen by YMCA-trained counselors.
SHORE LINES: Dennis Carr scored his first-ever victory at Del Mar Thursday when he won the ninth race aboard Prince Dahar .... The weights have been posted for next Saturday's 57th running of the Grade II, $250,000 Del Mar Handicap, an invitational event for horses going 1 3/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. Assigned high weight among the 15 being considered is Talloires, at 119, with weights ranging down to 112. Only 10 will start, and those carrying highest weights will be given preference. Among the others being considered are Raintrap, 118; Bon Point and Party Season, both at 117; and Dernier Empereur, Special Price, Urgent Request and Windsharp, all at 116.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)