The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)NINE 3-YEAR-OLDS SET FOR $300,000 DEL MAR DERBY ON LABOR DAY
Nine 3-year-olds, headed by double Del Mar stakes winner Ambivalent, are expected to go to the post Monday for the Grade II, $300,000 Del Mar Derby, the premier race for 3-year-olds during the 43-day summer meeting. The winner's share in the 52nd running of the 1 1/8-mile race on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course is $150,000.
Joining Ambivalent, who is trained by Mike Orman and won one division of Del Mar's opening-day Oceanside Stakes on July 24 and then the Grade III La Jolla Handicap August 11, are Optic Nerve, a ship-in from New York trained by Howard Tesher, and locally trained The Barking Shark, Mateo, Rainbow Blues, Caribbean Pirate, Matty G, Paranomelody and Mirobolant. All but the filly Paranomelody will carry 122 pounds. She gets a three-pound weight break.
MULTIPLE-GRADED STAKES WINNER FASTNESS RETIRED AFTER INJURY
Fastness, two-time winner of Del Mar's Grade I Eddie Read Handicap and named the seaside course's top grass horse of 1995, has been retired due to injury.
"He sustained an injury to his right front tendon," trainer Jenine Sahadi said this morning. "He had worked well on Thursday and galloped out fine. We took the bandages off yesterday and found it. There was a slight filling, and we scanned it, and there is some damage there. So he is retired as of right now."
Sahadi had trained Evergreen Farm's Fastness since his 3-year-old year, and said, "He was the best. We had a good run with him."
MCANALLY SAYS DIFFERENT EXITED CHULA VISTA WIN IN GOOD ORDER
Different, the Argentine-bred winner of Del Mar's Grade II, $309,200 Chula Vista Handicap, was in perfect shape following Sunday's race, trainer Ron McAnally said this morning at his barn.
McAnally admitted to some anxious moments during the mile and one-sixteenth race because of the slowed-down pace in the race. Even though the race had only a four-horse field, McAnally said he wasn't sure the filly would get through in the stretch run. But jockey Chris McCarron found a spot where he go between horses and took her through to the 1 3/4-length victory.
Different is not eligible to run in the Breeders' Cup Distaff unless supplemented, but McAnally said owner Sidney Craig did leave the door a bit ajar for such an action. He is co-owner with his wife, Jenny, of Alpride, who is eligible for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, and while she has had much success on the turf, she also has won on the dirt.
FORMER RIDER PIERCE FINDS AGENT'S JOB CAN BE A WINNER, TOO
After 31 years of success as a jockey and a short, unsuccessful stint as a trainer, Don Pierce believes he's found himself another winner - life as a jockey's agent. He's only been at it about a year, but he's comfortable and happy with his work.
"I like it," Pierce said. "It's kept me in action. It let's me work at the track. Before, when I was training horses, it wasn't much action for me. Now I go to the races every day. I'm around seeing trainers, and watching the races and when I see horses that I think should have won, I try to go get on them if I can."
Pierce says watching the races is a very important part of his job. "You have to watch the races," he said, "so you know which one to ride when you have more than one chance to ride. You have to be there to watch them all the time." Pierce books rides for David Flores and Goncalino Almeida, both well-regarded riders.
Pierce said he's learning more and more about his job each day. "There's a lot more to being an agent than I thought," he said. "I was a rider for 31 years and I had an agent all the time, and I always thought he was overpaid until I became one.
"It's a lot of work. You're on call 24 hours a day, especially with telephones and beepers. You have a lot of people to cool out and talk to and have them get mad at you." As far as having people get angry with him, Pierce said, "I'm used to that. I had that all my life. I had a lot of people get mad at me. You have to have diplomacy. You have to handle things right. I don't always do that, but I try my best."
What 's the hardest part of being an agent? "It's when you give a guy [a trainer] a call [to ride his horse] and then when you get a better one, you have to go tell him you can't ride his horse. That's hard. You're job is to get on the best horse you can. So you have to do your job."
Pierce said he doesn't coach his riders. "The way I look at it," he said, "I never wanted an agent to come and tell me how to ride a horse, and I would never do that to them. They're good riders. They don't need any help from me. I have two good riders. If you don't have somebody they [trainers] want then it's not any fun. They both have good business and people want them. That's the whole key."
Though he's been retired for 11 years, Pierce said he still has dreams about riding. "I dream I'm in the jock's room," he said, "and I'm going to ride a race, or I'm on the track getting ready to ride. But, of course, dreams never finish out.
"I don't have any dreams that they could find any pants that could fit me anymore," he said with a chuckle.
Pierce was a highly successful rider at Del Mar, still ranking fifth among all- time stakes winners at the seaside course. Among the best horses he rode at Del Mar were Old Mose, Pretense, Chiclero, Atomic Wings, T.V. Commercial, Impressive Style, Fleet Peach, Taisez Vous and Flying Paster. In addition, Pierce, who lives in Pasadena, also rode Ack Ack, Cougar II, Quack, Tell, Gummo, Don B. and B Thoughtful.
POPULAR FATTBURGER CLOSES SUMMER'S "JAZZ AT DEL MAR" SERIES
San Diego-based Fattburger brings what it calls its rhythm and jazz style of music to Del Mar on Wednesday, September 4, to close out this summer's "Jazz at Del Mar presented by Mercedes-Benz," the sixth season for the free concerts at the seaside racetrack.
The performance will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m., following the day's final race. Music will emanate from the Plaza de Mexico, near the track's main gate. The concert is presented under the auspices of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in conjunction with Radio Station KIFM with the support of Mercedes-Benz.
Fattburger, the San Diego area's premier jazz fusion group that has played "Jazz at Del Mar" twice previously, got its start about 10 years ago, performing for the first time at the Triton Club in San Diego. Still with the group are charter members keyboardist Carl Evans Jr., bassist Mark Hunter, percussionist Tommy Aros and drummer Kevin Koch. Taking over the guitar spot is Evan Marks.
Though the members got together in San Diego, they came from divergent backgrounds. Evans is from Portsmouth, VA., and played dates with such stars as Barry White, Stevie Wonder and Julian "Cannonball" Adderly. Koch is from Manitowoc, WI., and has performed with jazz greats Herbie Mann and Dave Valentin.
Detroit native Hunter polished his jazz skills while working with the likes of Clark Terry and Eddie Harris, and Aros, the lone San Diego native, chalked up time with Freddie Hubbard, Al DiMeola and Trini Lopez.
SHORE LINES: Trainer Willard Proctor, who suffered a fainting spell shortly before the running of Sunday's Chula Vista Handicap, was kept overnight for observation at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. His assistant, Patricia Johnson, was to bring him back to Del Mar later this morning .... Gary Stevens, who originally wasn't expected to ride at Del Mar even though he is making a return from shoulder surgery, will be at the seaside course to ride next Monday and on Wednesday's closing day of the 43-day meeting. He has the mount on the well- regarded D. Wayne Lukas trainee, Gold Tribute, in the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity.
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