The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)EIGHT DISTAFFERS TO TRY DEL MAR'S GRADE II PALOMAR HANDICAP
Eight fillies and mares are expected to start in today's 43rd edition of the Grade II Palomar Handicap at Del Mar. If all eight start in the 1 1/16-mile race on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, the purse will be $131,350, with $81,350 going to the winner. Deduct $400 from each figure for any scratches.
FOUR FRIDAY WINS PUSH VALENZUELA NEAR THE TOP IN JOCKEY RACE
Jockey Patrick Valenzuela booted home four winners on Friday to vault into second place in the jockey standings, just one behind leader Corey Nakatani, who is serving a five-day suspension that covers Del Mar's final days of the meeting. Valenzuela's four wins give him 39 so far for the meeting. Nakatani has 40.
Alex Solis, who won Hollywood Park's spring-summer title, rode two winners Friday to keep himself in position to win the title, too. The double gives Solis, who went into the day in second place in the standings, 38 wins. Not out of the picture either is last year's champion, Chris McCarron, who took Friday off, but has 34 victories.
Here's the way today's card shapes up for the three riders, with morning-line odds:
Valenzuela (39) - (5 mounts); 2nd race, Red Hot, 8-1; 4th, Ladies Hat, 8-1; 6th, Flew the City, 7-2; 7th, Costly Frosty, 5-2; 8th, Inscrutable Dancer, 15-1 Solis (38) - (8 mounts); 2nd race, Classic Look, 4-1; 3rd, Bear To Be Krafty, 8-5; 4th, Exhilaration, 5-1; 5th, Makin Whopee, 10-1; 6th, One Man Army, 5-2; 7th, Flick, 3-1; 8th, Wheatly Special, 12-1; 9th, Mmmm Good, 5-2. McCarron (34) - (6 mounts); 4th race, Sinead, 6-1; 5th, Miss Kyama, 5-1; 6th West Coast Warrior, 8-1; 7th, Elmhurst, 7-2; 8th, Yearly Tour, 2-1; 9th, End Run, 9-2.
DEL MAR TO SALUTE RETIRING MUTUELS DIRECTOR PAUL O'HALLORAN
Paul O'Halloran, who attended the races at Del Mar during the track's first season in 1937, is about to finish out his 51st year in the mutuels business at the seaside track. He'll retire following Wednesday's closing-day activities, ending a Del Mar career that includes the past 29 years as director of mutuels.
The 80-year-old O'Halloran, a native of Pawtucket, RI, and an unabashed fan of the Boston Red Sox, will be feted for his long and distinguished service by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club during a presentation in the winner's circle following the fifth race Sunday.
O'Halloran's Del Mar career began shortly after he was discharged from the Navy in San Diego in 1945. He had joined the Navy in 1941, after spending a year in the mutuels department of Rhode Island's old Narragansett Park.
Along with his work at Del Mar, O'Halloran also has been a longtime figure in the mutuels department at Santa Anita, where he served as director of mutuels at the track's annual Oak Tree meeting. Also, he served as mutuels chief at Los Alamitos for five years beginning in 1980, while he headed up the Del Mar department.
The advent of the computer age has had a remarkable impact on the mutuels business, O'Halloran says. In earlier days, the computing was done by manual calculators and it often took six people to get everything taken care of in order to put up the money numbers for a race. The diminutive O'Halloran said the routine included two who handled the size of the pool, an odds person and three to check and approve the calculations.
That process normally took five to six minutes.
Now, he says, computerization means that as soon as the horses cross the finish line, with the "quick official" in place, the numbers can be ready and "we can have the figures that quick," signaling with a snap of his fingers.
Does he expect to come to the races at Del Mar after retirement? "Oh, yeah, but I'm not a real horseplayer," said O'Halloran, who has lived in Encinitas for the past 25 years. "I know so many people around that mean well," he continued, "and would want to give me a 'send' on a horse, that if I talked to every one of them, I'd have every horse in the race."
CLOSING DAY'S DEL MAR FUTURITY IS SHAPING UP AS EIGHT-HORSE RACE
Eight 2-year-olds may be going to the gate for the Grade II, $250,000-guaranteed Del Mar Futurity on Wednesday, the closing day of the seaside course's 43-day race meet.
At this point, seven are considered certain, with one on the "maybe" list. Heading the possible field is the undefeated Swiss Yodeler, winner of five races, including the Grade II Hollywood Juvenile Championship and Del Mar's Grade III Best Pal Stakes on August 21. Swiss Yodeler, owned by Heinz Steinmann and trained by Mike Harrington, will have regular rider Alex Solis in the irons.
Returning from the Best Pal to tackle Swiss Yodeler is Pribble and Thomas' Golden Bronze, who was runner-up, and Jack L. Finley's fourth-place finisher Red, who was runner-up to Swiss Yodeler in the Hollywood Juvenile.
New players include Mike Pegram's Zippersup; Robert and Beverly Lewis' Silver Charm; Allen, Cox, Sullivan and Partners' General Royal; Robert and Beverly Lewis, and Michael Tabor's Gold Tribute; and Gary W. and Timothy R. Burke's Emailit.
All except Gold Tribute have won at least one race. The Mr. Prospector colt, who is trained by D. Wayne Lukas, will run as part of an entry with Silver Charm, trained by Bob Baffert.
Emailit, according to trainer Michael Machowsky, is not a definite starter yet, but he did put in a sharp 5-furlong workout in :58 4/5 Friday. If the colt, who is coming off a victory in a claiming race for a tag of $62,500, starts, he'll have to be supplemented to the race for $10,000, as will Gold Tribute and General Royal. They were not nominated by the June 7, 1996 closing date for the race.
Also delivering good works on Friday were Gold Tribute, :47 2/5 for a half- mile; and Silver Charm, ;1:00 4/5; Swiss Yodeler, 1:00; and Zippersup, :58, all at 5 furlongs.
CLAIMING APPEARS HEADED FOR A RECORD FOR A DEL MAR SEASON
The claim box has been a busy place so far this meeting at Del Mar, with the claiming of horses running far ahead of last summer and possibly heading toward a record number before the meet ends.
In the first 39 days of the meet - through Friday - 196 claims had been processed, against 169 for the same period last year. Since claiming statistics began being kept in 1981, the record is 210 for a meeting, set in 1988. With four days left in the meeting, that mark seems well within reach.
The dollar figures for this year have far outdistanced last year's. The total through Friday was $5,006,000, compared to last season's $3,784,500.
DELAHOUSSAYE CHEERED FOR 'DIFFERENT' KIND OF DAY IN CHULA VISTA
Even though he was replaced by Hall of Fame rider Chris McCarron on the splendid filly Different for last Sunday's Grade II Chula Vista Handicap, Eddie Delahoussaye, also a Hall of Famer, found himself cheering strongly for McCarron to win the race.
The reason: Owner Sidney Craig had made him an offer, said Delahoussaye, he couldn't refuse - an equal winner's share to McCarron's if he would bow out and let McCarron ride. It was strictly a business deal, Delahoussaye said, although he added that he would have liked very much to ride the 4-year-old Argentine-bred filly in the Chula Vista, thinking it could possibly have led to other rides on her.
The matter developed when Exotic Wood, on whom McCarron was regular rider, was scratched from the race. Since McCarron was Different's regular rider, also, Craig and trainer Ron McAnally asked Delahoussaye to give up the ride in favor of McCarron, and the deal, which isn't unusual in racing, was struck.
"I hated not to ride her, but I could understand his [Craig's] point [for wanting regular rider McCarron]," Delahoussaye said. "It was a good business deal. Sid is a businessman and that's what makes it right."
While cheering for McCarron to win, Delahoussaye admitted to some anxious moments at the eighth pole, when it looked as if Different would not get through between horses. But McCarron guided her through for the victory.
SHORE LINES: Jockey G.F. Almeida heads for Toronto, Ont., Canada tonight in order to ride the fine filly Windsharp for trainer Wallace Dollase in Sunday's $100,000-added Grade II Jockey Club Cup at 1 5/8 miles at Woodbine. A victory Sunday could mean a ride back for Almeida in the Grade I, $1,000,000 Canadian International Stakes, also at Woodbine, September 29 .... Notable Saturday workouts: 4 furlongs - Academyawardwinner, :48 2/5; Earl of Barking, :49 3/5; Felon :47 4/5; Future Quest, :48 4/5; Halo Sunshine, :48 4/5; Lit de Justice, :48 3/5; 5 furlongs - Alpride, 1:01 4/5; Benton Creek, 1:01; Lady Sorolla, 1:00 3/5; 6 furlongs - Cleante, 1:14 4/5; 1 mile - Atticus, 1:37 4/5; Gentlemen, 1:38 1/5.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)