Stable Notes Del Mar, California Monday, August 11, 1997 (Day 18)

LA JOLLA WINNER COULD BE FIRST TO SWEEP 3-YEAR-OLD GRASS SERIES

Fantastic Fellow, owned by The Thoroughbred Corp. and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, now is two for two in the United States -- both wins coming at Del Mar -- and is being pointed toward the Grade II, $300,000 Del Mar Derby on Monday, September 1, following his impressive victory Sunday in the Grade III, $135,450 La Jolla Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the Del Mar turf.

"He came back super," said Lukas assistant Mike Marlow this morning. "We're off to a good start with him." The Derby is the next start for the 3- year-old son of Lear Fan.

If Fantastic Fellow were to win the Del Mar Derby, he would be the first to sweep the 3-year-old series on the grass and the first to take the series since 1974 when Lightning Mandate, trained by Farrell Jones, took all three when the first two were run on the main track and the Derby on grass.

Fantastic Fellow came to the Lukas barn from England, where he ran in Group races, early in July, Marlow said, adding that the plan from the start was to aim for the Del Mar Derby.

Marlow is taken with the colt's running style. "He places himself well up in a race. That kind of style will win you a lot of races. We know he can get the distance -- a mile and an eighth [the Derby distance]. I don't know what's after that. He's an aggressive type horse, and yet he's a laid-back kind of horse.

"He handles everything that you ask him to do in a professional way. He's a very serious individual. He's aggressive on the racetrack, but he's well- mannered around the barn."

BAFFERT KEEPS PILING UP WINS, BUT ISN'T THINKING ABOUT THE TITLE

Three victories Sunday for the Bob Baffert barn sent his trainer-standings total to 13 for the first 17 days of Del Mar's 43-day meeting. That leaves the 44-year-old, silver-haired trainer 26 days to zero in on the most victories at the seaside since Farrell Jones racked up 26 in 1974.

The record for most wins in one season appears almost untouchable. R.H. (Red) McDaniel set it in 1954 when he sent out 47 winners in 41 racing days.

But Baffert, who has had a career year that includes winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with Silver Charm and just missing the Triple Crown when beaten three-quarters of a length by Touch Gold in the Belmont, says he's really not thinking about winning the trainers' title. "I don't even think about that part," Baffert said this morning. "If you think about it, then everything falls apart. Right now I'm just trying to concentrate on these horses."

"I get real excited with the 2-year-olds, especially the 2-year-olds that we've entered and have shown something," the trainer said. "To me, that's the most important thing. If you win [the trainer title] that's fine. I came down here to show off some of my 2-year-olds. I was hopeful they were as good as I thought they were."

At least five of them have proved to be exceptional. That's how many 2- year-old winners he's had. They are: Hot Wire, Fiscal Year, Souvenir Copy, Indian Charlie and Vivid Angel. Hot Wire, Souvenir Copy and Indian Charlie are colts, so Baffert might even be making plans already for next year's Triple Crown.

EARLY KENTUCKY DERBY PROSPECT MUD ROUTE BACK IN TRAINING

Mud Route, whose impressive debut as a 3-year-old caused him to be considered as a prime Kentucky Derby prospect, is back in training after overcoming a shin problem that took him out of the Triple Crown picture in February.

Dan Landers, assistant to trainer Ron McAnally, said Mud Route had his first quarter-mile workout last week. The colt was never turned out, Landers said. "He was never out of our sight," Landers noted of the colt's time off. "He's looking real good and doing well," the assistant said, adding that he expected Mud Route to start his racing comeback sometime during Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.

REMINGTON DERBY WINNER WILD RUSH MAY BE HEADED FOR LOUISIANA

Wild Rush, trained by Richard Mandella, won his second derby Sunday and may be looking at a third soon, according to Gary Mandella, the trainer's son and chief assistant. Wild Rush, owned by Frank Stronach, captured the $300,000 Remington Park Derby and his itinerary now includes the Alabama Derby, to be run at Louisiana Downs, and the Louisiana Super Derby at the same site.

Gary Mandella said the Wild Again colt likely will start next in the Grade III, $200,000 Alabama Derby August 30, with the Grade I, $500,000 Super Derby September 28 the ultimate goal.

Of the 1 3/16-mile Remington Derby, the younger Mandella said, "He ran a very good race. Luckily, he had everything his way. Gary [jockey Gary Stevens] said he had to keep him to task the last 50 yards because he got a little lazy and was looking around for something else to do. He said the colt was well within himself, and that makes us feel like he can get that sort of a distance again. I think he's matured a lot."

The Alabama Derby will be run at 1 1/8 miles and the Super Derby at 1 1/4 miles.

PURIM, MOREIRA RETURN FOR THIRD "JAZZ AT DEL MAR" APPEARANCE

Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, a popular duo on the "Jazz at Del Mar" bandstand, bring their Fourth World II band to the seaside racetrack Wednesday for their third appearance in the past four years at the track's free jazz series that holds forth in the Plaza de Mexico just inside the main gate following the day's final race.

The six-concert series, which has become highly popular over the past seven summers, is presented by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in cooperation with Radio Station KIFM and has the backing for the second straight year of Mercedes-Benz of North America and its three San Diego- area authorized dealers.

The Fourth World II group is headlined by the six-octave voice of Purim and the inventive percussion skills of Moreira.

TRAINER GILCHRIST SAYS WILD WONDER TO TRAIN AGAIN IN THE FALL

Wild Wonder, who last ran in the Belmont Stakes and barely survived an attack of botulism that put him near death's door, is expected to be back in trainer Greg Gilchrist's barn in November to be prepared for a 4-year-old racing season.

Gilchrist, who has 10 horses at the current Del Mar meet, said this morning that the Wild Again colt will be shipped from Verne Winchell's Oakwind Farm near Lexington, KY, to Keith Asmussen training center in Laredo, TX, to get him ready in September and October to be returned to Gilchrist for a 1998 campaign. Gilchrist said Wild Wonder had been shipped to Delaware Park after the Belmont in order to get ready to run later at Monmouth Park, and he fell ill, but was treated and recovered well from the botulism.

"He looks great and he doesn't show any outward signs of the problem," said Gilchrist. "We're looking forward to his return."

THERE'S AN INTERESTING TWIST TO 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY ENABRU'S NAME

Enabru, a 2-year-old filly trained by Bryan Mayberry, won her first race in three tries Friday at Del Mar, and while that victory is of great interest to trainer Mayberry and owners Alan and Paula Thomas, the way she got her name could wind up being the big story for the filly. If one looks closely at the name, it's very easy to see that backswards it spells Urbane, who was a very good filly that Mayberry won stakes with as a young horse.

Jeanne Mayberry, wife and assistant to Bryan, offers a very simple explanation. "Enabru's breeding is completely turned around from Urbane. Enabru is by a Pleasant Colony stallion [Roanoke] and out of a Dixieland Band mare [Satin Promise]," Jeanne Mayberry said. "Urbane was by a Dixieland Band stallion and out of a Pleasant Colony mare.

"When I told the owners about it, they said, 'Well, let's name Urbane backwards."

SHORE LINES -- In his final day of racing for the Del Mar meeting, jockey Corey Nakatani won two races Sunday, leaving him tied with Kent Desormeaux in second place in the jockey standings with 14 victories apiece. Desormeaux had a riding triple on the day. Alex Solis continues to lead the standings with 15 wins, capturing only one race Sunday, but that was the La Jolla Handicap, giving him five stakes victories for the meeting already. Nakatani has been suspended for the rest of the 43-day meeting because of an incident a week ago when he knocked apprentice rider Ryan Barber from his mount after the finish of a race.

TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES --Saratoga: Adirondack Stakes (II).