Stable Notes Del Mar, California Saturday, August 16, 1997 (Day 22)

SEVEN SPRINTERS FACE TEST IN TODAY'S PAT O'BRIEN 'CAP AT DEL MAR

The first three finishers in Del Mar's Bing Crosby Breeders' Cup Handicap July 27 will renew their rivalry today when they head a field of seven sprinters for the 12th running of the Grade III Pat O'Brien Handicap at seven furlongs on the seaside course's main track. If the seven start, the gross purse will be $108,200, with $68,200 going to the winner. For each scratch, deduct $1,000.

Back from the Crosby are winner First Intent, runner-up Boundless Moment and Mike Pegram's third-place finisher High Stakes Player. Stepping up to offer competition are Gold Land, Tres Paraiso, Elmhurst and Score Quick.

TOUCH GOLD BOWS OUT OF TRAVERS; WILL TRY PEGASUS 'CAP INSTEAD

Citing the fact that Touch Gold seemed to be struggling with the track surface at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY, trainer David Hofmans said this morning that the winner of the Belmont Stakes and Haskell Invitational will not run in next Saturday's Travers Stakes.

Instead, Hofmans said, the colt, owned by Frank Stronach and Stonerside Stable, will most likely run the $1 million Pegasus Handicap at The Meadowlands September 20.

Of the Saratoga track, Hofmans, who was at the track Friday to supervise a work by Touch Gold that never happened, said, "He hated it. I can see now why they call that the graveyard of favorites. The track is so deep and loose [that] a big, strong horse can't get hold of it. I will not run him in the Travers. I'll run my other 3-year-old [Awesome Again, who worked six furlongs in 1:14 Friday]. We'll go to New Jersey and run in the Pegasus [Handicap] with Touch Gold on September 20."

"HORSE FOR THE COURSE" LAKOTA BRAVE SCORES FIFTH WIN AT DEL MAR

Lakota Brave, an 8-year-old gelding, could serve as poster boy for the racetrackers' slogan "horses for courses." The son of Northern Prospect proved it again Friday as he scored a solid half-length victory over a strong group of sprinters in the day's sixth race.

The Bruce Headley trainee was making his first start since finishing fifth in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Friday victory, with Hall of Fame rider Eddie Delahoussaye in the irons, was Lakota Brave's fifth in seven career starts at Del Mar. He was second in the other two.

Last year's road to the Breeders' Cup for Lakota Brave started at Del Mar with a second-place finish in the Crazy Kid Stakes September 4. He then went on to win the Grade III Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap before going into the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Friday's win could be another launching pad for the Headley sprinter.

TRAINER CARLA GAINES POSTS HER FIRST STAKES VICTORY AT DEL MAR

A normally understated Carla Gaines said -- with a big smile this morning -- that her first stakes victory at Del Mar "was very exciting." The stakes victory came with Rhythninjava, owned by Warren B. Williamson, in the Vieille Vigne Handicap, the seventh race on Del Mar's final "Four O'Clock Friday" card of the season.

It was the second win of the day for both Gaines and Williamson.

The former Northern California trainer came to Southern California last November for the Hollywood Park and has remained. This, then, is her first meeting at Del Mar, and she has 14 horses in her barn.

Her first stakes victory on the southern circuit came at Hollywood Park in the spring when Freeport Flight won the Grade III Princess Stakes for 3- year-old fillies.

Gaines, a native of Birmingham, AL, and a graduate of the University of Alabama in psychology, has been training on her own nine years, after serving as an assistant to several trainers for 10 years, both in Southern and Northern California. Gaines rode show horses and jumpers while she was growing up, but she's the first in her family to work in Thoroughbred racing.

FIVE ARE EARLY PROSPECTS FOR SATURDAY'S 42ND OSUNITAS HANDICAP

It's still a week away, but next Saturday's $100,000-added Osunitas Handicap already has five solid early prospects for the 1 1/16-mile race on Del Mar's Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Committed at this time to the 42nd Osunitas are the Cobra Farm entry of Kristopher Street and Port Plaisance, both trained by Mike Puype; Warren B. Williamson's Blending Element, whose conditioner is Carla Gaines; Barnes and Prestonwood Farm's Auriette, a graded stakes winner trained by Martin F. Jones; and Budget Stable's Myrtle, trained by Kathy Walsh.

Fourteen are nominated to the race for fillies and mares 3 years old and older, so a full field of 10 could be possible.

SHORE LINES - Neither of the top two riders in the jockey standings -- Kent Desormeaux and Alex Solis -- rode a winner Friday but Eddie Delahoussaye and Goncalino Almeida picked up a pair of wins. Delahoussaye's victories gave him 16 for the meet so far, putting him just one behind Solis, who hasn't won a race since last Monday when he was the leader. Desormeaux currently leads the pack with 20 wins as he tries to capture his third jockey title "where the turf meets the surf." ... Several Del Mar jockeys are slated to participate in the popular jockey-fan team penning event that benefits the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund. The fourth annual event will take place August 26 in the Horse Show Arena on the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Gates open at 5 p.m., there's dinner from 5 to 7:30 and the penning events begin at 7.

TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES - Delaware Park: Newcastle Handicap; Saratoga: Alabama; Calder: Shocker T. Handicap; Monmouth Park: The Sapling; Ellis Park: The Kentuckian.