Stable Notes Del Mar, California Thursday, August 21, 1997 (Day 26)

SEVEN ENTERED FOR SATURDAY'S OSUNITAS HANDICAP AT DEL MAR

Led by Grade I stakes winner Auriette, a field of seven fillies and mares, including an entry, were entered today for Saturday's $100,000-added Osunitas Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on Del Mar's Jimmy Durante Turf Course. If all seven start, the gross purse will be $108,050, and the winner's share will be $68,050.

Entered to test Auriette, owned by Barnes and Prestonwood Farms and trained by Martin F. Jones, are the Cobra Farm coupling of Kristopher Street and Port Plaisance, both trained by Mike Puype; Warren Williamson's Blending Element, trained by Carla Gaines; Budget Stable's Myrtle, trained by Kathy Walsh; Allen, Bonde and Cox's Notagoldbrick, trained by Jeff Bonde; and Roberta Cohen and Red Baron's Barn's Staffin, trained by Darrell Vienna.

Auriette, who won the Grade I Gamely Handicap at Hollywood Park last year and finished fifth in this year's Grade I Ramona Handicap at Del Mar in her most recent outing, will carry high weight of 120 pounds, including jockey Gary Stevens. She'll break from post position 2.

Here's the way the field will line up from the rail, with weights and riders: Notagoldbrick, 115, Victor Espinoza; Auriette; Kristopher Street, 115, Jose Valdivia; Blending Element, 117, Alex Solis; Staffin, 117, Patrick Valenzuela; Port Plaisance, 114, Eddie Delahoussaye; Myrtle, 114, Octavio Vergara.

OLD TOPPER SHOWS HIS TRAINER A THING OR TWO WITH BEST PAL WIN

Trainer Noble Threewitt is still confounded about just how Old Topper won Wednesday's $108,825 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar after indulging in seemingly lackadaisical training leading up to the Grade III race.

The 86-year-old Threewitt, who with the victory became the oldest trainer to win a stakes race at Del Mar and is believed to be the oldest to win any race at the seaside track, said following the race, "I was upset over the way he was training. He was so lackadaisical."

On reflection this morning, the ever-young Threewitt, who looks all of 60, said: "I thought he just wasn't cooperating with me on the training, but I guess he just took over the training. I'm going to let him do what he wants now. I didn't think he was training very well, but I guess he knew what he was doing."

Threewitt said he talked to owner Barbara Hunter of Lexington, KY, following the race and broached the subject of supplementing Old Topper to the Grade II, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on September 10, the meeting's final day. "She said it would be up to me, so we'll see about it," he said, adding that the Gilded Time colt came out of the race well.

The supplementary fee for the Futurity is $10,000, with an additional $500 to enter and $2,000 more to start, making a total of $12,500 for Old Topper. The winner's share of the Best Pal purse was $68,825.

If Old Topper goes into the Futurity, he likely will be joined by the second- and third-place finishers in the Best Pal -- King of the Wild and Souvenir Copy. Trainer Steve Young said this morning that King of the Wild came out of the race in good shape and the plan is to run back in the Futurity. Trainer Bob Baffert said Souvenir Copy, who was second favorite to Old Topper, "got a little tired." But he came out of the race fine, the trainer said, adding the Mr. Prospector colt probably would be running next in the Futurity.

Majorbigtimesheet, trained by Jenine Sahadi, was pulled up in the stretch during the race when jockey Patrick Valenzuela said he felt the colt bobble. Sahadi said this morning the colt apparently came out of the race fine, saying veterinarians couldn't find anything wrong with him.

TRAINER VIENNA RECALLS GREAT TIMES WITH SIRE OF BEST PAL VICTOR

Trainer Darrell Vienna was as direct as anyone can be when asked this morning to comment on Gilded Time, the 1992 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and that year's 2-year-old champion as well sire of yesterday's Best Pal winner Old Topper: "He's the best horse I ever trained; no question. There was no horse close to him. In April and May of his 2-year- old year he was outworking very high quality older horses. In his crop, he was like a man among boys.

"I remember that when we went to the Breeders' Cup, I never have been more confident about winning any race. If you looked at the other horses and looked at him, it was like I was running an older horse against babies. He just had a lot of talent. And the thing that I liked about him in his career was he was medication-free. I felt very confident that he would be a sire because what he had was that ability; there was no enhancement to it."

That talent was tested and proved to be of top quality the next year as Gilded Time, even though he had been off since the previous Breeders' Cup championship day, came back to finish third in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Sprint and silence the critics who questioned Vienna's decision to run him in the Sprint off of that sort of layoff.

Old Topper became the second stakes winner of Gilded Time's first crop to race. Time Limit, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, won Belmont Park's Tremont Stakes to become Gilded Time's first stakes winner. That colt will be running back in River Downs' $200,000 Cradle Stakes on Labor Day, September 1.

TRAINER, RACING FORM TRACKMAN TO LEAD HANDICAPPING SEMINARS

Trainer Dallas Keen and veteran Daily Racing Form trackman Mike Schneider will be this weekend's guests at Del Mar's weekly free handicapping seminars held from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. at the Seaside Terrace, near the head of the stretch. The seminars offer a chance for new fans to learn the art of handicapping and for all fans to gain insight into the afternoon's races.

Keen, the runaway training champion at the recently competed Lone Star Park meeting in Grand Prairie, TX, has a string of horses at Del Mar and will be Saturday's guest at the seminar. Schneider, who calls the charts for Daily Racing Form, will be Sunday's guest.

Jack Minger of the Del Mar's media staff will serve as seminar host.

SERIES OF WORKSHOPS HIGHLIGHT OWNERS' SEMINAR AT DEL MAR

Thoroughbred owners will get a chance to meet Del Mar racing officials and learn about what they do during a series of workshops set up during a one-day owners' seminar at the seaside course Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. in the Clubhouse Terrace Restaurant.

Speakers for the seminar are steward David Samuel, starter Tucker Slender, association veterinarian Dr. Ray Baran, track superintendent Steve Wood, and farrier Buzz Fermin. The workshop subjects will be the starting gate, stewards' stand, paddock and receiving barn.

The cost is $20 and it covers the seminar, continental breakfast, track admission, program and seminar seating. Reservations can be made with Rosemary Stringer at (626) 445-7800. The seminar is being presented by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

SHORE LINES -- While it won't hurt his race-calling, Del Mar announcer Trevor Denman is hobbling around on a very tender left ankle after spraining it severely in what Denman called "a freak accident." He said he sprained it as he walked on a carpeted floor. He'll be wearing a cast on the ankle and foot for six weeks. ... Author Laura Taylor will be in the Grandstand Paddock area on Saturday to sign her book, "Anticipation." ... Bob Baffert continues to lead the standings in his quest for his first Del Mar training title. Baffert's 17 victories, two more than he had for last year's entire Del Mar season, gives him a comfortable cushion over second- place Mike Mitchell, who has recorded 11 wins in his effort to win his third title in a row and seventh overall. ... Jockey Jose Valdivia, who spent part of his apprentice year riding at Del Mar in 1995, has returned to the seaside track after riding for more than a year on the Kentucky circuit -- Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Turfway Park and Ellis Park -- and at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, AK. He lost little time in getting a mount locally, winning the call on Kristopher Street in Saturday's Osunitas Handicap.

TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES -- Saratoga: New York Turf Writers Handicap (Steeplechase).