Stable Notes Del Mar, California Friday, August 22, 1997 (Day 27)

EIGHT 2-YEAR-OLD FILLIES READY FOR DEBUTANTE COMING OUT PARTY

Two-time graded stakes winner Career Collection, owned by Golden Eagle Farm and trained by Wallace Dollase, heads a field of eight 2-year-old fillies for Sunday's Grade II, $250,000 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs over the seaside course's main track.

The winner's share of the purse is $150,000.

Career Collection, who will carry high weight of 121 pounds, including meet-leading jockey Alex Solis, comes into the race off a victory in Del Mar's Grade II Sorrento Stakes, an August 6 prep for the Debutante. Prior to that win, Career Collection captured the Grade II Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood Park July 5.

Packing second high weight of 119 and credentials that show a victory in Churchill Downs' Debutante Stakes is Love Lock, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who has brought in Joe Bravo from the East Coast to ride. Also expected to be a contender is Kendra Faye, trained by Richard Mandella. Though she doesn't have near the seasoning of the top two, Mandella decided to give her a chance in the Debutante. She'll be ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye.

The rest of the starters are Czarina, who will be ridden by Russell Baze; Vivid Angel, with Kent Desormeaux; Griselle, with apprentice J.G. Matos; Balisian Beauty, with Laffit Pincay, Jr.; and Ancient Purple, with Julio Garcia.

SEVEN ALREADY SET FOR NEXT SATURDAY'S GRADE II DEL MAR HANDICAP

A solid seven is already on the line for next Saturday's 58th running of the Grade II, $250,000 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. The Del Mar Handicap kicks off a three-stakes weekend as the seaside course has scheduled the Grade II Chula Vista Handicap for next Sunday and the Grade II Del Mar Derby on Monday, Labor Day.

Heading the list of potential Handicap starters is Allen E. Paulson's Dowty, winner of Del Mar's Escondido Handicap August 8, and Evergreen Farm's Rainbow Dancer, who won the Grade I Hollywood Turf Cup at Hollywood Park May 26 before finishing a dull fifth in the Grade II Sunset Handicap July 20, also at Hollywood Park. Dowty is to be ridden again by Gary Stevens and Alex Solis retains the ride on Rainbow Dancer.

Expected to offer plenty of competition to the top two are Juddmonte Farms' Cloud Forest, who won the Kobuk King Stakes at Del Mar before finishing second in the Escondido; Gary A. Tanaka's Flyway, who was second to Marlin in the Sunset in his last outing; James E. Helzer's Lord Jain, who returns to the turf after finishing fourth in the Pacific Classic August 9; Shadwell Farms' Mufattish, fresh from winning Del Mar's Wickerr Handicap July 31; and Rio Claro Thoroughbreds' Seaborg, who was sixth in the Sunset in his most recent start.

Julio Garcia will ride Cloud forest for trainer Robert Frankel; Kent Desormeaux will be up on Flyway for Ben Cecil; Rene Douglas gets the call on Lord Jain for Bob Baffert; Eddie Delahoussaye will be in the irons on Neil Drysdale's trainee Mufattish; and Chris McCarron will ride Seaborg for Richard Mandella.

AT LEAST SIX MAKE EARLY COMMITMENTS TO CHULA VISTA HANDICAP

Early returns show six fillies and mares appear certain for next Sunday's 27th edition of the Grade II, $300,000 Chula Vista Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on Del Mar's main track. The number easily could grow to seven.

Solid for the race are Janis R. Whitham's Toda Una Dama, trained by Ron McAnally and to be ridden by Alex Solis; 505 Farms' Radu Cool, with Chris McCarron riding for trainer John Shirreffs; Bill M. Thomas' Real Connection, trained by Mel Stute and ridden by Goncalino Almeida; Ray T. or Martha G. Parfet's Chile Chatte, trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Gary Stevens; Herman Sarkowsky's Supercilious, also trained by Mandella and with Laffit Pincay, Jr. set to ride; and Halo Farms and Jerry Hollendorfer's Traces of Gold, who will have apprentice J.G. Matos in the saddle for trainer Hollendorfer.

A seventh filly -- Gonzalo Borges Torrealba's Cara Rafaela -- is considered a "maybe" at this point. If the D. Wayne Lukas trainee goes in the race, Kent Desormeaux will ride.

DEL MAR DERBY SHAPING UP AS "FANTASTIC" RACE FOR 3-YEAR- OLDS

The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Fantastic Fellow, two for two in races in the United States, will try to make it three in a row as he heads toward the 53rd Grade II, $300,000 Del Mar Derby scheduled for Labor Day, Monday, September 1.

If the "Fellow," trained by D. Wayne Lukas and to be ridden by Alex Solis, can win the Derby, he'll be the first to sweep Del Mar's three grass races for 3-year-olds -- the Oceanside Stakes, La Jolla Handicap and Derby. Those three races were captured by Lightning Mandate in 1974, but only the Derby was run on the grass at that time. The other two were moved to the grass in 1975.

Anet, a multiple stakes winner on the dirt, figures to put plenty of heat on Fantastic Fellow, in spite of the fact he (Anet) was well-beaten in his only foray on the grass -- Santa Anita's Pirate Cove Stakes February 28. Since then, Anet has been on a Derby trail that saw him win the Lone Star Derby at Lone Star Park in Texas and finish second in the Illinois and Ohio Derbys before finishing a strong second to Touch Gold in the Grade I Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park August 3. Gary Stevens is scheduled to ride the Clever Trick colt in the Del Mar Derby.

Others committed to the race at this time are the Ron McAnally-trained Brave Act, to be ridden by Goncalino Almeida; Michael Harte trainee Falkenham, with Rene Douglas; the Robert Frankel-trained Floriselli, with Kent Desormeaux; Bruce Headley's One Man Army, with Eddie Delahoussaye; and World Ways, trained by Wallace Dollase and ridden by Chris McCarron.

GRANDDAUGHTER'S RECOVERY CHEERS "ROCKING CHAIR" RIDER MAESE

You never know what a simple, "How are you feeling?" question might bring. For retired jockey Alex Maese, who has ridden in Del Mar's "Rocking Chair Derby" the past two years, it not only brought an "I feel great" but also a cascade of words of joy for the miraculous recovery of his 18-year- old granddaughter, Amanda, from near-fatal injuries in a May 23 auto accident.

Amanda lay in a coma for more than two months, Maese said, adding that when he and his wife saw their granddaughter the day after the accident in Newport Beach they held out little hope for her survival.

Things looked no better for the teen-ager as she lay comatose, but a couple of weeks ago she awakened and she has made considerable progress since at Neuro Care Center in Santa Ana. She even spoke -- though haltingly -- at a news conference yesterday at the center and also greeted members of the Newport Harbor High School cheerleading team, of which she's captain.

SHORE LINES -- For the first time since August 13, Alex Solis sits atop the jockey standings at Del Mar. Solis' two victories on Thursday, while Kent Desormeaux was winless for the second day in a row, sent him to the lead with 24 wins to 23 for Desormeaux. Solis is trying to win his seventh straight riding title at Southern California's three major tracks. The streak stretches back to Hollywood Park's spring-summer meet last year. ... Gary Stute, who has been assistant trainer to his father, Mel, for the past year, has decided to give the jockey agent business a try. He has taken the book of Matt Garcia. He has Garcia on four mounts Sunday in his first official day as agent for the rider. ... Jockey David Flores will return from back and shoulder injuries suffered in a spill at Del Mar several weeks ago on September 1, when he will ride Surachai for trainer Randy Bradshaw in the $125,000 California Turf Championship at Bay Meadows. Flores then figures to ride the final seven days of Del Mar's 43-day meeting. TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES -- Saratoga: John A. Morris Handicap (I).