Stable Notes Del Mar, California Monday, August 25 (Day 30)

VIVID ANGEL IN HEAVENLY SHAPE FOLLOWING DEBUTANTE VICTORY

Vivid Angel, Sunday's Del Mar Debutante winner for trainer Bob Baffert, was reported at "100 per cent" by Baffert assistant Eoin Harty this morning.

Baffert, himself, still seemed just a bit surprised at the outcome, but nevertheless happy with the victory for the filly. He has expressed often his delight over victories from 2-year-olds and Sunday's Debutante score had him all smiles. "She had been working well," the trainer said this morning, "and we just decided to take a shot. Most of them [in the race] were all in the same boat [on experience]. I really didn't think she'd win her first time [August 10], but she showed a lot of heart and that's one of the things you don's know until you put them in a race."

Runner-up Griselle, who fell three lengths short of the winner after charging from last place down the stretch, bled some during the race, but trainer Mel Stute couldn't say this morning how bad the bleeding was. He said he hasn't laid out any further plans for the daughter of Flying Continental, but indicated she might be tried in some races for California breds and perhaps the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Hollywood Park.

Though disappointed by the fourth-place finish of race favorite Love Lock, Mike Marlow, assistant to D. Wayne Lukas, said this morning, "We'll live to dance another dance." Marlow blamed a troubled trip for part of her performance. "She got off a little slow, but she punched it pretty good as she made move," he said. "She got tired the last sixteenth [of a mile], but she came back fine."

Career Collection, the second choice in the Debutante trained by Wallace Dollase, showed her fractious side by rearing in the gate, and then, after prompting the pace, she faded to sixth, beaten 5 1/4 lengths.

DESORMEAUX BECOMES YOUNGEST RIDER TO SURPASS $100 MILLION MARK

Kent Desormeaux has become the youngest rider ever to top the $100 million mark in purse money won. The 27-year-old Louisiana native, as of this morning, has registered earnings of $100,431,194. His career statistics also show 16,571 mounts and 3,422 wins for a 20 per cent win figure.

It hasn't been determined just when Desormeaux cleared the mark, but his victory aboard Formal Gold in Saturday's Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park put $250,000 in his purse poke and the winner's share in Sunday's Del Mar Debutante added another $150,000, so it appears he topped the landmark sometime in the past three days.

Desormeaux also is the youngest to win 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 races.

Previously, Chris McCarron had been the youngest to go over the $100 million mark at age 33.

JOCKEY SORENSON HAS "CAREER WEEKEND" IN TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO

Veteran rider Danny Sorenson, who has been riding on the Southern California circuit regularly since 1988, had perhaps his greatest days in racing -- in purse winnings -- on Saturday and Sunday in Texas and New Mexico.

On Saturday night, Sorenson guided 2-year-old Keen Dancer, trained by Eldon Hall, to victory in the $100,000-added El Joven Stakes at Retama Park, and on Sunday afternoon at The Downs at Santa Fe (NM), he won the $571,647 Indian Nations Cup Futurity after a wild and erratic ride on Grady, trained by Randy Bradshaw. Finishing second and third, respectively, in the New Mexico race for 2-year-olds were General Gem, trained by Del Mar conditioner Eric Kruljac and ridden Patrick Valenzuela, and Real Quiet, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Scott Stevens.

Known among his riding buddies as a humble sort, the 39-year-old Sorenson acknowledged that the weekend was a big one for him. "I've won multiple stakes over weekends before," he said, "but not for this much. These were two nice races on two nice horses that I was very fortunate to ride. You know, purse money doesn't mean a darn thing until after you win it. It doesn't matter if you're riding for $10 or $10 million, you have to go out there and ride a smart race, ride the horse to the best of your and his ability."

Sorenson, who rode his first race as a professional at Del Mar in 1977, said he wasn't prepared for what happened in the Indian Nations Cup, when Grady bolted toward the outside rail as the field turned into the stretch and then came all the way back across the track before straightening out to win the race from a tiring General Gem.

Noting that Grady ran very professionally in the trial for the Indian Nations Cup, Sorenson said, "My horse had shown me that he had enough speed that we could get a clean trip. All of a sudden at the top of the lane he hung a right turn on me. I don't know what caused him to do that because he had never given an inkling of that before. Of course, I grabbed him and although his head was turned [back inward], his body wasn't and he wasn't responding to my efforts, so I hit him. He didn't give me a big response so I hit him again and he took a left turn on me. I finally straightened him out, and I'm wanting to hit him to get some run back into him, but I didn't know what he'd do." What he did was ride him to the finish line, "and we got lucky and won."

TRAINER BAFFERT TO SADDLE WHAT COULD BE THIRD MILLIONAIRE

Bob Baffert, who leads the Del Mar standings with 19 victories to 12 for second-place conditioner Mike Mitchell, will be saddling a potential millionaire today when he prepares Letthebighossroll in the seventh race for long-time owner Mike Pegram.

Going into the race, the 9-year-old son of Flying Paster has won purse money of $983,378 and the winner's share of the $53,000 allowance purse is $31,800, which would put him well over the seven-figure mark.

Letthebighossroll will carry a claiming tag of $80,000 and jockey Chris McCarron in the race. For his career, the "Big Hoss" has 18 victories, 13 seconds and six thirds from 57 lifetime starts. Baffert said the gray gelding has had physical problems over the years, but the trainer has always been able to give the horse time off to recover.

In his most recent start, Letthebighossroll finished third in a Del Mar allowance race August 15.

Baffert acknowledged that there was some sort of story going around about some deal he and Pegram made if the trainer could make the horse a millionaire, but he insists it's a private matter between he and his long- time client and friend.

"THE STEELY DAMNED" SET TO MAKE FOURTH "JAZZ AT DEL MAR" SCENE

For the fourth straight year, The Steely Damned, a popular San Diego-based band that re-creates the music of 1970s rock/jazz band Steely Dan, will be performing for "Jazz at Del Mar" on Wednesday in the next-to-last offering of the racetrack's popular summer music event that follows each Wednesday's races.

The free concerts are performed in the Plaza de Mexico just inside the seaside track's main gate. The programs are offered under the auspices of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in cooperation with Radio Station KIFM and usually begin about 6:30 p.m.

Popular jazz disc jockey and KFMB television and radio personality Larry Himmel again will be master of ceremonies.

TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES -- Saratoga: Nijana (III).