Stable Notes Del Mar, California Sunday, August 31, 1997 (Day 35)

SIX FILLIES AND MARES READY TO START IN CHULA VISTA HANDICAP

A field of six fillies and mares, including one who's making her stakes debut in the United States, is set to go postward today in Del Mar's 27th running of the Grade II, $300,000 Chula Vista Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The winner's portion of the purse will be $180,000.

Assigned high weight of 117 pounds and ruling as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the race is 505 Farms' Radu Cool, a plucky 5-year-old who comes into the race off a victory in Del Mar's Bayakoa Stakes July 28. The John Shirreffs trainee will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, who is the seaside track's career leader in stakes victories with 109. McCarron also has captured the Chula Vista for the past three years and has five wins in the race for his career.

Halo Farms and Jerry Hollendorfer's Traces of Gold was withdrawn from the race this morning.

RAINBOW DANCER, DOWTY FINE AFTER THRILLING HANDICAP FINISH

Trainer Jenine Sahadi said her Del Mar Handicap winner Rainbow Dancer came out of Saturday's whing-ding of a race in great shape, although tired. "He was a happy boy," Sahadi said, admitting to happiness on her own part for the victory.

Following the race, she was profuse in her praise of jockey Alex Solis for his dedication to the 6-year-old son of Rainbow Quest owned by C.N. and Carol Ray's Evergreen Farm. She said Solis, besides working the horse regularly, would come by the barn and walk and talk to the horse on various mornings to get better acquainted with him.

Dowty, owned by Allen E. Paulson and trained by Bill Mott assistant Simon Bray, was just a nose short of the winner, and Bray said the 5-year-old son of Irish River came out of the race in fine shape. "What a great horse race," Bray said.

RIDING TRIPLE SATURDAY GIVES MATT GARCIA HIS BEST DAY AT DEL MAR

Jockey Matt Garcia, a 27-year-old with the youthful face that, he says, still gets him "carded" when ordering an alcoholic beverage, had his best Del Mar riding day ever on Saturday when he scored three victories.

"It felt really good," Garcia said this morning. "Horses are really running well for me right now. I just hope that it keeps going and I'll have many more days like that."

While the riding triple was a first for him at the seaside course, Garcia said he had won four races in a day at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meet two years ago when he was an apprentice, and he won five races on one card at Fairplex last year.

Garcia's three wins also enriched the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund by $250, a donation that the Del Mar Turf Club makes for each multiple- win day, beginning with three, for riders at the Del Mar meeting. The latest donation runs the meet total for the fund to $3,250.

PAIR OF FILLIES POST IMPRESSIVE VICTORIES; FUTURES APPEAR BRIGHT

Two fillies scored impressive wins Saturday in Del Mar allowance races to start a bit of a buzz about what might lie in the future for them. However, both trainers -- Ron McAnally and Richard Mandella -- followed that time- worn "one day at a time" approach to what might come next for the pair.

Griega, a 3-year-old Irish-bred making her first start in the United States for owner Charles Cella and trainer McAnally, walloped her field in the day's fifth race by 3 1/2 lengths at the end of a 1 1/16-mile run on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. She ran way off the pace early and then came with a rush around the turn and down the stretch to pull away under a confident ride by Chris McCarron.

McAnally said Cella watched the race at Fairmount Park near his home in the St. Louis area and was mightily impressed. The trainer, though exuding confidence in the filly, said, "We'll take it one step at a time with her," adding that no special plan had been set for her yet.

Mandella said Corona Lake, who stalked the pace and then exploded for a 3 1/2-length win in the seventh race, would go to Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting and "we'll just keep doing what we've been doing with her." He said he had no long-range plans for the filly yet.

SMILE WITH THE JOCKEYS: THIRD RIDER PHOTO DAY SET FOR TOMORROW

As many as 10 riders are expected Monday prior to the races for pictures with fans in the final of the track's three Jockey Photo Days. Because of the early post on Monday (12:30 p.m. instead of the normal 2 p.m.), pictures can be taken from 10:30 to 11:45 as Del Mar helps celebrate "America's Day at the Races."

Those jockeys expected to be available for photos on Monday are Paul Atkinson, Carlos Arias, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Octavio Vergara, Brice Blanc, Fernando Valenzuela; Felipe Valdez, J.C. Gonzalez, Joy Scott and Corey Black.

LAFFIT PINCAY, JR. WATCH -- In his pursuit of Bill Shoemaker's record of 889 victories at Del Mar, Laffit Pincay, Jr. moved one win closer Saturday when he booted home Wise and Bold in the day's first race. That gives Pincay nine wins for this Del Mar meet and 886 for his career. Pincay is scheduled to ride five horses at Emerald Downs in Auburn, WA, today.