Stable Notes Del Mar, California Thursday, September 4, 1997 (Day 38)

SIX TO TRY DEL MAR GRASS IN SATURDAY'S PALOMAR HANDICAP

A field of six older fillies and mares, headed by Grade I winner Listening, owned by Janis Whitham and trained by Ron McAnally, was entered this morning for Saturday's 44th running of the Grade III Palomar Handicap on Del Mar's Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

If all six start, the gross purse will be $126,950, with the winner's share being $76,950.

Ready to tackle Listening at 1 1/16 miles on the turf are Thomas M. and Marguerite Cavanagh's Blushing Heiress, trained by Dan Hendricks; Cohen and Red Baron's Barn's Staffin, trained by Darrell Vienna; Ken Porter's Taxable Deduction, under the training of John Sadler; Halo Farms and Hollendorfer's Traces of Gold, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer; and Wheatly Special, owned by Kenis & 3+U Stable and trained by Jack Van Berg.

Listening, whose Grade I win came in Hollywood Park's Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap in which she defeated Chile Chattee and Exotic Wood, will carry high weight of 120 pounds and will spot her foes from three to nine pounds.

Here's the way they'll line up from the rail, with weights and riders: Staffin, 112, Gary Stevens; Wheatly Special, Rene Douglas, 112; Blushing Heiress, 117, Chris McCarron; Listening, Alex Solis; Taxable Deduction, 111, Eddie Delahoussaye; Traces of Gold, 115, J.G. Matos.

RIDERS ASSIGNED TO BAFFERT DEL MAR FUTURITY DUO; 4 WORK SHARPLY

The waiting is over on who might ride Souvenir Copy and Commitisize, the Bob Baffert-trained duo scheduled to run in Wednesday's Grade II, $250,00 Del Mar Futurity. It will be Chris McCarron on Souvenir Copy and Kent Desormeaux on Commitisize.

However, the big news on the day was the works that four of the prospects put in on Del Mar's main track. Souvenir Copy, with McCarron in the irons, sizzled six furlongs in an eye-popping 1:11 1/5 handily and galloped out seven furlongs in 1:25 4/5.

The three other pre-Futurity workers went five furlongs. Old Topper, the Noble Threewitt-trained winner of Del Mar's Grade III Best Pal Stakes August 20, turned in his sharpest workout of the season at the seaside course, stopping the clocks in :58 3/5 seconds handily with regular rider Alex Solis in the saddle.

The D. Wayne Lukas-trained pair of Double Honor and Yarrow Brae registered identical times of 1:01 1/5 for the distance in the hands of Lukas exercise rider Norman Rodriguez. In the Futurity, Double Honor will be ridden by Gary Stevens and Yarrow Brae will have Pat Day.

EIGHT HORSES READY FOR OLDTIMERS IN ANNUAL ROCKING CHAIR DERBY

A field of eight is set for Del Mar's popular Rocking Chair Derby Saturday, as eight old-time riders get back in the saddle again. The betless exhibition will be listed as the 10th race in the program, but will be run between the sixth and seventh regular races.

The race is for maidens three years old and older running for a claiming price of $32,000. All will carry 120 pounds, including their riders.

Set for the 10th running of the 5 1/2-furlong race are these retired jockeys: Bill Harmatz, who has never missed a Rocking Chair Derby but has yet to win one; Rudy Campas; Jack Leonard; Alex Maese; Danny Velasquez; Frank Olivares; and Ray York, who has won the past two Rocking Chair Derbys, as well as having won the 1954 Kentucky Derby on Determine.

RACE FOR RIDER LAURELS TIGHTENS AGAIN AMONG THREE JOCKEYS

Two wins apiece Wednesday for Kent Dosormeux and Eddie Delahoussaye tightened the standings further as the three-way race for leading jockey at Del Mar's 43-day meeting seems to be moving toward a photo finish.

The two victories for Desormeaux sent him into a tie with Alex Solis, winless on the day, at the top of the standings with 34 wins apiece. Delahoussaye is only two victories behind the leading pair with 32.

As the day's card unfolded, it appeared that Delahoussaye might just make a huge move and collar Solis at the top after the Hall of Fame rider captured the third and sixth races in his first two rides of the day. That double tied him with Desormeaux for second place, and he was on the morning-line favorite in the seventh race and had a promising mount in the eighth race. However, Delahoussaye finished second and third, respectively, in those races.

Meanwhile, Desormeaux roared back and won the final two races to vault into the tie with Solis.

Here's who they'll ride today, with morning-line odds:

Alex Solis (5 mounts) -- First race: Truly A Deb, 9-2; Third: Hec's Lil Angel, 9-5; Fourth: Fatoul, 5-1; Fifth: In Trust, 3-1; Sixth: Elio Monti, 5-2.

Kent Desormeaux (4 mounts) -- Third race: Southern Bonnie, 7-2; Fifth: Eastside Westside, 2-1; Sixth: Inyourface, 3-1; Eighth: Things Remembered, 5-1.

Eddie Delahoussaye (3 mounts) -- Fourth race: Cut an Paste, 5-1; Fifth: Purrfect Heritagae, 5-1; Seventh: Lakota Brave, 9-5.

RACING FORM EDITOR, TRAINER SET FOR FINAL HANDICAPPING SEMINARS

The final two free handicapping seminars will be held this Saturday and Sunday for Del Mar fans at the Seaside Terrace area near the top of the stretch. The time for each day's seminar, in which guests pass along their handicapping tips and analyze the day's card, is 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

Saturday's guest will be George Bernet, editor of Daily Racing Form, who makes an annual pilgrimage to the seaside course from his East Coast base. On Sunday, patrons will be able to listen to the handicapping hints of young trainer Michael Machowsky, who last Friday scored his first Del Mar stakes victory.

LAFFIT PINCAY, JR. WATCH -- In his quest to surpass Bill Shoemaker's record of 889 career victories at Del Mar, Laffit Pincay, Jr., who failed to ride a winner in two tries Wednesday, starts today's races with 886 victories. Pincay's mounts today, with morning-line odds: First race: Borntobeattheboys, 6-1; Sixth: Bad Things Man, 6-1; Eighth: Easyrider, 3-1.

SHORE LINES -- Advancing Star, who clocked a swift 1:08 2/5 for 6 furlongs in Wednesday's feature race at Del Mar, the $71,355 June Darling Stakes, may be pointed next toward the Autumn Days Handicap, a sprint on the downhill grass course during Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, said Gary Mandella, son and assistant to trainer Richard Mandella, this morning. As an alternative, the 4-year-old filly, owned by Golden Eagle Farm, could run in the Ancient Title Handicap, the younger Mandella added. ... Trainer Bob Baffert said this morning that his Del Mar Derby winner, Anet, will make his next start in the $1-million Pegasus Handicap September 18 at The Meadowlands, where he is expected to meet Touch Gold, victor over Anet in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park August 3. ... Jockeys Kent Desormeaux and Corey Black will be at Ohi Racetrack in Tokyo, Japan, at the end of September to take part in a Jockey Invitational event. The trip will run from September 24-30 and will include two days of travel and two days of riding, as well as three days set aside for meeting racing figures in Japan. The jockeys will ride in four races on each of the riding days. ... There will be nine races on Friday instead of the normal eight, and there will be nine wagering races, as well as the Rocking Chair Derby, which is a betless exhibition, on Saturday. The normal 10 races will be run on Sunday. First post each day will be 2 p.m. ... Heavyweight boxers Alex Garcia and Archie Peri will battle Saturday night in a scheduled 10-round bout at the Del Mar Arena on the fairgrounds adjacent to the racetrack. An admission price of $11 -- $15.50 less than the general admission price -- is available to all holders of a CHRB license, as well as all Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, 22nd District and Premier employees.

CORRECTION -- In Wednesday's stable notes, it was reported Antonio Castanon had arrived at Del Mar hoping to ride here in the closing days of the meeting. Actually, it is Jesus Castanon, brother of Antonio, who is here. Jesus Castanon, whose business is being handled by jockey agent Don Pierce, rode at Del Mar from 1989-91 and hopes to re-establish himself on the Southern California circuit. The 24-year-old native of Mexico City has been riding in the East, most recently at Philadelphia Park.