Stable Notes Del Mar, California Sunday, September 7, 1997 (Day 41)

SHORT BUT TALENTED FIELD SET FOR DEL MAR BREEDERS' CUP HANDICAP

Short on quantity, but long on quality is the report on today's 11th version of the Grade II, $200,000-added Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap as a field of five, headed by Northern Afleet and Crafty Friend, is scheduled for the one-mile race on the main track.

If all five start, the gross purse will be $206,700, with the winner's share being $126,700.

Northern Afleet comes into the race off a scintillating victory July 26 in Del Mar's Grade III San Diego Handicap, and Crafty Friend finished third in the Grade I, $1-million Pacific Classic in his most recent start on August 9.

EIGHT POTENTIAL STARS HEAD FOR WEDNESDAY'S DEL MAR FUTURITY

Headed by graded stakes winners Double Honor and Old Topper, a field of eight juveniles were entered today for Wednesday's Grade II, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity, the final stakes race of the seaside course's 43-day meeting, which ends with the day's 10-race card.

The winner's portion of the purse is $150,000. The winner of last year's Futurity was Robert and Beverly Lewis' Silver Charm, who went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes this year under the guidance of trainer Bob Baffert and rider Gary Stevens.

Both Double Honor, owned by The Thoroughbred Corp., and Old Topper, owned by Barbara Hunter, have Grade III victories to their credit -- Double Honor in Monmouth Park's Sapling Stakes August 16 and Old Topper in Del Mar's Best Pal Stakes August 20. Double Honor is trained by D. Wayne Lukas and Old Topper is trained by 86-year-old Noble Threewitt.

Double Honor, who has finished second in two other Grade III events -- the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs and the Sanford at Saratoga -- also holds a nose victory over Old Topper in a maiden race at Hollywood Park June 1. The two stakes winners will carry high weight of 119 pounds, spotting their six foes four pounds. Double Honor will be ridden by Stevens and Old Topper by his regular rider and meet-leading jockey Alex Solis.

Expected to bring plenty of competition to the race are Golden Eagle Farm's Souvenir Copy and Mike Pegram's Commitisize, both of whom are trained by Baffert but will run as separate entities; King Edward Racing Stable's King of the Wild, trained by Steven Young; Pamela McCardle-Wofford's Winged Express, trained by Craig Lewis; Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor's Yarrow Brae, trained by Lukas; and Heinz Steinmann's Tryumphant, trained by Mike Harrington.

Riding Souvenir Copy will be Chris McCarron, who holds the Del Mar record of 111 career stakes victories, and Kent Desormeaux will ride Commitisize to cover the Baffert duo. King of the Wild will have Eddie Delahoussaye aboard, Winged Express will be ridden by Rene Douglas, Corey Black will be up on Tryumphant, and Hall of Fame rider Pat Day will come in to ride Yarrow Brae.

GARY STEVENS HAS CHANCE TO TIE DEL MAR'S MEET STAKES RECORD

With his victory in Friday's I'm Smokin Stakes, Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens chalked up his 10th stakes win of the meet and put himself in line to tie or pass the record of 12 stakes scores in a Del Mar meet shared by Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Chris McCarron. Pincay set the record in 1976 and McCarron tied it in 1995.

Stevens has two chances to add to his total on today's card. He rides the 7- 5 morning-line favorite Relaxing Rhythm in the Torrey Pines Stakes, which will be run as the third race, and Pinfloron, who is 4-1 on the morning-line in the day's featured eighth race, the Grade II Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap.

In the season's final stakes race -- on Del Mar's closing Wednesday -- Stevens will ride one of the favorites in Double Honor, trained by D. Wayne Lukas.

BLUSHING HEIRESS EXITS PALOMAR HANDICAP IN GOOD SHAPE

Trainer Dan Hendricks said his Palomar Handicap winner Blushing Heiress came out of the race in good shape, and he's now looking at three races as prospects for her next start.

Hendricks was still marveling at how Blushing Heiress, with the cagey Chris McCarron aboard, was able to get a comfortable lead, slow down the pace and kick home for the easy two-length victory. "There was speed in the race," Hendricks said, "but none that could match hers. When I saw 49 [seconds for the first half-mile], I felt very good."

Though he hasn't settled on a race yet, Hendricks said her next start will be at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting in either the Autumn Days Handicap October 1, the Grade II Las Palmas Handicap October 5 or the Grade II Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup Handicap October 19. The first two are on the turf and the last named is on the main track. "I've always wanted to try her on the dirt," Hendricks said.

ROCKING CHAIR DERBY WINNER VELASQUEZ LOOKS AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR

Danny Velasquez, one of the old racetrack warriors who return each year to ride in Del Mar's popular Rocking Chair Derby, was hardly over Saturday's Derby victory -- his second --than he was looking forward this morning to next year's Derby, especially because it will give him and Ray York a chance to break a tie of two wins apiece in the event. Velasquez won earlier in 1994, and York won in 1995 and '96.

Actually, York, riding Seventh Slew, finished ahead of Velasquez in Saturday's race, but the stewards agreed with Velasquez's claim of foul in the stretch run and disqualified York to second place and moved Velasquez, aboard Emperor Hudson, up to first.

The jockeys and horses battled through the length of the stretch before Seventh Slew finished first by a head. However, the stewards ruled that Seventh Slew kept pushing Emperor Hudson farther and farther out as they ran to the wire. "I thought I was going to get by him at the top of the stretch," the 53-year-old Velasquez said, "but his [York] horse wouldn't give up. I didn't realize how far out I was until I stood up at the wire.

"I made the claim with mixed emotions, but I had to do what was right for the owner, trainer and myself." The race was a non-betting exhibition, but there was a purse for the horse owners.

EACH OF BIG 3 WIN A RACE, LEAVING JOCKEY STANDINGS THE SAME

Alex Solis, Kent Desormeaux and Eddie Delahoussaye each garnered one race victory Saturday to up their totals but stay in their respective 1, 2 and 3 positions in the season's jockey standings. Solis now has 37 wins, Desormeaux 36 and Delahoussaye 35.

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

Alex Solis (8 mounts) -- First race: New Journey, 3-1; Third: Funny Flag, 15-1; Fourth: Miss Lady Bug, 3-1; Sixth: Letter of Marque, 7-2; Seventh: Triple Premiere, 2-1; Eighth: Crafty Friend, 9-5; Ninth: Snowberg, 8-1; Tenth: Commanche Raid, 8-1.

Kent Desormeaux (4 mounts) -- Second race: Prince Slewpy, 8-1; Seventh: Sweet Symmetry, 6-1; Ninth: Miss Hot Salsa, 20-1; Tenth: Signoretto, 6-1.

Eddie Delahoussaye (6 mounts) -- Third Race: I Ain't Bluffing, 2-1; Fourth: Kimba, 2-1; Fifth: Trilin, 3-1; Sixth: Tux and Tails, 3-1; Eighth: Benchmark, 7-2; Ninth: Hope Island, 8-1.

LAFFIT PINCAY, JR. WATCH -- Laffit Pincay, Jr. moved one victory closer Saturday to Bill Shoemaker's record of 889 career victories at Del Mar by winning the third race aboard Nicolletta to give him 887. Pincay's two mounts today, with morning-line odds: Fifth race: Ruffaffair, 9-2; Ninth: Ali Brat, 8-1.

TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES -- Belmont Park: Gazelle (I); Arlington International Race Course: Arlington Matron Handicap (III); Remington Park: Remington Futurity.