EIGHT TO TRY DEL MAR'S GRADE II PALOMAR HANDICAP ON SATURDAY
Eight fillies and mares have been entered to go postward Saturday in the 43rd edition of the Grade II Palomar Handicap at Del Mar. If all eight start in the 1 1/16- mile race on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, the purse will be $131,350, with $81,350 going to the winner.
Heading the field as high weight is Flagbird, whose most recent start, in Arlington International Race Course's Grade I Beverly D Handicap, ended early when the saddle slipped on the 5-year-old mare and Eddie Delahoussaye had to pull her up. The Jeremy Noseda trainee will carry 118 pounds in the Palomar, spotting her rivals from two to eight pounds.
Since coming to the United States after racing in France, England and Ireland, Flagbird, a daughter of Nureyev owned by Darley Stud Management, has raced in five Grade I events without a victory.
Expected to offer sharp competition are Golden Eagle Farm's Yearly Tour, who's been idle since Santa Anita's Grade II San Gorgonio Handicap on January 14, and Bill Thomas' Real Connection, the winner of Del Mar's Osunitas Handicap on August 24. Trying stakes company for the first time in America will be Blue Vista Inc.'s Inscrutable Dancer, La Presle Farm's Slewvera and B. Wayne Hughes' Smolensk. Also in the field are Serendipity Stable's Swiss Deal and Kenis & 3 Plus U Stable's Wheatly Special, both of whom have run mostly in small stakes races.
Here's the way the field will line up from the rail, with weights and riders: Real Connection, 114, G.F. Almeida; Yearly Tour, 116, Chris McCarron; Slewvera, 113, Kent Desormeaux; Inscrutable Dancer, 112, Patrick Valenzuela; Wheatly Special, 110, Alex Solis; Flagbird, 118, Corey Black; Swiss Deal, 113, Brice Blanc; and Smolensk, 116, Eddie Delahoussaye.
FIELD OF FOUR SHAPING UP FOR SUNDAY'S BREEDERS' CUP HANDICAP
The numbers may not be there, but the quality certainly will be as four horses are expected to go to the gate Sunday for the 10th running of the Grade II, $200,000- added Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap.
Definite for the Breeders' Cup race for 3-year-olds and upward at a mile on the main track are David Hofmans trainees Alphabet Soup and Dramatic Gold, the Rafael Becera-trained Powerful Punch, and Savinio, an accomplished grass runner who made a winning switch to the dirt in the Grade III San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 27 for trainer Walter Greenman.
Alphabet Soup, who made a successful return after a five-month layoff by winning the Grade III Pat O'Brien Handicap August 17, will be ridden by Chris Antley. Kent Desormeaux gets the call on Dramatic Gold, who finished fourth in the Grade I, $1,000,000 Pacific Classic August 10. Powerful Punch will have the saddle services of Rene Douglas, and Chris McCarron will ride Savinio.
WITH WEDNESDAY WIN, BAFFERT'S BIG HOSS JUST KEEPS ROLLING ALONG
Like the old Timex watch that kept on tickin', Letthebighossroll just keeps on rollin'. The 8-year-old, gray gelded son of Flying Paster scored his third victory of the year Wednesday when he captured the Crazy Kid Handicap, the day's featured race, for the second straight year.
In a furious stretch battle with Lakota Brave, Letthebighossroll, with regular rider Chris McCarron in the irons, held off the 7-year-old Bruce Headley trainee, ridden by Alex Solis, to win by a neck. That gave the horse, trained by Bob Baffert, a record of three wins and two seconds in five outings this year, pushing his career total to 17 wins, 12 seconds and four thirds in 50 starts. The $39,925 winner's share of the purse ran the ledger for the Mike Pegram performer to $898,358.
Baffert recalled this morning that he bought the big gray as a 2-year-old and has raced him all this time. "He's had some problems over the years, and every time one of them shows up, we give him time off and then bring him back," Baffert said. "You have to take care of them when their young," he added.
It certainly has paid off, because Letthebighossroll now is the leading money- earning Cal-Bred still active. This has been a big year for the gray, who has piled up $236,885 in earnings, nearly a third of his lifetime winnings.
Baffert, who said the horse has the bite of a Great White Shark, said he's a very tough customer in his stall. "It's his castle," he said, "and he's the ruler. He wasn't like that so much when he was young, but in the past couple of years he's gotten very tough."
The trainer said the original intention in bringing Letthebighossroll to Del Mar was to prepare him for duty as back-up horse for the Longacres Mile at newly opened Emerald Downs. "Mike [Pegram] wanted to win that race real bad [because he has extensive business interests in the Seattle area]. So we decided to send whichever of his horses was doing the best. We sent Isitingood." Isitingood won the race for Pegram.
LEADING RIDER NAKATANI DECIDES NOT TO APPEAL 5-DAY SUSPENSION
Corey Nakatani will leave the leading-riding race to fate after today's races as he sits out a five-day suspension that runs through the final day of Del Mar's 43-day racing meet.
The suspension, levied as a result of the disqualification of Nakatani's mount, Invictus, in the fifth race on August 29, begins tomorrow. Originally, Nakatani had said the suspension would be appealed, which is a rider's right, but changed his mind.
Going into today's races, Nakatani has 40 victories for the season, which puts him six ahead of Alex Solis and Chris McCarron, who have registered 34 wins each. McCarron, who has been near the top most of the season even though he has ridden out of town several times, jumped into a contending position with three victories on Wednesday. Patrick Valenzuela, with 33 wins, is in serious contention, also.
With Nakatani sitting out the final five days, those three have excellent chances to not only catch - but pass - Nakatani in the stretch run to the riding title.
AGENT, RACE CALLER TO HEAD MEET'S FINAL HANDICAPPING SEMINARS
Jockey's agent Richie Silverstein will be the guest at Saturday's free handicapping seminar. The seminar's are put on each Saturday and Sunday by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. in the area known as the Seaside Terrace, near the head of the stretch. Silverstein will share his handicapping insights and give those in attendance his view of the day's card.
On Sunday, race caller Alan Buchdahl will hold forth in what will be the final handicapping seminar of the seaside course's meeting. Buchdahl will offer his favorite handicapping tips and will analyze the day's card.
Jack Minger of the Del Mar media staff serves as host.
TREVOR DENMAN TO MAKE SECOND APPEARANCE FOR INTERNET CHAT
"Voice of Del Mar" Trevor Denman will make a return visit to the racetrack's Internet chat room on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Denman's earlier appearance was such a success, said Mary Shepardson, director of special projects/marketing, that he not only agreed to return for an encore this season but also has said he will do it again next summer. Shepardson said there were rave reviews from Internetters during and after the Denman appearance.
Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron was a similar success during a chat session on Wednesday, Shepardson said.
Handicapper Jeff Siegel "chatted" today and turf writer-author Jay Hovdey will be on the net on Monday.
On Sunday, Del Mar will have what's billed as "Cyberspace Day," an opportunity for Internet surfers to learn more about the racetrack's web site, to meet handicappers, to take part in a seminar on techniques and to view demonstrations.
Shepardson said that Del Mar's web site has been such a success that the track is beginning to plan events on the net during the track's off-season, following the end of the 43-day meeting on September 11.
SHORE LINES: Trainer Ron McAnally said this morning Matty G, who finished sixth as the 3-1 favorite in Monday's Grade II Del Mar Derby, came out of the race "as if he hadn't run at all." McAnally said he would send the son of Capote next to the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. "We'll send him to the front and see how far he'll go," McAnally said. That could set up an interesting front-end confrontation with The Barking Shark, another swift, free-running colt who seems headed that way, too, according to trainer Marcelo Polanco. The Barking Shark finished second in the Del Mar Derby, repeating his runner-up finishes in a division of the Oceanside Stakes on July 24 and the Grade III La Jolla Handicap August 11, both of which served as preps for the Derby .... A field of seven horses was drawn today for Saturday's Rocking Chair Derby, a betless exhibition that features oldtime riders. It will be held between the seventh and eighth races.