Stable Notes Del Mar, California
Wednesday, July 30, 1997 (Day 7)

SIX SET TO GO IN DEL MAR'S GRADUATION STAKES FOR 2-YEAR- OLDS

Six 2-year-olds are ready to vie for the winner's share in the $100,000- added Graduation Stakes as Del Mar opens its second week of its 43-day meeting.

Ready to go to the gate are Jonathan's Oak, listed as the morning-line favorite; Grappa, Al Bun Dee, Thingamajig, Full Moon Madness and Billy Black. If all six start, the gross purse will be $106,750, with $66,750 going to the winner. Dance the Avenue, originally entered as an entry with Jonathan's Oak, was a late scratch Wednesday morning.

FIVE APPEAR CERTAIN FOR DEL MAR'S $1 MILLION PACIFIC CLASSIC

Trainer Richard Mandella's Santa Anita Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup sweepers -- Gentlemen, Siphon and Sandpit -- are heading toward the Grade I, $1,000,000 Pacific Classic, to be run at 1 1/4 miles on August 9 over the main track at Del Mar.

Confirmed as prospects to take on the talented trio are The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Crafty Friend, trained by Wallace Dollase, and Gamel, Sigband and Roncelli Family Trust's River Keen, trained by Robert Hess Jr.

River Keen worked a mile in 1:43 on the main track Wednesday morning and the effort drew mixed reviews from Hess. "We wanted to go in 1:40, but he went real slow the first part," Hess said. But the trainer brightened when he noted that the British-bred 5-year-old son of Keen covered the final quarter-mile of the work in a sharp 24 seconds. "The finish was brilliant and he galloped out really strong," Hess enthused. Kent Desormeaux has the mount for the Pacific Classic.

Clocking a sharp mile Wednesday was Sandpit, owned by Sierra Thoroughbreds. The 8-year-old horse, who finished second in the Santa Anita Handicap and third in the Hollywood Gold Cup, worked the mile in 1:38 4/5, matching the Monday clocking of stablemate Gentlemen, owned by Gilberto Montagna, Aldo Soprano, Juan Jose Varsi and R.D. Hubbard. Gentlemen, who began a five-race winning streak in the United States with an allowance race victory on July 27 of last year at Del Mar, finished third in the Santa Anita Handicap and won the Hollywood Gold Cup. Gary Stevens rides.

Gary Mandella, son and assistant of the trainer, said Sandpit's work was very good. "He came back like he hadn't worked at all," the younger Mandella said. Corey Nakatani is Sandpit's regular rider.

Siphon, the third horse of Mandella's Big Three who won the Big 'Cap and finished second as defending champion in the Gold Cup, worked 1:39 1/5 on Sunday. Siphon is owned by Rio Claro Thoroughbreds and is ridden by David Flores.

Crafty Friend, who won the Grade II Bel Air Handicap at Hollywood Park on July 2, worked six furlongs in a sharp 1:12 2/5 at Hollywood Park on Monday. Dollase said Crafty Friend would ship Thursday to Del Mar, where he will finish tuning up for the Pacific Classic. Alex Solis will ride.

ISITINGOOD, "THE CALIFORNIA TRAVELER," IS RETIRED AFTER AN INJURY

Isitingood, owned by Mike Pegram and Terry Henn and dubbed "The California Traveler" over the past year for his races at 11 different racetracks, has been retired following an injury suffered during a workout on Tuesday at Del Mar. The 6-year-old son of Crusader Sword suffered a condular fracture of the cannon bone in his left foreleg as he was close to finishing a five-furlong workout.

Isitingood was scheduled for surgery Wednesday afternoon at Cypress Clinic. His racing days are over, said trainer Bob Baffert, but he remains a stallion prospect.

Recalling the road warrior's career, Baffert said, "He has been a great horse. His greatest asset was that he ran at so many different tracks. You know, it started here last year when he won an allowance race at Del Mar." Baffert clicked off the rest of his itinerary over the year: Emerald Downs, Turfway Park, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Santa Anita, Fairgrounds in New Orleans, Oaklawn Park, Lone Star Park, Pimlico and Belmont Park. In what became his final race, the big bay finished third in the $200,000-added Lone Star Handicap at the Grand Prairie, Texas, track. Earlier, the Baffert trainee had won the $250,000-added Texas Mile at Lone Star.

Baffert noted that Isitingood set track records at Emerald Downs and Lone Star and set a world record for a mile on the turf in 1:32 at Santa Anita on February 5. Overall, the horse had 11 victories, three seconds and four thirds in 24 lifetime starts for earnings of $1,219,430.

SOLIS, DESORMEAUX SHARE RIDER LEAD; TRAINERS ABRAMS, BAFFERT TIE

After six days of riding, defending champ Alex Solis and Kent Desormeaux are tied at the top of the jockey standings with eight victories apiece. Going into Monday's racing card, Desormeaux held a two-win edge, but Solis racked up three wins to Desormeaux's one to gain the tie.

Four of Solis' victories have come in stakes races -- one division of the Oceanside, Fantastic Girl, Kobuk King and Bayakoa. The last named three were of the overnight stakes variety. The four stakes wins puts Solis one- third of the way toward the record of 12 stakes in one Del Mar season, shared by Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Chris McCarron.

In the trainer's race, Barry Abrams and Bob Baffert were tied with five wins each after the opening six days. One of Abrams' victories came in Saturday's Grade II San Clemente Handicap.

SIR NIBBLES CHEWS UP EXOTIC BETTING RECORDS AT DEL MAR

Sir Nibbles, a 99-1 longshot that captured the second race at Del Mar, triggered record payoffs in the track's exotic wagers in Monday's second race.

Records came with the $2 Quinella mutuel of $1,374 and the $2 Trifecta payoff of $26,811. The previous $2 Quinella was $793.40 established in the second race on September 3, 1994, and the old Trifecta standard was $19,802.60 in the fifth race, August 25, 1995.

The Sir Nibbles $200.20 win price was the largest win mutuel since September 10, 1992 when Plus Perfect won the eighth race and paid $207. The record is $263.40 set on September 1, 1955 by Cipria.

TWILIGHT RACING FEATURED ON SECOND "FOUR O'CLOCK FRIDAY"

Another popular "Four O'Clock Friday" is on tap this week, the second of four scheduled for the seaside course. Post time for the first race on Friday is 4 p.m. The gates open at 2.

Following the races, patrons have the opportunity to stay on take in a music performance. Playing Friday will be the funk band "Goldfish." The music begins shortly after the final race of the day.

SHORE LINES -- Trainer D. Wayne Lukas confirmed Wednesday morning that Marlin, owned by Michael Tabor, will run in Sunday's Grade I, $300,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar. At the same time, trainer Wallace Dollase said Helmsman, who won his first North American race at Del Mar in 1995, would not run in the Read. ... Happy 20th birthday to apprentice rider Ryan Barber ... Alex Solis' three wins Monday were good for a $250 donation to the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund to aid injured and disabled riders. That's the good news. The bad news for the rider is that he began a three-day suspension Wednesday. ... Two riders -- Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Rafael Meza -- will begin a five-day sitdown on Saturday that will stretch through August 7. They were both cited for failing to maintain a straight course as they came down to the wire in Saturday's first race. Pincay's mount, Letthemoondancerap, finished first but was disqualified to second, behind Meza's mount, Timely View.