Stable Notes Del Mar, California
Wednesday, August 6, 1997 (Day 13)

GENTLEMEN IS MORNING-LINE FAVORITE IN SIX-HORSE PACIFIC CLASSIC

Gentlemen, winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup, leads a field of six heading for Del Mar's premier event of its 43-day season, the seventh running of the Grade I, $1,000,000 Pacific Classic on Saturday. Gentlemen, who won his first race in the United States at Del Mar last year, was made the 6-5 morning-line favorite and will break from post position 6 for the 1 1/4- mile race on the seaside course's main track.

Set to tackle Gentlemen, owned by the partnership of Gilberto Montagna, Aldo Soprano, Juan Jose Varsi and R.D. Hubbard and trained by Richard Mandella, are another Mandella trainee, Siphon, owned by Rio Thoroughbreds; River Keen, owned by the partnership of Tom Gamel, the Gino Roncelli Family Trust, Richard Duggan, B.J. Gallison and Nydia Sigband and trained by Robert Hess, Jr.; The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Crafty Friend, trained by Wallace Dollase; Harlequin Stable and Keith's Percutant; and James E. Helzer's Lord Jain, a surprise entrant trained by Bob Baffert.

Siphon is second choice on the morning line at 9-5, River Keen is next at 9- 2, Crafty Friend at 5-1, Percutant at 12-1, and Lord Jain at 30-1. Gary Stevens will ride Gentlemen, Chris McCarron will be aboard Siphon, Kent Desormeaux will be on River Keen, Alex Solis, the meet's leading rider, will be in the irons on Crafty Friend, Corey Nakatani will ride Percutant and Rene Douglas gets the call on Lord Jain.

Mandella will be shooting for his second straight win in the Pacific Classic and a sweep of the MGM Grand Classic Crown of Southern California's three million-dollar races -- Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and the Classic. Prior to Gentlemen's victory in the Gold Cup, Siphon captured the Big 'Cap. Also, going into the Pacific Classic, Mandella has four straight wins in million-dollar races in California, going back to last year's Hollywood Gold Cup with Siphon and last year's Pacific Classic with Dare And Go.

Even with that behind him, Mandella, during a time for comments following the Pacific Classic Call to the Post Brunch at Del Mar's Satellite Facility where post positions were drawn Wednesday morning, diverted attention away from himself and turned the spotlight on his horses by saying, "I have had good luck in the older horse series this year, and it's due to the great horses I've got -- Gentlemen, Siphon and Sandpit, along with some others. Without them, my skill wouldn't help that much."

Later, Mandella was happy with the draw -- especially for Gentlemen, who in the past didn't seem to like inside posts. Of that, Mandella said: "I think he's growing up, getting mature enough to handle whatever comes along. But it does make it, surely, a little more comfortable for him on the outside." The post position for Siphon in the six-horse field didn't seem to make a difference, since he is expected to go to the lead.

In the comment period, McCarron, who will be riding Siphon for the first time because regular rider David Flores was seriously injured in a spill at Del Mar last Friday, lauded Siphon as a very talented horse with a lot of speed. He said it appears the horse likes to go to the front, but he didn't want to tip his hand on just how he would ride the 6-year-old Brazilian- bred.

Dollase called Crafty Friend, who won Hollywood Park's Bel Air Handicap in his most recent start, a free-running horse with "a great mind." Even though he is that kind of runner, Dollase said rider Solis believes he can be rated and Dollase figures the horse will be rated close to the pace. The trainer blamed himself for Crafty Friend getting post position 1. "I screwed up," he said with a smile. "I was drawing the horses. I would rather have been on the outside where I could lap on Siphon." Dollase, who reminded the brunch gathering that Dare And Go won last year's Pacific Classic after winning the Bel Air, and McCarron handled the post-position draw.

Trainer Hess said of River Keen: "He's a tremendous looking horse, very athletic, has a lot of class, is a pleasure to work with. A mile and a quarter is the shortest distance he wants to go. The real question is he good enough? We'll find out on Saturday."

Neither Dupuis nor Baffert were at the brunch to speak for their horses.

It's interesting to note that Baffert, a former successful trainer of quarter horses, will saddle Lord Jain for the man who owned Refrigerator, considered by many in the business as one of the best -- if not the best -- quarter horse of all-time. Since turning to Thoroughbred training, Baffert, who saddled Silver Charm for victories in this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and just missed winning the Triple Crown when finishing second in the Belmont Stakes, has had 1,971 starters and 431 winners, with purse earnings of $19,695,640.

EIGHT SET FOR DEL MAR'S SORRENTO STAKES FOR 2-YEAR-OLD FILLIES

Eight 2-year-old fillies, led by Hollywood Park's Landaluce Stakes winner Career Collection, are set to go postward in today's 29th edition of the Grade II, $100,000-added Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar. The will be run at 6 1/2 furlongs over the main track.

If all eight start, the gross purse will be $108,825. The winner's share is $68,825.

RANCHO BERNARDO SHAPING WELL IN SUPPORTING ROLE FOR "CLASSIC"

A field of perhaps eight seems to be shaping up for Saturday's 26th running of the Grade III, $100,000-added Rancho Bernardo Handicap for fillies and mares 3 years old and older going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track. Included in the field is the Golden Eagle Farm entry of Advancing Star, trained by Richard Mandella, and Avenue of Gold, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.

Also expected are Ridder Thoroughbred Stable's Raw Gold, trained by David Hofmans; Oldknow and Phipps' Track Gal, trained by John Sadler; Janis R. Whitham's Madame Pandit, trained by Ron McAnally; Ed Bernstein, Andrew and Irwin Molasky and Ken Sullivan's Tiffany Diamond, trained by Bruce Headley; Ernest Auerbach's Grab the Prize, trained by Darrell Vienna; and perhaps B. Wayne Hughes' Ivory Mint, trained by Jean-Pierre Dupuis.

TROPICAL DEL MAR PLEASANT CHANGE FROM ALASKA FOR RIDER GLASSER

When Todd Glasser won his first race -- in his first try -- at Del Mar Friday aboard Berry Blvd., he contemplated calling it a meet. After all, one for one's not too bad an average.

But instead the 28-year-old transplanted Alaskan will stay here for the entire meet -- to ride first call for trainer Dallas Keen and any other mounts he might be able to garner. That combination seemed to work well at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, TX. Keen won the trainer's title with 41 wins, and Glasser was aboard 35 of those winners, according to both Keen and Glasser.

Glasser grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and hadn't seen a horse prior to six years ago when he decided to follow the racetrack. His first job on the racetrack was with trainer Reynaldo Nobles in Florida. He did stable hand work and then began galloping horses for Nobles. It was during his four- year stint with Nobles that the trainer had 2-year-old champion Dehere.

When Glasser turned to riding professionally, he located at Philadelphia Park where he was leading apprentice rider and second leading rider overall. Since becoming a journeyman rider, Glasser has ridden mostly in Texas. But he journeyed to Santa Anita during its winter-spring meeting and rode a winner for Keen -- in his only ride of that day aboard a horse called Double The Weather.

Glasser's agent is Dave Harl.

THIRD "FOUR O'CLOCK FRIDAY' COMING UP FOR DEL MAR RACING FANS

Another popular "Four O'Clock Friday" comes up for fans again this Friday at Del Mar. Post time for the first race for the third of four Friday twilight racing cards is 4 p.m. The gates open at 2.

Following the day's races, the band "The Untouchables" is scheduled to play for the track's patrons.