Stable Notes Del Mar, California Sunday, August 17, 1997 (Day 23)

TEN TOP-NOTCH FILLIES VIE FOR HONORS IN GRADE I DEL MAR OAKS

The first two finishers in Del Mar's Grade II San Clemente Handicap head a field of 10 that includes two first-time U.S. starters from Europe and ship- ins from New Jersey and Illinois for today's Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Oaks. The race for 3-year-old fillies will be run at 1 1/8 miles over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Heading the field will be Famous Digger, winner of the San Clemente, and Cozy Blues, San Clemente runner-up. All will carry 121 pounds and purse money to the winner is $150,000.

NINE 2-YEAR-OLDS PRIMED FOR DEL MAR'S BEST PAL STAKES WEDNESDAY

Headed by Hollywood Juvenile Championship second-place finisher Old Topper and Graduation Stakes victor Billy Black, nine 2-year-olds, including an entry, are expected to go to the post in Wednesday's 27th running of the Grade III, $100,000-added Best Pal Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on Del Mar's main track.

The Best Pal, known for 25 years as the Balboa Stakes, was renamed last year in honor of California's all-time purse-winning champion, Golden Eagle Farm's Best Pal, whose career earnings reached $5.6 million, which also puts him fourth on the all-time earnings list of all North American Thoroughbreds. Best Pal's first major stakes victory came in the 1990 Balboa Stakes.

Old Topper, owned by Barbara Hunter and trained by Noble Threewitt, has only one victory to his credit, but finished second in a maiden race and then overcame a bad start to close to within two lengths of Hollywood Juvenile winner K.O. Punch on July 20. Alex Solis, who has ridden the Gilded Time colt in each of his four starts, will be in the irons again.

Billy Black finished strongly to outduel Jonathon's Oak by 1 1/4 lengths for his victory in the Graduation Stakes for Cal-breds July 30 at Del Mar. Eddie Delahoussaye has ridden Billy Black in each of his two previous races, but Victor Espinoza gets the call this time on the colt that will be one half of an entry for trainer Hector Palma and owner James R. Vreeland. The other half is Meadow Prayer, an impressive 4 1/2-length winner at first asking at Hollywood Park July 19. Riding will be Delahoussaye, who rode him in his debut victory.

Finishing third in the Hollywood Juvenile was Majorbigtimesheet, owned by Cardiff Stud Farms and trained by Jenine Sahadi. Chris McCarron will ride the colt, who won Hollywood Park's Westchester Stakes prior to his start in the Juvenile.

Two very impressive maiden winners who will bring much competition to the race are King Edward Racing Stable's King of the Wild, a son of 1993 Pacific Classic champion Bertrando, and Golden Eagle Farm's Souvenir Copy. King of the Wild, trained by Steven Young, scored by 5 1/2 lengths in his debut at Hollywood Park July 16, and Gary Stevens will be back to ride. Trainer Bob Baffert's Souvenir Copy won with ease by 5 1/2 lengths in his first start August 3 at Del Mar. The meet's leading rider, Kent Desormeaux, takes the call.

Heinz Steinmann's Tryumphant, trained by Mike Harrington and ridden by Rene Douglas, Doro J. Stable and Fink's Cat Doctor, trained by Jack Van Berg and ridden by Octavio Vergara, and Pedro R. Perez' Thingamajig, trained by Arturo F. Calva and ridden by Martin Pedroza, complete the field.

Stakes winners Billy Black and Majorbigtimesheet will carry high weight of 121 pounds.

DEL MAR RAILS ON TURF COURSE SHIFTED AGAIN TO "WIDE" POSITION

Del Mar workers moved the inner rails of the turf course back to its "wide" position Friday through the stretch on both the frontside and backside. The difference in the rail shift is 12 feet.

According to plant superintendent Robert Sanchez, the turf rails are moved four times during the meet, allowing the inner path where most of the racing is done to regenerate as best as possible.

The first shift of the rails was to the "narrow" position (12 feet inward) on August 1. Then came the shift back to "wide" on Friday, August 15. The next change will be back to "narrow" on August 29, with the final change to "wide" on September 5.

The Del Mar turf course, officially known as the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, is 63 feet wide through the stretch (with rails at "wide"), 51 feet through the backstretch and 58 feet on the west (far) turn and 57 feet on the east (clubhouse) turn.

PAT O'BRIEN WINNER COMES OUT OF RACE IN GOOD SHAPE, VIENNA SAYS

Tres Paraiso, the upset winner in Saturday's Grade III, $108,200 Pat O'Brien Handicap, was reported doing well this morning by trainer Darrell Vienna. "So far, so good," said the veteran conditioner.

Following the 7-furlong stakes race, Vienna indicated Tres Paraiso would run next in the California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.

Of his trainee's effort on Saturday, Vienna said: "He's very versatile and I knew he was coming into the race in great shape. I really like this guy."

TOUCH GOLD COMING BACK HOME TO TRAIN FOR MEADOWLANDS STAKE

Touch Gold, whose continuing foot problems moved trainer David Hofmans to withdraw him from consideration as a starter in the Grade I Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course next Saturday, will be returning to Hofmans' care Monday to be prepared for the possibility of running in the $1-million Pegasus Handicap September 20 at The Meadowlands.

The left front foot Touch Gold injured when he stumbled coming out of the gate in the Preakness Stakes had been progressing well since then, allowing him to win the Belmont Stakes and the Haskell Invitational, but it appeared to Hofmans when he watched the colt gallop Friday at Saratoga that it was not right, so he chose to skip the Travers with the horse.

However, Hofmans will still be represented in the Travers with Jim Dandy winner Awesome Again, owned by Frank Stronach, who very possibly could be the race favorite.

Also on the Monday flight with Touch Gold, who is owned by Stronach and Stonerside Stable, will be Case Dismissed, who finished second to Favorite Trick on Wednesday in the Saratoga Special. The plan is for Case Dismissed, owned by Andrew Stronach, to be trained by Hofmans toward the Grade II, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity September 10, the meet's closing day. Case Dismissed is not nominated to the Futurity, so would have to be supplemented to the race through payment of $10,000.

In other Futurity news, D. Wayne Lukas assistant Mike Marlow said this morning that he doesn't expect K.O. Punch to come to Lukas' Del Mar barn to train for the Futurity. He said he believes K.O. Punch will remain in New York to contest the Grade I Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga August 30.

Marlow suggested that The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Double Honor, winner of the Grade III Sapling at Monmouth Park Saturday, could be a Lukas entrant in the Futurity. In addition, he said The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Just Ruler and John Magnier and Michael Tabor's Yarrow Brae, both of whom run in today's fourth race for maiden 2-year-olds, could also be possible for the Futurity.

SHORE LINES -- A couple more prospects joined the list for next Saturday's $100,000-added Osunitas Handicap for fillies and mares 3 years old and older. Trainer Darrell Vienna said Grab the Prize and Staffin would run as a Vienna-trained entry. The conditioner didn't name any riders. ... Different, a multiple stakes-winning filly, will be off for a short time with a splint bone problem, but is expected to return to training for the Ron McAnally barn during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita. Meanwhile, McAnally said Toda Una Dama, who is nominated for the Osunitas, will run, instead, in Del Mar's Grade II, $300,000 Chula Vista Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the main track Sunday, August 31, and stakes winner Listening will be running in the Grade III, $125,000-added Palomar Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf Saturday, September 6.

TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES -- Saratoga: Ballerina (I); Ellis Park: HBPA Handicap; Emerald Downs: Longacres Mile (III).