Stable Notes Del Mar, California Wednesday, August 27, 1997 (Day 31)

INJURY PUTS FLYWAY OUT OF SATURDAY'S GRADE II DEL MAR HANDICAP

French-bred Flyway, who was a fast-closing second to Marlin in Hollywood Park's Sunset Handicap July 20, will not run as planned in Saturday's $250,000 Del Mar Handicap because of a tendon injury sustained Sunday during a routine gallop over the seaside track.

"He had been training great, and was looking forward to his running in the Handicap on Saturday," trainer Ben Cecil said. "It's quite a blow." Cecil said the tendon injury occurred in his left foreleg, and will sideline the 4-year- old colt owned by Gary A. Tanaka for an undetermined length of time. "We'll give him some time off and see what happens," Cecil said when questioned on whether it could be a career-ending injury.

Still expected for the Grade II event at 1 3/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course are at least seven grass runners. Heading the potential field will be Allen E. Paulson's Escondido Handicap winner Dowty, who has been assigned top weight of 119, and Evergreen Farm's Rainbow Dancer, who won the Grade I Hollywood Turf Cup June 26 before finishing fifth in the Sunset and will carry 118 pounds. Dowty is trained by Bill Mott assistant Simon Bray and will be ridden again by Gary Stevens. The Jenine Sahadi- trained Rainbow Dancer will have regular rider Alex Solis in the irons.

Coming into the race off a victory in Del Mar's Wickerr Handicap July 31 is Mufattish, owned by Shadwell Farms and trained by Neil Drysdale. Also coming out of the Wickerr is James E. Helzer's Lord Jain, whose most recent effort brought him fourth place in the August 9 Grade I, $1-million Pacific Classic.

Escondido runner-up Cloud Forest, owned by Juddmonte Farms, trained by Robert Frankel and the winner of Del Mar's Kobuk King Stakes July 24, will carry 113 pounds into the race, including jockey Kent Desormeaux, who picked up the mount after Flyway was injured. Rio Claro Thoroughbreds' Seaborg, trained by Richard Mandella, is a potential starter at 114 pounds, with Chris McCarron scheduled to ride. Getting into the race as the lightweight at 112 is Cohen and Red Baron's Barn's Perim, with Brice Blanc in the saddle.

AT LEAST SIX APPEAR HEADED FOR SUNDAY'S CHULA VISTA HANDICAP

A field of six appears solid for the Grade II, $300,000 Chula Vista Handicap on Sunday, the second of three major stakes at Del Mar as the seaside course celebrates the Labor Day weekend.

Expected to head the field for the race for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track is Ray T. and Martha G. Parfet's Chile Chatte, trained by Richard Mandella. The 4-year-old daughter of Storm Cat is winless this year in seven starts, but has finished second three times. Trainer Mandella is hoping the time has come to break that streak. She gets into the race at 114 pounds, including jockey Gary Stevens.

The others expected are 505 Farms' Radu Cool, with Chris McCarron in the saddle; Bill M. Thomas' Real Connection, with Goncalino Almeida; Herman Sarkowsky's Supercilious, also a Mandella trainee who will be an entrymate with Chile Chatte and will be ridden by Brice Blanc; Janis R. Whitham's Toda Una Dama, with Alex Solis; and Halo Farms and Jerry Hollendorfer's Traces of Gold, with J.G. Matos.

On the fence for the race is Gonzalo Borges Torrealba's Cara Rafaela, trained by D. Wayne Lukas. If the filly starts, she'll be ridden by Gary Stevens and will carry 113.

FANTASTIC FELLOW, ANET HEAD POSSIBLE FIELD OF 7 FOR DEL MAR DERBY

The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Fantastic Fellow, two-time winner at Del Mar already, will be shooting for the hat trick on Monday, Labor Day, as the 3- year-old son of Lear Fan heads for the Grade II, $300,000 Del Mar Derby at 1 1/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Fantastic Fellow won the first of two divisions of the Oceanside Stakes on Del Mar's opening-day card July 23 and then came back to capture the Grade III La Jolla Handicap by two lengths August 10, setting himself up to possibly become the first horse ever to sweep the 3-year-old grass series at the seaside course. He'll be ridden by Alex Solis.

Aiming to prevent that will be Anet, who has only one start on the grass and that one a seventh-place finish in Santa Anita's Pirate Cove Stakes February 28. The Bob Baffert trainee, owned by Donald Dizney, has made a considerable name for himself this year on the dirt, winning the Lone Star Derby and finishing second in the Illinois Derby and Ohio Derby, both of which are Grade II events, and the Grade I Haskell Invitational. He'll have the saddle services of Gary Stevens.

Expected to test this dynamic duo are Brave Act, with Goncalino Almeida riding; Falkenham, with Rene Douglas; Floriselli, with Kent Desormeaux; One Man Army, with Eddie Delahoussaye; and Worldly Ways, runner-up in Fantastic Fellow's La Jolla, with Chris McCarron.

Listed as "possible" by trainer David LaCroix is Shellbacks, who acknowledged he'd like to see a short field before he'd put his colt in.

TEAM HEADED BY JOCKEY, TWO TRAINERS WIN TEAM PENNING HONORS

The team of jockey Joy Scott and trainers Darrell Vienna and Dallas Keen won top honors Tuesday night in the fourth annual jockey-celebrity team penning competition to benefit the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund. The event was held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds arena.

The win was especially sweet for Scott, whose team last year finished second.

Vienna was just one of four Viennas to compete. The trainer's wife, Kristen, their son, Cristopher, and daughter, Remy, also were involved in the night's activities. Vienna said this morning that his son and daughter got the family started in team penning about a year ago. "It's really fun," the elder Vienna said. "You just don't know how much fun it is until you try it."

SHORE LINES -- Owner Mike Pegram was disappointed but not deterred by the last-place finish of his Letthebighossroll in Monday's seventh race. The 9-year-old gelding, trained by Bob Baffert, had a chance to pass the $1-million mark in earnings with a victory in the six-furlong dash. The horse will be back for another try, Pegram indicated. "He's the kind that would not be happy in retirement," the owner said. Eoin Harty, assistant to Baffert, reported this morning that the Cal-bred son of Flying Paster came out of the race in good shape. ... Apprentice jockey Ryan Barber was exercising horses this morning for the first time since being involved in an August 3 incident that led to the suspension of jockey Corey Nakatani for the remainder of the Del Mar meeting.

TODAY'S SIMULCAST STAKES -- Saratoga: Saranac Stakes (III).