Kona Gold pushes earnings over $1-million in the Bing Crosby Breeders' Cup Handicap, and Ladies Din wins the Eddie Read Handicap as the San Diego-area track opens its 61st season

Co-owner Bernie Schiappa leaned against a trackside fence near the winner's circle, savoring the moment after Ladies Din had recorded his first Grade 1 stakes victory in the $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap (G1) on July 30.

Eddie Read H. (G1)
Del Mar, July 30, $400,000, 11/8 miles, turf, firm, 1:48.64
1-LADIES DIN, g. 5, Din's Dancer-Ladies Double, by Kris S.
2-Chester House, h. 5, Mr. Prospector-Toussaud, by El Gran Senor.
3-Gold Nugget, h. 5, Gold Legend-Silently Sunday, by Silent Fox.

"When I claimed this horse here three years ago, the date was July 30, and he wore number seven, just like today," said Schiappa of the coincidences. "We claimed him that day for $32,000. Now, he's up to a million and a half in earnings."

Ladies Din, a towering five-year-old gelding, powered past pace- setter Gold Nugget in midstretch under Kent Desormeaux and turned back a belated bid by Chester House to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:48.64 for 1 1/8 miles on firm turf as the 2.20-to-1 second choice.

Chester House, the 4.60-to-1 third choice, closed strongly for second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Texas invader Gold Nugget, a 34.20-to-1 longshot after winning the Dallas Turf Cup Handicap at Lone Star Park in his last start. Dark Moondancer (GB), the 1.50-to-1 favorite, finished fourth, another length back, in the field of eight.

Schiappa, a Las Vegas automobile dealer, owns Ladies Din in partnership with Las Vegas hotel and casino executive Terry Lanni. "This race is special because this track is his home, really," said Schiappa of the beach-loving runner who has won 5-of-7 starts on the Del Mar grass course. "And it's so sentimental. He's like my son."

Julio Canani, the Peruvian-born trainer who has handled Ladies Din for the last three years, said the son of Din's Dancer has improved with age. "The trip to Dubai this winter really woke him up," said Canani. "Before that, he spent winters sleeping like a bear in California.

"In Dubai, he made the lead at the sixteenth pole, but he bled (finishing fifth in the Dubai Duty Free [UAE-G3] on March 25)," continued Canani. "He got off the plane when he got back and came out of his stall like he never went to Dubai. He does things so effortlessly in the morning, things he never did last year."

The Florida-bred, out of the Kris S. mare Ladies Double, returned to win the San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile Handicap (G2) at Golden Gate Fields on April 29 and finish a fast-closing second to stablemate Silic (Fr) in the Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile Stakes (G1) at Hollywood Park on June 18.

Canani and Desormeaux were both surprised to see Ladies Din running second, close to a slow pace early in the Eddie Read as a couple of other contenders were taken back. "But he was just galloping and he had a target, and he took off like a rocket in the stretch," said Desormeaux. "This horse always gives his life, and three times he got beat in photos in major stakes. Today, he got rewarded."

Ladies Din recorded his tenth victory in 28 starts and raised his earnings to $1,509,904.

Canani indicated that both Ladies Din and Silic (Fr) would be pointed to the Atto Mile (Can-G1) at Woodbine racetrack on September 10 and then the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Churchill Downs on November 4, which Silic won last year. "Bernie said he would supplement Ladies Din (to the Breeders' Cup Mile) this year (for $120,000) if he won today," said Canani.

Trainer Bobby Frankel, a seven-time Eddie Read winner, was pleased that Chester House was able to run a good race after earlier disappointing efforts. "He tried hard; he had a little too much to do," said Frankel.

Jockey David Flores smiled sheepishly and shook his head as he dismounted and told Frankel, "They were walking." Early fractions were :25.04 and :49.15. Chris McCarron, rider of Dark Moondancer, said, "He just didn't fire."

Bing Crosby Gold

Kona Gold, considered to be the leading sprinter in the nation by many, protected his lofty ranking with a hard-earned victory in the $194,000 Bing Crosby Breeders' Cup Handicap (G2) on July 29, covering six furlongs in 1:08.50.

Bing Crosby Breeders' Cup H. (G2)
Del Mar, July 29, $194,000, 6 furlongs, fast, 1:08.50
1-KONA GOLD, g. 6, Java Gold-Double Sunrise, by Slew o' Gold.
2-Love That Red, g. 4, Highland Park-Pat's Lady Red, by Circle Home.
3-Lexicon, h. 5, Conquistador Cielo-Felidia (Ire), by Golden Fleece.

"Nothing is easy around here," said trainer Bruce Headley in relief after the six-year-old gelding survived a stretch-long duel with Love That Red and a claim of foul by jockey Victor Espinoza to achieve millionaire status with his seventh victory in 15 career starts.

Kona Gold, runner-up to Artax in the 1999 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), is being pointed toward that race on November 4 at Churchill Downs with hopes he will finally win it.

Rated comfortably in third as pacesetters Lexicon and Levelled (GB) sprinted down the backstretch in :22.19 and :44.77, Kona Gold swept by the leaders around the far turn but was quickly joined by Love That Red, who drew alongside in midstretch.

Kona Gold, under high weight of 123 pounds, responded to a left-handed whip by jockey Alex Solis and inched clear to win by three-quarters of a length. Lexicon finished third, another seven lengths back and a length in front of Son of a Pistol, coupled with Kona Gold as the 3-to-5 favorite.

Espinoza on Love That Red claimed foul over an incident when the two horses brushed in deep stretch, but stewards dismissed the claim as minor and not warranting disqualification.

Kona Gold and Love That Red both were making their first starts since April. Love That Red, in his first outing for the Bob Baffert stable since being transferred from Leonard Duncan by owner Terry Wells, carried 118 pounds. "He ran great," said assistant Jim Barnes. "He just came up a little short." Headley said both Kona Gold and Son of a Pistol could come back in the $150,000 Pat O'Brien Handicap (G2) at seven furlongs on August 20. Kona Gold could skip that one, however, and wait for the Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap (G2) during the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park in October as his final prep for the Breeders' Cup.

Kona Gold raised his earnings to $1,033,884 with his third victory in four starts this year for co-owners Irv and Andrew Molasky of Las Vegas and Headley.

Osunitas smoothie

Owner-breeder Marty Wygod enjoyed the best of all worlds on July 29, scratching heavily favored Tranquility Lake from the $109,400 Osunitas Handicap for another spot and still winning the event for fillies and mares with the more lightly regarded half of the entry, Smooth Player.

Smooth Player, owned and bred by Wygod in partnership with John Spohler, led at every call under Eddie Delahoussaye and held off Beautiful Noise by a half-length to cover 11Ú16 miles on turf in 1:42.65 as the 4.30-to-1 fourth choice. "The plan was to get on the lead," said winning trainer Dan Hendricks.

"Bertrandos like to go that way. And she loves this turf course." Smooth Player, a four-year-old daughter of Bertrando out of Shy Pirate, by Pirate's Bounty, finished second in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) on this course last year.

anside openers

The track where "the turf meets the surf" opened its 61st season on July 26 with 31,494 on-track fans-the third-largest crowd in track history and second-largest for an opening day-welcoming the Thoroughbreds back to the San Diego County facility and enjoying the traditional hat contest.

Two of the track's all-time favorites, trainer Ron McAnally and jockey Chris McCarron, combined to win a division of the Oceanside Stakes worth $86,900 for three-year-olds with 1.50-to-1 favorite Duke of Green (GB) in 1:35.57 for one mile on turf.

McAnally survived a nightmarish trip to Italy last fall to buy the colt for Robert and Beverly Lewis and then watched him run a pair of luckless seconds in stakes during a disappointing Hollywood Park meeting. Victory in the first division of the Oceanside produced an overdue smile from the trainer after career record victory 386 in his 41st season at the track.

McCarron, raising his career record stakes victory total to 126 in his 23rd season at Del Mar, praised Duke of Green for the courage he summoned in the stretch to turn back a bid by Designed for Luck for the half-length win. In the second and slower Oceanside division, worth $86,400, Baffert listened to Espinoza's suggestion to remove Stormy Jack's blinkers so he could see challengers better in the stretch. The equipment change worked as Stormy Jack rallied from ninth and captured a three-horse photo finish, a neck in front of 38-to-1 pacesetter Buster B Bimbo, with 24.80-to-1 outsider Jekyll and Hyde another head back. Whyome (Ire), the 1.40-to-1 favorite, was a troubled fourth, another half-length back.

Stormy Jack, a California-bred son of Bertrando out of Tiny Kristin, by Steelinctive (GB), covered the mile in 1:36.67 at odds of 6.30-to-1. Owners-breeders Jack and Florence Arnold of Malibu, California, won a division of the 1990 Oceanside as co-owners of Mehmetori.