DEL MAR : Voting for the Best of the Best

DEL MAR —  With only five days remaining in this track’s 53rd season, it’s time to acknowledge the top performances of the season.

Here is the way one ballot will look when it comes time to vote for the meeting’s best:

Horse of the Meeting, Grass Horse--Navarone. A winner of two races when the season began, the son of Irish River blossomed when he was put on the turf by trainer Rodney Rash. He followed up an impressive allowance victory in the second race of the meeting with triumphs in the Escondido and Del Mar Handicaps. Set to go next in the Oak Tree Invitational, Navarone looks like a definite contender in the Breeders’ Cup Turf next month at Gulfstream Park.

Older Horse--Missionary Ridge. Although many consider his victory in the Pacific Classic a fluke, the honor has to go to Bobby Frankel’s 5-year-old. If Edgar Prado and Jolie’s Halo had been able to stay together, Jolie’s Halo would have won the Classic and this honor.

Older Filly or Mare--Flawlessly. The top 3-year-old filly here last year, she made it three victories in four tries against Kostroma with a winning run in the Ramona Handicap when she was able to get away with a very slow pace.

3-Year-Old Filly--Suivi. Winless on the main track, the Diesis filly has found a home on grass. She broke her maiden easily at Hollywood Park, then won an allowance race here before running down Race The Wild Wind in the Del Mar Oaks. The filly she beat in the allowance race, Certam De May, is no slouch herself. She won a pair of turf events during the meeting. The most amazing thing about Suivi is that she wasn’t even on the original list of invitees to the Oaks.

Sprinter--Bountiful Native. The feeling is Thirty Slews will win in this category on the strength of his two victories in the Bing Crosby and CERF Handicap, but Bountiful Native deserves some applause for her overall consistency. The daughter of Pirate’s Bounty won three stakes here and has nine victories in 19 starts.

2-Year-Old Filly--Beal Street Blues. She won the Debutante, but the best young filly seen here was Fit N Fappy. In only her second race, the Fappiano miss had a ton of trouble in the Debutante and was no doubt best. Trainer Paco Gonzalez’ filly will have her chance to turn the tables in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Oct. 31.

2-Year-Old Male--TBA. This can’t be answered until after Wednesday’s Del Mar Futurity, but the three candidates most likely to succeed that day are Seattle Sleet, Devil Diamond and Sudden Hush.

Trainer--Bob Hess Jr. Barring a late charge by John Sadler, Hess will win his second consecutive title at Del Mar, following his victory at Hollywood Park.

Jockey--Kent Desormeaux. He just missed at Santa Anita or Desormeaux would be heading for a sweep of the first three meetings of the year. Now, if he would only shake that annoying habit of standing up before the finish line.

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Blacksburg, whose try for a sweep of Del Mar’s 3-year-old grass series was thwarted in the Del Mar Derby, will run in the $200,000 Del Mar Budweiser Breeders’ Cup on Sunday.

The mile race, which Blacksburg’s trainer, Wayne Lukas, won last year with Twilight Agenda, is also expected to attract Ibero, Compelling Sound, Regal Groom, Sir Beaufort and Repriced. Two other possibles, Letthebighossroll and Jovial, were entered in an allowance race on Saturday’s card.

A wire-to-wire winner of a division of the Oceanside Stakes and the La Jolla Handicap, Blacksburg has won three of 13 on the main track. But he hasn’t finished better than third in his last six starts on the dirt.

Preparing for the Futurity, Devil Diamond worked six furlongs in 1:13 1/5 Thursday morning for trainer Gary Jones.

A loser at short odds in his first three starts, the Devil’s Bag colt has won both of his races at Del Mar, including a five-length triumph in the Balboa Stakes.

Another Futurity prospect, River Special, worked six furlongs in 1:11 3/5 Thursday morning for Hess. He was second in both of his starts, beaten by Super Season and Seattle Sleet. Like Devil Diamond, River Special is owned by John and Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm.

The California Horse Racing Board will hold a special meeting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Sheraton Grande Hotel on Harbor Island.

The main item on the agenda is the selection of an investigative panel to look into the recent dismissal of the clenbuterol cases against four unnamed trainers.

The topic was discussed at the CHRB’s meeting on Aug. 28, when it was decided that an independent probe was necessary.

Horse Racing Notes

Gary Jones, who won the Osunitas Handicap with Kostroma in 1991, will try for a repeat Saturday when he saddles Zonda in the $75,000 race. Other fillies and mares entered Thursday morning for the 1 1/16-mile turf event are Common Threads, Sprucory, Visible Gold, Regal Peace, Now Showing and Vijaya.