Solis walks off with crown

Ralph Siraco

Thursday, Sept. 12, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

High drama capped off an exciting Del Mar season as the jockey title went right down to the 10th and final race of the seaside season.

Jockeys Alex Solis and Pat Valenzuela were tied with 42 wins apiece going into the 43rd and final day of the 57th Del Mar meeting Wednesday. Solis had 10 chances to break the deadlock, while Valenzuela was limited to just six rides on the final card. Corey Nakatani, who required a stay from suspension to ride closing day, was trying to get a save after leading for most of the meet but, sidelined by the suspension, lost the lead on Saturday. Nakatani was sitting on 40 wins and had just five chances to regain the title on the last day.

Solis struck first by guiding Venus Genus to an on-the-pace victory in the third race at $9.60 to win. Nakatani and Valenzuela could not make headway through the remainder of the card, and it all came down to the last race of the season. P. Val. had his best and final chance to salvage a tie with the second choice in Bellesonnette, while Solis had a chanced to ice the title with 12-to-1 outsider Fleet Dreamer.

At the end of the 1-1/16-mile turf finale, it was Solis streaking under the wire in front at $26.60, while Valenzuela and Nakatani finished off the board. Solis' celebration after the win was a sight of sweet victory and the Del Mar title with 44 victories. Valenzuela, with an amazing comeback try, finished second with 42 wins, and Nakatani, who squandered the stay, stayed third with the 40 wins.

Mike Mitchell locked up his sixth Del Mar training title with 17 wins on the season, while Bob Baffert took second with 15 victories.

The horse of the meet was Dare And Go, who broke Cigar's win streak at 16 when he upset the champion in the Grade I $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 10.

Although Baffert finished second in the trainers standings, he finished first in the closing-day feature Del Mar Futurity with the promising gray Silver Charm. Part of a potent entry of Robert and Beverly Lewis, the freshman son of Silver Buck outran his stablemate to take the division title-decider. And, although Solis won the riding championship, his Futurity mount, the undefeated Swiss Yodeler, found himself tackled from the inside and outside by the winning entry. Swiss Yodeler had the lead when Silver Charm and Gold Tribute attacked in tandem and wound up third for this first career defeat. Silver Charm's jockey David Flores leaves Del Mar on a high note as he heads to his favorite meet at Fairplex, which starts today at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona.

The 58th Pomona Fair race season will get under way today with a 12-race card and first post time at 1 p.m. American racing's most famous bull ring (5/8-mile track) will conduct 12-race programs on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. There will be 13 races on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, with first post time on Fridays at 4 p.m. The usual wagering smorgasbord will be offered with rolling doubles added to the menu.

Flores, who is the second all-time winningest rider at Fairplex, is sure to break the record of 248 set by Fransico Mena. Flores usual Fairplex average is two winners a day and, at that rate, should break the record in the first week of the 19 consecutive-day season.

Fairplex will be offered in all of the pari-mutuel books throughout the meet.

Congratulations to RaceDay Las Vegas' Warren Eves, who took down the $5,000 winner's prize in the Battle at the Barbary handicapping contest. The competition included eight of the top handicappers in the business, who picked five top selections each day for the entire Del Mar season. Eves, who is heard each racing morning on KRLV 1340-AM on the RaceDay Las Vegas Show, was one of only three handicappers in the plus column after the competition concluded on Wednesday. Eves won with a plus bankroll of $1,164 on five $20 win bets per day. Jonathan Hardoon finished second with plus $573, and Bruno De Julio was third with a plus $542 based on the same format.

Finally, we reported in this space Wednesday that Jimmy Vaccaro would be leaving the Mirage race and sports book to pursue a position at Vic Salerno's American Wagering Inc. Of course, this change is still subject to approval by the Gaming Commission and Gaming Control Board which govern our gaming industry.