Columnist Ralph Siraco: Race for top trainer comes down to the wire

Ralph Siraco

Monday, July 24, 2000 | 9:27 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday through Friday on the scoreboard page. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 800 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107.

The dog days of summer are upon us -- at least for those of us in Las Vegas.

Searing heat and afternoon thunderstorms can mean only one thing: It's time for Del Mar and Saratoga. What did you think I meant? I'm a horseplayer.

The spring/summer meet at Belmont Park concluded Sunday as the New York racing scene moves up to Saratoga. That historic meeting begins its 36-day run on Wednesday with a Las Vegas post time of 10 a.m. The spa's six-day-a-week schedule, with no racing on Tuesdays, will go through Sept. 4.

The "who's who" of the Eastern racing community, as usual, will be spending the summer at Saratoga.

Jockey Jerry Bailey, who finished the Belmont session with an incredible 40 percent win average, won the closing day feature on Sunday aboard Gander.

Meanwhile, Southern Californians will take in a special Monday racing card for the closing day at Hollywood Park today before hitting the diamond lane on the San Diego Freeway bound for Del Mar. Its opening day card is also set for Wednesday.

But before fans and horsemen pack their No. 7 suntan lotion, the business of leading trainer is to be settled in today's finale. After 64 days of the 65-day Hollywood Park stand, the title of best trainer of the meet may come down to the next-to-last race of the season.

Trainers Clifford Sise, Jr., and Bob Baffert are deadlocked at 22 wins apiece after Baffert won the $500,000 Swaps Stakes on Sunday with Captain Steve. Sise, who also saddled a trio of runners on the Sabbath card, managed only a pair of runner-up efforts with Classic Tizzy in Sunday's fourth race and Roanoke's Cash in the fifth.

Trainer Bobby Frankel, who has three chances on today's card, sits just a victory away from the leaders with 21 wins.

Sise has but one runner on the closing day card. The 48-year-old conditioner, who's looking for his first training title, saddles morning-line favorite Resolutely in the sixth. The 5-2 choice will be ridden by leading ride Victor Espinoza, who will wrap up his first major Southern California riding title today.

Baffert will send a pair of runners to the post for a chance to earn a second Hollywood Park training title. He won the 1999 Hollywood Park autumn meeting with 14 winners. The three-time Eclipse Award winner saddles Wow Man as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the second race and returns with Sweet Eternity (a 5-2 second choice) in the ninth.

Frankel, who did not send any horses to the post Sunday, could catch and pass both Sise and Baffert if all three of his entrants make the winner's circle today. The Hall of Fame conditioner is trying for his seventh Hollywood Park title and his first since capturing No. 6 during the 1995 autumn meeting. Frankel has Heyerdahl at 4-1 in the fifth, the 8-5 morning line favorite Starmatic in the seventh and the 2-1 starting favorite in the featured ninth race with The Seven Seas.

Espinoza, 28, has a 10-race cushion over Corey Nakatani, who will not ride on the closing day program.

The Del Mar jockey colony will get a new face and an old face in racing's return to the seaside oval. Jockey Robbie Albarado has decided to try the ultra-tough Southern California circuit this year.

Albarado, who has run roughshod through the Fair Grounds and the Kentucky tracks so far this year, was encouraged to try the Southland competition by Baffert and other Southern California trainers who have used the talented rider for Midwest engagements.

Baffert has promised Albarado mounts from his powerful stable, but may run short of horses before riders. Nakatani has been riding quite a few mounts these days for Baffert, as has longtime associate David Flores.

Lately, word has filtered through the backstretch that Gary Stevens is planning a comeback at Del Mar. Stevens, who retired with advanced arthritis in his knees, has been getting on horses in morning workout sessions. The three-time Kentucky Derby winner has had much success with Baffert and was the trainer's No. 1 rider before his retirement. So, if Stevens' return is lengthy, there is every reason to think that he, too, will be riding for Baffert soon.

Like Saratoga, Del Mar will race on a six-day schedule and also be dark on Tuesdays. The meeting will run through Sept. 13 and first post time will be at 2 p.m. daily with a twilight post time of 4 p.m. on the first five Fridays and 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1 and Friday, Sept. 8.

What has become a Del Mar staple in Las Vegas, the "Toast at the Coast" competition pits 10 noted handicappers through the entire Del Mar meeting. Each handicapper selects five races per day with a mythical $20 win wager. The highest bankroll at the end of the session wins $5,000. The daily picks are available at all Coast Resort property race books and on the Internet at: www.horseplayerdaily.com.

In addition, each Saturday morning during the Del Mar season, a handicapping seminar on the day's Del Mar card will be conducted by a rotation of the stable of handicappers. Those seminars will be held at the Orleans race book and will be accompanied by a free $1,000 handicapping contest on the Saratoga races. The free $1,000 handicapping contests based on Del Mar racing will be presented every Wednesday during the meeting at a rotation of Coasts Resorts race books.

The Del Mar Wednesday contests will start this Wednesday (opening day) at the Orleans race book.