Del Mar Meeting Concludes Today With Futurity

The Del Mar Futurity, which has been won by either a future divisional champion or an eventual Kentucky Derby winner in four of the last five years, concludes the seaside track’s 43-day season today, with nine 2 year olds going one mile for a purse of $260,285.

Four of the starters--favored Temperate Sil, Prince Sassafras, Track Dance and undefeated Brevito--were not nominated to the Futurity and are being supplemented at a cost of $10,000 apiece to their owners.

Temperate Sil, trained by Charlie Whittingham and ridden by Bill Shoemaker, was an easy winner of the Balboa Stakes here on Aug. 27 and will again be opposed by Polar Jet, Gold on Green and Qualify--horses that ran 2-3-4 in the Balboa.

Gato Del Sol, who won the Futurity in 1981, went on to win the Kentucky Derby the next year. Roving Boy (winner of the 1982 Futurity) and Tasso (1985) used the race to help them become champion 2-year-old colts and Althea, winner of the 1983 Futurity, was voted the top 2-year-old filly.