Stevens to Seek the Spotlight as Del Mar Opens

Gary Stevens has a right to complain about his 1989 season, but few would listen.

Stevens has won more than $6 million in purses this year, putting him fourth in the national standings as the Del Mar meeting begins today.

But Stevens has been somewhat of a forgotten man, a far cry from recent years when he was either battling for the national title or winning the Kentucky Derby. While Laffit Pincay, Pat Day, Bill Shoemaker and Patrick Valenzuela have been getting the headlines, Stevens has been plugging along, making money.

The 26-year-old Idaho native will be seeking his third consecutive Del Mar crown. Only Shoemaker has won three consecutive titles at the race course, which begins its 50th meeting today.

“I’m very happy with where I am in the national standings because I don’t feel I’ve had that good a year,” Stevens said.

Typical of his campaign is Stevens’ richest win, the $516,900 Illinois Derby on May 27 at Sportsman’s Park near Chicago. His mount, the California-based Music Merci, won the race on the disqualification of Notation. But the ruling has been challenged by the losing owners, which leaves Stevens’ 10% cut of the $310,140 winning purse in limbo.

Stevens hopes to use a third Del Mar title to launch a late-season streak.

“It’s relaxed and laid-back, all right, but it’s also the most competitive meet in California,” Stevens said. “It’s a short meet, there’s a lot of money involved, and most of the riders take a vacation after it’s over. As a result, you find yourself scurrying to win as much as you can.”

In only four seasons at Del Mar, Stevens has won nearly all of the top races, including the Ramona Handicap, the Eddie Read Handicap and the Del Mar Debutante twice. But the one he remembers best is the 1987 Del Mar Oaks aboard Lizzy Hare, an English filly.

“In her race just before the Oaks she dropped me (while) pulling up,” Stevens said. “I was knocked unconscious.

“When she came back in the Oaks she didn’t really figure. It was a big field, she had a bad post and she didn’t have any speed. We had to come through a lot of traffic and she still won. It was such a satisfying win I even named my dog after her.”

Lizzy Hare--the pedigreed Rhodesian ridgeback, that is--and the rest of the Stevens family have settled into a new home near the beach at Del Mar. The clan recently welcomed Riley Garrett Stevens, born July 21 to Gary and his wife Toni.

Stevens will ride eight of the nine races on opening day, but he will be aboard longshots Trebizond and Tokatee in divisions of the featured Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the Kikuyu grass turf course.

The solid choice in the first division of the Oceanside will be Joseph Scardino’s Bruho, who gave Stevens a wild ride at Del Mar last year in the Balboa Stakes. While clearly on his way to an easy victory, Bruho veered suddenly.

“It was like the horse just disappeared out from under me,” Stevens said. “I had nowhere to go but down.”

Corey Black now rides Bruho for trainer Julio Canani.

Shelly Meredith’s Hawkster will get a lot of attention in the Oceanside’s second division after finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Said trainer Ron McAnally, who hopes Hawkster finally lives up to his morning drills:

“At least I think he should do a little better than fifth in here. After all, there’s no Easy Goer or Sunday Silence.”

Sunday Silence is on the grounds, but it is not known if he will race here. And despite its cramped, antiquated grandstand and overpopulated stable area, Del Mar also has attracted horses such as Bayakoa, Rahy, Claire Marine, Annoconnor, Pranke, Olympic Prospect, Sam Who and Magical Mile.

Opening-day purses for the nine races total $301,000, compared to $341,550 and $234,800 for the most recent openers at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, respectively.

Not bad for a track that, as recently as 1986, offered barely $200,000 a day in purses and didn’t get its first Grade I race until 1984.

When Hollywood Park and Santa Anita began simulcast betting on the Del Mar races last summer, the daily handle soared; increased purse money followed. Southland racing fans ended up betting more off-track, $165,957,948, than on-track, $122,754,420, during the 1988 Del Mar meeting.

“We’re not that sleepy little track anymore, are we?” said Joe Harper, Del Mar executive vice president and general manager.

“But we try hard to preserve the traditional atmosphere, even though our numbers are up there with the big tracks.

“The strangest feeling, though, is when I look at the size of the betting pools, then look around at the live crowd. It took me a while to figure out where all the money was coming from. This is what I’d call a very popular television show.”

Horse Racing Notes

Del Mar runs for 43 days through Sept. 13, with racing Wednesday through Monday beginning at 2 p.m. . . . The Del Mar races will be televised nightly on KDOC (Channel 56) from 8 to 8:30, on Prime Ticket from 10:30 to 11 and in the San Diego area on KTTY (Channel 69) from midnight to 12:30. . . . Trevor Denman, fresh from a stint calling races in Maryland, will be back in the booth for Del Mar.

Trainer Wayne Lukas will be going for his third straight Del Mar title. . . . Del Mar management is negotiating with Bill Shoemaker’s agents regarding a special farewell tribute to the jockey sometime during the meeting. Shoemaker broke Johnny Longden’s record for winners at Del Mar on Sept. 5, 1970.