Dominant Dancer’s Name Doesn’t Fit After Loss : Favored Filly Gets Run Down in the Stretch by Wild Ride in Junior Miss Stakes

Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye searched for a plausible reason why heavily favored 2-year-old filly Dominant Dancer faded down the stretch of Wednesday’s $84,675 Junior Miss Stakes, then lost to Wild Ride by three-quarters of a length at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

“Maybe it was her shin problem,” Delahoussaye said. “She’s a big filly. Maybe they can’t take the pounding. Maybe she bled, she’s done that before.”

A 4-5 favorite, Dominant Dancer led throughout the six-furlong race and was still 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Wild Ride entering the stretch, but she fell apart in the last sixteenth.

“She just didn’t respond when I called on her,” Delahoussaye said. “She was pricking her ears and running so nice and easy. I thought she’d win easy.”

Chris McCarron, who rode Wild Ride, was just pleased his filly came through when it counted.

“I wasn’t paying much attention to him (Delahoussaye), I just sensed that I was getting to him,” McCarron said. “I could feel I was getting all the response I needed.”

McCarron said Wild Ride, who covered the six furlongs in 1:09 4/5 and paid $9.80 to win, ran the exact race that trainer D. Wayne Lucas wanted.

“He wanted to run third or fourth and stay within striking distance of the leader--fortunately, it worked out that way,” McCarron said.

Lucas said the scenario was quite different than Wild Ride’s last race at Hollywood Park. The filly ran fifth at the Grade III Landaluce Stakes on July 9--won by Dominant Dancer--after hitting the side of the gate at the start.

“That surprised us all, but she tipped her hand this week (in a workout) over this track.”

Lucas said Wild Ride will probably race again Sept. 3 in the $200,000 Debutante, but he may run her in the Sorrento on Aug. 16. Both are at Del Mar.

Delahoussaye said he was a bit surprised Dominant Dancer even ran Wednesday after her shin problems.

“I was under the impression that they were going to hold off,” Delahoussaye said. “I know if she’s in top form, she beats this field easy.”

Dominant Dancer had won three of her four races coming in, including the four-length Landaluce victory, and was thought by many to be the top 2-year-old filly in California.

Del Mar Notes

Chris McCarron will not be riding at Del Mar through Friday. He instead will be at Saratoga, being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Only 34, McCarron is the 10th jockey to win 5,000 races during his career. . . . Jockey Rafael Meza was zero for 14 coming into Wednesday and had not finished in the money this meeting. But Meza came up with a winner in the sixth race, riding 60-1 shot French Seventyfive. The victory paid $128.60, the biggest payoff so far at the meeting. . . . Laffit Pincay Jr. won three of the first four races and then rode Beautiful Pet to a victory in the ninth race, improving his victory total to 10 on the meeting, tying him with Robbie Davis. Pincay also had three seconds on the day in eight mounts. . . . Linda Card, coming off back-to-back victories in Northern California, will be the favorite in Friday’s $53,000 Fleet Treat Stakes. . . . Careless Notion was voted the 1989 California Broodmare of the year, and multiple stakes winner Kool Arrival was given the Valkyr Trophy by members of the California Thouroughbred Assn. The winners will be honored in a Sunday at Del Mar. . . . Today’s pick six carryover is $303,846.90.