Del Mar Debutante : Longshot Rue de Palm Caps Lukas’ Day

His victory with Steinlen in the Arlington Million was special, but it was business as usual for Wayne Lukas at Del Mar on Sunday.

Four hours after Steinlen’s victory in suburban Chicago, Lukas saddled Peter Brant’s Rue de Palm to win the $310,050 Debutante by six lengths in a stakes-equaling 1:35 for the mile.

Rue de Palm paid $40.80, $17.60 and $9 in the biggest Debutante upset since Bubblewin shocked Miss Tokyo at 14-1 in 1974.

Lukas, winning the race for 2-year-old fillies for the sixth time in the last seven years, indicated that Rue de Palm might come right back in the Sept. 13 Del Mar Futurity against colts.

Rue de Palm, a maiden barely a month ago, might be up to the task. And two weeks earlier she had been banished to the veterinarian’s list for throwing a fit in the starting gate.

The incident prevented Rue de Palm from running in a prep for the Debutante and prompted an almost daily gate-schooling session by Lukas and his staff.

“That was kind of embarrassing,” Lukas said after watching Rue de Palm led from the winner’s circle. “Good gate horses used to be my strong suit. But she had come around so good I think we could have gotten somebody out of the crowd to load her today.”

Good gate horses helped make Lukas the most successful quarter horse trainer in history before he turned to thoroughbreds full time in 1977. Since then he has become known as the man who dominates the filly division with wave after wave of well-bred stock, most of them bought at public auction. Five of his eight Debutante winners have come out of such sales, including champion Landaluce.

Lukas had this version of the Debutante surrounded with Rue de Palm, Junior Miss Stakes winner A Wild Ride, and Patches, who had recently finished third to colts in the Balboa Stakes.

Dominant Dancer jumped out to lead the field of nine around the first turn and into the backstretch. Del Mar newcomer Don Miller, riding her for the first time, took as much of a hold as he dared.

“I’d worked her before, and if you try to throw her down too much she’ll start getting out,” Miller said. “Still, she ran an awful big race for going so fast.”

Dominant Dancer hit the halfway point in :44 3/5, with Rue de Palm second on the rail. A Wild Ride and Sorrento Stakes winner Cheval Volant were closest at the time.

The rest seemed to be struggling to keep up, especially the unbeaten 11-10 favorite Ten K, who had been sending Gary Stevens bad signals as far back as the post parade. The gray filly was clearly on edge as she walked to the gate for her first try beyond six furlongs.

“She kind of blew her top going to the gate,” said Stevens, who gave up a mount in the Million to ride Ten K. “She was very nervous, not relaxed at all. Then, when dirt hit her in the face on the first turn, she went about six wide.”

While Ten K was struggling to get into the race, Russell Baze was sending Rue de Palm to the lead on the far turn.

“She had been trying to get out, so I got up inside the leader,” said Baze, who won three races Sunday. “That’s when she started looking straight ahead. After that I just managed not to mess it up.”

From there the dark bay daughter of Icecapade stretched her lead with every stride, leaving Dominant Dancer to hold off Cheval Volant by a head for second money.

Dominant Dancer returned $7 and $5, while Cheval Volant paid $5.20. If the results from Del Mar and Saratoga and Del Mar hold up, Lukas and Brant can boast the two best 2-year-old fillies in North America. Their Alydar filly Stella Madrid won the Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 28.

“They’re two different types,” Lukas said. “But the great thing is, Peter is a breeder and I bought both these fillies for him at auction.”

And Rue de Palm, at $200,000 compared to $600,000 for Stella Madrid, might have been the bargain.

Horse Racing Notes

Leading rider Eddie Delahoussaye had a weekend he would like to forget. On Saturday, the meet’s leading rider was handed a five-day suspension that is likely to cost him his first Del Mar title. Then on Sunday morning he embarked for Chicago, only to learn upon arrival that his Arlington Million mount, Frankly Perfect, had been scratched. Delahoussaye had given up the call on Dominant Dancer in the Debutante to ride in the Million.

Other than a small cut on her right front hoof, Bayakoa emerged from her last-place finish in Saturday’s Chula Vista Handicap in good condition, according to owner Frank Whitham. “About everything went wrong that could have,” Whitham said Sunday. “But we haven’t lost faith in her. We’ll be looking at either the Ruffian Handicap (Sept. 24) or the Spinster (Oct. 14)) for her next start.” . . . Trainer Ron Ellis has decided not to appeal a $1,000 fine imposed by Del Mar stewards after a 9-mm. pistol was discovered in the trunk of his car in the stable area last week. Racing Board investigators found the weapon in the course of a routine search after an Ellis-trained horse tested positive for the penicillin derivative procaine. “We had very little precedent on a penalty for the possession of a gun on the backstretch,” said steward Mort Lipton. “But the fact that it was loaded made it more serious.” Lipton described the case as an “isolated incident,” but Ellis disagreed. “There are others who carry guns for protection, especially during the Hollywood Park meeting,” said the trainer, currently third in the Del Mar standings. “That doesn’t excuse what happened. I made a mistake, and fighting the ruling wouldn’t do anybody any good. Besides, I don’t want to be in a position to defend the possession of guns on the backstretch. I just hope the whole thing just goes away.” . . . Southern California fans bet $887,440 on the Arlington Million and made victorious Steinlen ($10.40) their second choice. . . . In Extremis, impressive winner in his U.S. debut, and 1988 Arlington Million winner Mill Native might meet at Del Mar Thursday in a $60,000 overnight handicap. . . . The total handle of $10,343,146 was a record for a Del Mar card.