DEL MAR : Futurity Is Now for Bertrando, an Easy Winner

On a closing day when longshots were winning often, the $287,500 Del Mar Futurity maintained the trend. Bertrando, the least-experienced horse in the field of 10 2-year-olds, led all the way Wednesday to score a 3 1/2-length victory at odds of 8-1.

The only race Bertrando had run before Wednesday resulted in a two-length victory against maidens here Aug. 25, and that performance prompted his trainer, Bruce Headley, to supplement the colt into the Futurity for $10,000. Bertrando, whose listed owner is Gus Headley, the 15-year-old son of the trainer, earned $197,500, becoming the seventh supplementary entrant to win in the 44-year history of the Futurity.

With a crowd of 19,634 on hand in cool, sunny weather, four of the earlier races on the card produced winning payoffs of $35, $24, $60 and $33, and only one favorite had won the seven races that preceded the Futurity.

The crowd had trouble determining the favorite in the one-mile Futurity. Star Recruit, who had broken his maiden here Aug. 3, and Scherando, winner of the Balboa Stakes on Aug. 21, each went off at 7-2, with about $4,000 more showing in the win pool on Star Recruit.

Bertrando’s trailers Wednesday were strung out. Zurich, a far-back fourth in the Balboa, finished second, 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Star Recruit, who was two lengths better than Spudabaker. Scherando raced closest to Bertrando down the backstretch and was in a line of three horses still in contention at the head of the stretch, but Scherando wound up next to last.

Bertrando is a California-bred son of Skywalker, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in 1986. Ridden by Alex Solis, Bertrando paid $19.40 and was clocked in 1:36 2/5, slowest time for a Futurity winner since Roving Boy’s 1:38 4/5 in 1982.

Bruce Headley, in Kentucky for horse sales, missed the Futurity. “He (Bertrando) got in a lot of trouble, so that made it even more impressive,” said Karen Headley, the trainer’s daughter.

Solis, who also rode Bertrando in his debut, was surprised at how easily the colt made the lead Wednesday, in fractions of 21 4/5 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 45 for the half.

“He fooled me on the backside,” Solis said. “He was so relaxed and going so easy. I thought he was going 22 and change, then something like 46. He did it so easy, and then he had something left. Our only concern today was that he might get tired, but he didn’t.”

Zurich, ridden by Gary Stevens, was last going past the stands the first time, then fifth at the quarter pole before hitting his stride at the top of the stretch.

“I thought I was going to get the winner,” Stevens said. “You’re not supposed to set fractions like that and stay there. But he did. He could be special. My horse improved and gave it a good shot.”

Star Recruit was closer to the pace Wednesday than he was while finishing second, a length behind Scherando, in the Balboa. Star Recruit was third, behind Bertrando and Scherando, going down the backstretch; then, while battling with Scherando and Big Sur at the eighth pole, Star Recruit moved into second place.

“No excuses,” said Eddie Delahoussaye, who rode Star Recruit for the first time in the Balboa. “He just didn’t have it when it counted. We had a great trip. We were in a perfect spot. But he never kicked it in. He never even changed leads (shifting weight to the right side).”

Horse Racing Notes

Pat Valenzuela won one race Wednesday, giving him a meet-high total of 53. Kent Desormeaux also won one race to finish second with 51 victories. . . . Bob Hess won the training title with 18 victories, three more than Ron McAnally. . . . The stewards rejected a foul claim by David Flores in the seventh race, allowing Val Des Bois’ victory to stand. Flores finished third on Spending Record. That was the 44th inquiry of the 43-day meeting, 26 initiated by jockeys and the others coming from the stewards. There were 13 disqualifications. . . . Golden Pheasant, making his first start in seven months, ran last in the race won by Val Des Bois. Golden Pheasant broke a leg last fall after winning the Arlington Million.

On track, betting declined almost 10% at Del Mar and the average attendance was down 2% from last year’s figures. The average daily handle was $2.6 million and the attendance was 16,167. . . . Counting off-track figures, business was about the same as a year ago, with the handle averaging $7.4 million and attendance running 35,896. “Looking at the economy and what Santa Anita and Hollywood Park had done,” said Del Mar President Joe Harper, “I figured we might do well to do about the same as we did a year ago, when we had our best year ever.”

The demolition of the Del Mar grandstand began Wednesday night, the first step in a three-year, $75-million project. The new grandstand, to be finished in time for the 1994 season, will have about 15,000 seats, compared to 9,600 now. Harper said that about 7,500 of those seats might be in place next year. “We’re hoping that the new grandstand will bring out the new fan,” Harper said. “The new patron, that’s the guy we’re interested in. But he’s tough to get.”

The new satellite betting facility at Del Mar opens today, with telecasts from the Los Angeles County Fair in the daytime and quarter horse racing from Los Alamitos at night. On the first floor of the $15-million facility is a room for 2,000 and a theater for 550. A 400-seat restaurant and a 600-seat sports club are on the second floor.