DEL MAR : Futurity Likely for Gilded Time

The Del Mar Futurity probably will be the next test for Gilded Time, who already is being called one of the fastest 2-year-olds in history.

Fresh off a victory in Saturday’s Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., the Timeless Moment colt arrived at trainer Darrell Vienna’s Del Mar barn about 1 a.m. Monday, some 48 hours after he had said Gilded Time would remain on the East Coast.

“That assumption at one point was correct,” Vienna said. “However, the way he ran on Saturday--and as hard as he ran--we thought three weeks was too quick to come back in the Hopeful (Aug. 30 at Saratoga). Regardless of how easy he made it look on Saturday, you have to feel running that hard took something out of him.”

A 20-year-old Monmouth track record fell Saturday when Gilded Time covered six furlongs in 1:07 4/5. The previous mark of 1:08 was established by an older horse, Icecapade.

After studying the performance, Vienna decided to let Gilded Time recuperate five to seven weeks. That would allow for the one-mile Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 16 or the seven-furlong Arlington Washington Futurity 10 days later.

“We’ll probably start him at Del Mar,” Vienna said. “But we’re not going to rule out Arlington.”

Del Mar Notes

Eddie Delahoussaye was even hotter on Monday, winning four times, including the last race on Pass Me Lypheor, which went off at 9-1. Desormeaux was going for his third victory in that one atop 6-5 favorite Super Hooper, who did not respond down the stretch. . . . Jockey Kent Desormeaux continued his hot streak on Monday with two winners and remains atop Del Mar’s jockey standings with 18 victories, nine second-place finishes and 16 thirds in 84 mounts. He is winning 21% of his races. . . . Saturday’s $300,000-added Ramona Handicap will feature a duel between Flawlessly and Kostroma, two runners who have not lost during the past two years--except to each other. Of their three meetings, Flawlessly has won twice. The Ramona will be 1 1/8 miles on turf.