DEL MAR : Boss Soss and Wheeler Oil Finish in a Dead Heat in De Anza Stakes

Even though they shared victory in the $81,425 De Anza Stakes, trainers Bob Baffert and Jack Haynes were both a bit disappointed.

Like almost everyone else who watched Wednesday’s featured race at at Del Mar, Baffert thought his 2-year-old colt, Wheeler Oil, had come back and won the De Anza by himself after being passed by Boss Soss.

Haynes, meanwhile, thought Boss Soss should have shown more improvement in his second start.

For both, the fourth stakes dead heat in Del Mar history wasn’t a bad consolation prize.

Only 2 1/2 weeks earlier at Hollywood Park, Wheeler Oil, the 6-5 favorite, beat Boss Soss, a 16-1 shot, by a head in a maiden race.

That was the fourth start for Wheeler Oil, a son of Jeblar, while Boss Soss was making his debut.

Treated with Lasix after bleeding slightly on July 26 and with Pat Valenzuela replacing Jose Velez as his rider, Boss Soss was the 3-2 favorite Wednesday, while Wheeler Oil, ridden by Gary Stevens, was sent off at 6-1 in the field of seven.

A son of Sauce Boat, Boss Soss got the lead from Wheeler Oil, who had put away Zealous Faith and Super Season earlier, but the more experienced colt came back and earned what turned out to be a dead heat after a lengthy wait for the photo.

“The dead heat takes a little of the kick out of it,” said Baffert, who picked up his second stakes victory of the meeting, after Thirty Slews won the Bing Crosby on Aug. 1. “When he works in the morning, he just doesn’t put out. I was considering castrating him. I said in (the Daily Racing Form) that if he lost this race, I was going to castrate him, so he got a reprieve.

“I thought he won it, but I’ve been in enough photos in the quarter horse business to know you don’t question the camera. At the eighth pole, I wanted a dead heat, but at the end, I wanted it all.”

“I don’t think this colt has reached his potential. He’s improving with racing. I’ll play it by ear from here with him.”

Baffert did mention the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 16 as a possibility for Wheeler Oil, but none of the De Anza entrants look as if they want any part of two turns, at the moment. The final time of 1:11 1/5 was the slowest in the race since 1983, and the last eighth of a mile was run in a pedestrian 13 3/5 seconds.

Haynes hopes Boss Soss will be able to go a mile, although the Kentucky-bred horse isn’t nominated to the Futurity.

“I thought I’d lost it,” Haynes said. “Pat (Valenzuela) and I were just hoping for a dead heat. I thought he’d improve off his last, but he just improved a head. I thought he’d improve more than he did.”

Dr. Bryan finished third, 2 1/4 lengths behind the winners; then came Super Season, Adamax, Catch the Gold and Zealous Faith, the 5-2 second choice and lone filly in the race making her first start on Lasix.

With a chance to even her record against Flawlessly at two victories apiece, Kostroma worked five furlongs in 59 seconds Tuesday morning in preparation for the $300,000 Ramona Handicap Saturday.

The 1 1/8-mile Grade I turf race will mark the fourth meeting of Flawlessly and Kostroma. After Kostroma won the first duel in the Yellow Ribbon, Flawlessly scored consecutive decisions nearly eight months apart at Hollywood Park in the Matriarch and Beverly Hills.

Both will carry 123 pounds Saturday and both are unbeaten over the Del Mar turf. Kostroma won the Osunitas Handicap in 1991, and Flawlessly took the San Clemente and the Del Mar Oaks last summer. Kent Desormeaux will ride Kostroma for trainer Gary Jones, while Chris McCarron will again handle Flawlessly, who worked five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 Monday for trainer Charlie Whittingham.

Other fillies and mares likely to be entered for the Ramona this morning are Polemic, Re Toss, Campagnarde (the defending champion), Explosive Ele, Silvered and Guiza.

Returning for the first time after serving a five-day suspension, Valenzuela won four races Wednesday.

Besides the dead-heat victory aboard Boss Soss, he won the second with Prima Avanti, the fifth with Bel Darling and the sixth with Olympic Dawn.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Martin Pedroza was suspended for five days, beginning Saturday, for an incident in Monday’s second race. Pedroza was cited for failing to control Windsor Court shortly after the start. . . . Rich Silverstein, Pedroza’s agent, has also been hired to book mounts for Hector Torres. Torres’ former agent, Rene San Miguel, is now working for Frank Alvarado. . . . Jolie’s Halo, the winner of last Saturday’s Philip H. Iselin Handicap, will come to Del Mar for the $1-million Pacific Classic on Aug. 30. . . . Probable starters in the $300,000 Eddie Read Handicap Sunday are Tight Spot, Golden Pheasant, Marquetry, Luthier Enchanteur, Leger Cat and Forty Niner Days.