THOROUGHBRED RACING : Visible Gold Leads Osunitas All of the Way for Desormeaux

Owners John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery hope that their Visible Gold, who led wire to wire in Saturday’s $80,025 Osunitas Handicap, goes on to emulate last year’s winner.

After making a powerful run around the turn, Kostroma went on to win the Osunitas and become one of the two best female turf performers in the nation.

Nobody is ready to compare Visible Gold to Kostroma, of course, but the 4-year-old Deputy Minister filly has certainly improved since she began trying the turf.

After losing her first six starts on dirt, the Canadian-bred broke her maiden on the Hollywood Park grass, was second and third in her next two turf tries and made it three consecutive victories in the Osunitas.

With Laffit Pincay on suspension, Kent Desormeaux took over on Visible Gold, who opened up through fractions of 23 4/5, 46 4/5, 1:10 2/5 and 1:35 1/5, then held on to beat 29-1 shot Now Showing by a half-length in 1:41 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles. She paid $4.20 as the 11-10 favorite in the field of seven.

McCaffery and Toffan and trainer Paco Gonzalez will be represented by Seattle Sleet in the Del Mar Futurity on Wednesday.

“Visible Gold has been doing so well,” Gonzalez said. “We could have run in an allowance race before because she still has conditions, but the way she was training, I said we have a chance to get some (success in a stakes).

“She’s put on 60 pounds in her last three races. That’s tough to do with a filly. When I saw the first fraction (23 4/5), I thought, ‘We’ve got a chance.’ She’s been relaxing better the last couple of races. Now, we’ll have to look at Oak Tree and see what sets up for her.”

Desormeaux said the winner reminded him of another front-runner he rode to a pair of stakes victories at the meeting.

“She’s like (Oceanside and La Jolla Handicap winner) Blacksburg,” he said after his fourth winner of the day. “She just pulls and pulls and pulls . . . she runs off and then she has another gear. She lays in the bridle and then kicks it in again when you ask her. She’s fun to ride.”

Now Showing, the longest shot in the field, almost gave jockey Jose Velez his first winner of the meeting.

“I thought I was going to win it the way she was coming on,” he said.

“But the winner shifted to the inside and I had to come out and my filly lost interest for a minute. That cost her. She tried hard, though. I think her people have to be happy.”

Vijaya was third in the Osunitas, then came Zonda, Common Threads, Regal Peace and Sprucory.

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The Del Mar Futurity lost a starter when Wheeler Oil came down with an infection. Trainer Bob Baffert wasn’t satisfied with the colt’s 1:00 2/5 five-furlong work on Friday morning. “(Alex) Solis came back and said he wasn’t right,” Baffert said. “We scoped him and he has an infection, so he’s not going to make it.”

Wheeler Oil dead heated with Boss Soss in the De Anza Stakes, then was second to Devil Diamond in the Balboa Stakes.

Besides Seattle Sleet, the other probable participants in the Futurity are Devil Diamond, Dare To Duel and Sudden Hush.

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Odds-on favorite Meafara scored a 2 1/4-length victory in the Grade III $100,000 Columbia Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Meafara, trained by Leslie Ahrens, covered the six furlongs in 1:10 2/5.

It was the fifth victory in seven starts for Meafara, a Florida-bred who has run at five tracks. Her last time out, she had won a stake at Woodbine by 5 1/2 lengths.

Meafara paid $2.60, 2.20 and 2.10.

Squirm was second, fourth lengths in front of Super Doer. Squirm paid $3.80 and 2.10, while Super Doer returned $2.10.

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Irish Swap beat Clevor Trevor by a neck in the $150,000 Washington Park Handicap at Arlington International Racecourse.

The 5-year-old Maryland-bred son of Irish Tower paid $8, $4 and $2.80 for his fifth stakes victory in seven starts this year. He earned $90,000 to increase his earnings to $409,461 for owner Randall Hendricks.

Clever Trevor, who set the pace until approaching the wire, paid $4.80 and $3.60. Barkerville returned $3.

Horse Racing Notes

Kent Desormeaux’s other winners Saturday were on Angel Of Vengeance, Dinuba and Ravenwood. . . . Slerp will try two turns for the first time in the $55,000 El Cajon Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Monday. The Bob Hess-trained 3-year-old, who was claimed for $40,000, has won four of 10 sprints. He drew the rail in a field that also includes So Ever Clever, Moscow M D, White Blade, Siberian Summer, Region and Blinking Lights. . . . Entries were also taken Saturday for the $75,000 CTBA Stakes at six furlongs and it attracted 11 2-year-old fillies. The top contenders include Venetian Fleet, Jamie Nicole, Buy A Bride and Carla Pockett.