Nakatani Quickly Out of the Gate : Del Mar: Jockey wins both divisions of Oceanside Stakes on opening day with Lake George and Chilly Billy.

Trainer Mike Orman figured out a way for Lake George to register his first stakes victory. He put him on grass and ran him in a race that didn’t include Thunder Gulch, Larry The Legend, Afternoon Deelites or Timber Country.

Lake George has probably seen his last race on dirt. The 3-year-old chestnut with the splash of white on his face helped Del Mar open its 56th season Wednesday, rallying to win by two lengths in the first division of the Oceanside Stakes.

On-track attendance was 28,466, second-largest here in the last eight years.

Lake George ran the way a 7-10 shot should, pulling away in the final strides under Corey Nakatani.

Nakatani, the leading rider in the country and the No. 1 jockey here last summer, also won the second half of the Oceanside with a late move as Chilly Billy streaked to the wire ahead of longshot Semi Maar. The Oceanside had been split 14 times before, and the only other jockeys to sweep both ends had been Gary Stevens, last year, and Eddie Delahoussaye, in 1981 and 1985.

The Oceanside was Lake George’s second start on grass, coming a month after he turned in a strong winning effort in allowance company at Hollywood Park.

Before that, Lake George’s career had been all on dirt--one victory in five starts, including an 18th place finish in the Kentucky Derby. During that span, Lake George faced some of the best 3-year-olds in the country. He was third behind Afternoon Deelites and Timber Country at Santa Anita, fifth in the Santa Anita Derby and then 19 lengths behind Thunder Gulch as Orman’s colt finished ahead of only one horse in the Kentucky Derby.

“Anybody who’s ever been on him has told me that this would be a good grass horse,” said Orman, a former minor league hockey player who has been training in California for 10 years.

Even though Lake George was far back in the Kentucky Derby, Shane Sellers got off him and said to Orman: “If you put this horse on grass, I’ll go anywhere in the country to ride him.”

He’ll have to line up behind Nakatani, who rode Lake George for the first time in his grass debut at Hollywood Park.

Lake George, favored for the first time, paid $3.40 to win after completing the mile in 1:35 3/5. Lake George was in fourth place most of the way, saving ground, and Nakatani got him to the outside, away from heavy traffic, at the top of the stretch.

Score Quick, making his second grass start after 19 races on dirt, led for six furlongs and finished second, a nose in front of Private Interview, who was a winner at a longer distance on grass at Hollywood Park.

“Running [Lake George] in the Kentucky Derby was probably a mistake,” Orman said.

“He got bumped leaving the gate in Kentucky and then was nine or 10 [horses] wide after that. We had to push him to get him there, and then we played around with him for a month afterwards, to give him some time.”

Chilly Billy ran his Oceanside a second faster, in 1:34 3/5, and paid $7.80 while winning by 1 1/4 lengths. American Day, the even-money favorite, was in a race for the first time in almost six months and stalked Boundless Moment much of the way. American Day made the lead nearing the quarter pole, then Semi Maar, at 19-1, passed him in the final sixteenth, before Chilly Billy passed everyone.

“I let him go about the five-eighths pole and he responded,” Nakatani said of Chilly Billy. “He really accelerated. He gave me that big burst. Both of these horses [Lake George and Chilly Billy] are nice colts. The pace was a lot slower in the first half [of the Oceanside] and that affected the final time. It’s great to be back at Del Mar and a great way to start the meet.”

Chilly Billy, who had won one of seven starts in England, hadn’t won in almost a year. He arrived at trainer Bobby Frankel’s barn about a week ago.

“I was told that this horse had a great turn of foot, and I think that was an understatement,” Frankel said.

Semi Maar had won four in a row, and had been sold in a $10,500 claiming race at Golden Gate Fields 2 1/2 months ago.

“He ran dynamite for a horse shipping in,” jockey Chris Antley said.

“I thought he was going to win it, but the winner blew by us. He was much the best.”

Both of the Oceanside winners could return in the $300,000 Del Mar Derby, a grass race at 1 1/8 miles on Sept. 4.

Chris McCarron also rode two winners on opening day, including Track Gal in a $70,000 stake for fillies and mares that preceded the second half of the Oceanside.

Track Gal, who paid $3.40, won for the fourth consecutive time and improved her record to five victories and two seconds in eight starts.

Horse Racing Notes

Paseana, twice an Eclipse Award winner, has been retired after pulling a suspensory ligament in her left foreleg while finishing fifth in the Vanity Handicap on Sunday at Hollywood Park. Paseana won 19 of 36 starts and earned $3.1 million, but the 8-year-old Argentine-bred finished about $92,000 short of Dance Smartly, who holds the earnings record for fillies and mares. “She was very consistent and very honest,” trainer Ron McAnally said. “When she ran on tracks to her liking, she was very tough to beat. She’s certainly one of the best fillies or mares I’ve ever had.” Paseana will spend the rest of the year at owners Sidney and Jenny Craig’s ranch, near Del Mar, until it’s time to send her to Kentucky early next year to be bred. A stallion hasn’t been chosen. “Afternoon Deelites is resting up at our place now,” Sidney Craig said Wednesday. “Maybe we’ll introduce her to Paseana and see if he’s interested.”

Del Mar officials are less hopeful than they once were that Cigar will be shipping West again, for the $1-million Pacific Classic on Aug. 13.

Bob Hess Jr., who was handed a 60-day suspension by the Hollywood Park stewards last Saturday, has obtained a court order that enables him to train pending an appeal.

Jockey Pat Valenzuela called in sick, and Gary Stevens, riding in his place, won the third race with Elegant Blast. Valenzuela rode Monday, closing day at Hollywood Park, but on Sunday he was a no-show at Arlington International, telling stewards there that an airline mixup prevented from honoring his assignment in the American Derby. Aaron Gryder took over and won the race with Gold And Steel.

Jumron, who pulled a muscle while running fourth in the Kentucky Derby, is back at trainer Gary Lewis’ barn and may run before the meeting is over.

Low Key Affair, trained by Wayne Lukas and ridden by Pat Day, won Wednesday’s Honorable Miss Stakes at Saratoga.