DEL MAR : Lundy, Grod Suffer a Default of $1.7 Million in Conspiracy

A default judgment of more than $1.7 million was made in Los Angeles Superior Court against former trainer Richard Lundy, bloodstock agent Stephen C. Grod and Executive Bloodstock Agency, a company wholly owned by Grod, ending a suit brought three years ago by Allen Paulson.

Paulson had charged that Lundy and Grod conspired to defraud him in both the purchase and sale of horses.

Lundy, 47, who spent six years as an assistant to Charlie Whittingham and who also trained for Virginia Kraft Payson, was hired by Paulson to train his horses the day after the 1988 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs.

The following year, Lundy won 15 stakes and $3 million and had the 1989 Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s best older horse in Blushing John. In addition, he trained Jade Hunter, who won both the Donn Handicap and Gulfstream Park Handicap in 1988; Opening Verse, 1991 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner; Fowda, 1991 Hollywood Oaks and Monmouth Oaks winner, and Dinard, 1991 Santa Anita Derby winner.

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Kissin Kris, who has earned a comfortable living by finishing second or third in big races, will come to the West for Sunday’s $1-million Pacific Classic.

Winless in six starts this year and with only four victories in 33 starts, Kissin Kris was most recently second behind Key Contender in last month’s Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park.

Slew Of Damascus, the beaten favorite in the Wicker Handicap on turf last week, will also probably go in the 1 1/4-mile Classic and is the logical pacesetter.

“We’re leaning real strong in that direction,” trainer Craig Roberts said. “He’s been really good since that last race [on Aug. 2]. I’m coming down there, and we’ll take a look at him [today].”

Confirmed starters in the Classic are Soul Of The Matter, who will have his final work either today or Wednesday; Concern, who will be ridden for the first time by Gary Stevens; defending champion Tinners Way and Blumin Affair. Tossofthecoin is considered a possibility.

Blumin Affair, who won a two-turn race for the first time in the San Diego Handicap on July 29, worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 Monday for trainer Jack Van Berg.

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Lakeway, who hasn’t run since finishing a distant second behind Heavenly Prize in the Alabama nearly a year ago at Saratoga, was given high weight of 122 pounds for Sunday’s Rancho Bernardo Breeders’ Cup Handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs.

The nation’s best 3-year-old filly before she was sidelined, Lakeway won five of seven starts last year and was second in her two defeats. She won four Grade I stakes--the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks at Santa Anita, the Mother Goose at Belmont Park and the Hollywood Oaks at Hollywood Park.

Owned by Michael Rutherford and trained by Gary Jones, the Seattle Slew filly has a series of sharp works for her return, and her main objective is the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 28 at Belmont Park. Eddie Delahoussaye will ride Lakeway for the first time in the Rancho Bernardo.

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Cosmic Fire, an impressive maiden winner on July 29, is the 5-2 favorite against seven other 2-year-old fillies in Wednesday’s $100,000 Sorrento Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Trained by Mel Stute for Pine Creek Ranch, the daughter of Capote won by 5 1/2 lengths under Alex Solis after finishing a troubled third in her first start three weeks earlier at Hollywood Park. She has the favorable outside post in the Sorrento, which is a prep for the Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 27.

The rest of the field, from the rail out, includes: Eastside Lass, Ocean View, Blacktie Bid, Waycross, Love On The Rail, Totally Spellbound and Batroyale.

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Jockey Jerry Bailey and trainer Bobby Frankel and champion horses Foolish Pleasure, La Prevoyante and Crusader were inducted into thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Bailey has won more than 3,000 races and more than $100 million in prize money on his mounts. Frankel’s horses have won 137 stake races over 30 years, earning more than $60 million.

Horse Racing Notes

Late Sailing won for the fourth time in five turf starts Monday at Del Mar, holding off Wende by a half-length in 1:35 4/5 for the mile. Trained by Fordell Fierce and ridden by Adalberto Lopez, Late Sailing paid $15. Her only loss on grass came when she was second by half a length behind Work The Crowd in the Yerba Buena Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on May 27. Pacesetter Baby Diamonds was third and Marina Park fourth Monday. . . . There was one perfect ticket in the Pick Six Monday and it was worth $84,830.60.

Times staff writer Bill Christine contributed to this report.