DEL MAR : Desormeaux Looks to Future and Salvages Present Meeting

Kent Desormeaux got some consolation Wednesday for what was a forgettable Del Mar meeting for him.

The leading rider here in 1992 and 1993, Desormeaux, who won with only 19 of his 197 mounts to place eighth this year, directed Future Quest to a $17.60 upset in the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity.

What was supposed to be a showcase for Cobra King before he got together with Hennessy next month in New York instead became a second consecutive Futurity victory for owner Verne Winchell and trainer Ron McAnally.

The 7-10 favorite on the strength of two easy victories over the track, Cobra King never looked like a winner Wednesday and finished fourth, beaten a bit more than four lengths.

Winchell and McAnally thought they had a shot to spring an upset in the Grade II race, but they thought it was with Exetera, who raced coupled with the winner.

Future Quest’s job was to insure a good pace for his stablemate, and Desormeaux, who rode the Relaunch colt only because Alex Solis opted for Exetera and Chris McCarron chose to ride third-place finisher Cavonnier, went right to the front.

With Othello, the 4-1 second choice, seemingly waiting to pounce on his outside, Future Quest went 21 4/5, 44 1/5, 1:08 4/5 for the six furlongs, yet had enough left to hold on and win by a head in 1:21 4/5.

For McAnally and Winchell, who won the 1994 Futurity with On Target, it was a good thing Future Quest kept going. After breaking a step slowly, Exetera got sandwiched by Othello from his outside and Monzon to his inside, effectively losing any chance he had. He wound up fifth in the field of eight.

“My brother [trainer Keith] said this was going to be my day,” Desormeaux said. “Boy, was he right? I want to thank Mr. McAnally for making my whole meet.

“This is so sweet. I’m numb. I’ll tell you, it happens every time. The plan was to put this colt on the lead and let him do his best. I thought if I took them real fast, they wouldn’t go fast for fear of burning out. My rocket went and just didn’t flame out. “Coming into the stretch, he just kept doing it for me. He ground it out. He was game. Amazing, isn’t it? And so sweet.”

The most disappointed people on Del Mar’s closing day were Cobra King’s connections. After looking like California’s top 2-year-old colt, he fizzled Wednesday.

“He just didn’t fire,” jockey Russell Baze said. “He didn’t give me that big punch he showed [in his easy victory in the Balboa Stakes on Aug. 23].

“I asked him for some run about the five-sixteenths pole and he gave it to me for about a dozen steps, then it wasn’t there anymore. He seemed to pull up OK. [Trainer] Mike [Puype] told me he went off his feed [Tuesday] and maybe there’s a little something bothering him.”

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McCarron may have made the wrong choice in the Futurity, but it didn’t keep him from winning the riding title in the final race of the meeting.

Tied with Corey Nakatani going into the finale, McCarron rode 5-2 second choice Helmsman to an easy victory over 4-5 favorite Westport Landing, ridden by Nakatani. That wrapped up McCarron’s fifth championship locally, but first since 1984. His last riding title on the circuit had come during the 1990-91 Santa Anita meeting.

One behind Nakatani entering the 43rd day of the season, McCarron tied matters when he won the first on favored Exotic Wood. Nakatani then regained the lead when Layton Hill took the fifth, then McCarron pulled into a deadlock again when Debutant Trick won the $66,200 Live The Dream Handicap.

McCarron finished with 48 victories, 12 coming in stakes. The dozen stakes victories equaled a Del Mar record set by Laffit Pincay in 1976.

Mike Mitchell wrapped up his fifth training title at Del Mar with three victories, including an easy victory with favored Turbulent Dancer in the $75,600 El Cajon.

Horse Racing Notes

Both on- and off-track attendance were down from last year. There was a 6.6% decrease in the total attendance (1,425,447 this year compared to 1,526,028 in 1994) and the daily average was down from 35,489 to 33,150, but the track is still No. 1 in that area. On-track handle was down 1.5% and the combined on- and off-track handle was off 0.5%. The average daily handle was $11,263,896, a California record. . . . Tinners Way, who won the Pacific Classic for the second consecutive year last month, was voted horse of the meet and top older horse in voting done by the media. Other winners were: Batroyale (2-year-old filly), Future Quest (2-year-old male), Bail Out Becky (3-year-old filly), Da Hoss (3-year-old male), Possibly Perfect (older filly/mare), Fastness (grass horse) and Lit De Justice (sprinter).