Mandella Entry Pick in Pacific

If the morning line holds up, Touch Gold won’t go off the favorite Saturday in the $1-million Pacific Classic at Del Mar. But that doesn’t dilute trainer Patrick Byrne’s confidence in his 4-year-old colt.

“There are some nice horses in this race, and several that don’t belong,” Byrne said. “But with racing luck, I think Touch Gold should put all of them away. I hope all of my confidence doesn’t jinx him.”

In his first race this year--and the first time Byrne saddled him--Touch Gold went off at 1-5 odds and ran a 1:34 mile in winning an allowance race at Churchill Downs on June 28. But Jeff Tufts, the Del Mar linemaker, installed the Richard Mandella-trained entry of Gentlemen and Puerto Madero as the 6-5 favorite for the Pacific Classic, when nine horses were entered Wednesday. Touch Gold, winner of last year’s Belmont, is next on the morning line at 8-5.

Until last year, being favored in the Pacific Classic was the worst role to have. In the first six runnings, all of the favorites--Farma Way, Paseana, Best Pal, Concern and even Cigar--were beaten, Best Pal twice. Gentlemen, at 1-2, became the first favorite to win Del Mar’s showcase when he romped by 2 3/4 lengths last year.

“This is a tough race,” said Mandella, who knocked the wheels off Cigar’s 16-race streak with Dare And Go in 1996. “From what I’ve seen of his prep in Kentucky, Touch Gold is coming here ready to run. And Silver Charm is coming here from Santa Anita, where he’s been working well. But my two are tough too. They’re ready to go.”

Gentlemen, a 6-year-old Argentine-bred, has won 13 of 20 starts and earned $3.1 million, but he hasn’t won since February, when he took the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita. That came after a 4 1/2-month layoff. Gentlemen bled while running last in the four-horse Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, and then on June 28 he finished third, behind Skip Away and Puerto Madero, in the Hollywood Gold Cup.

“I liked Gentlemen’s last race,” Mandella said. “He’d been away for a spell, but he still came out running right with Skip Away.”

There are too many races to run for voters to get out their ballots, but right now Skip Away can be considered the early horse-of-the-year favorite. The rest of his campaign will be in the East, starting with the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park on Aug. 30 and ending with the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 7.

With one horse or another, Byrne will be hounding Skip Away all the way. The London-born trainer was at Saratoga last Saturday, saddling Awesome Again for his win in the Whitney Handicap.

“For now, we’ll keep Awesome Again and Touch Gold apart,” Byrne said. “Awesome Again is a possibility for the Iselin, but there are also a couple of other spots where he might run. I’ve got two of the best older horses in the country, but Touch Gold is the best of the two by far right now. That was a smashing mile he ran at Churchill Downs last time. He could have broken the track record [1:33 4/5] if [jockey Pat Day] had ridden him harder, but he didn’t have to.”

A year ago, Byrne was in the middle of an undefeated campaign that would net Favorite Trick the horse-of-the-year title. At the end of 1997, Byrne gave up Favorite Trick and the rest of the horses in his barn to train privately for Frank Stronach, who races both Touch Gold and Awesome Again. Touch Gold, trained by David Hofmans last year, injured his left front hoof while finishing fourth in the Preakness, and the hoof was allowed to grow back before he joined Byrne in May.

“With all of Mr. Stronach’s horses, I’m in an elite situation,” Byrne said. “I’m lucky to be in this position. I just hope I don’t blow the opportunity.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Pacific Classic Draw

The field for Saturday’s $1-million Pacific Classic at Del Mar (Distance--1 1/4 miles. Weights--All horses carry 124 pounds. Purse distribution , first five finishers -- $600,000, $200,000, $120,000, $60,000, $20,000):

Post time: Seventh race, 3:42 p.m. (first post: 12:30 p.m.)

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PP. Horse Jockey Odds 1. Lazy Lode Gary Stevens 12-1 2. Pacificbounty Eddie Delahoussaye 20-1 3. Touch Gold Pat Day 8-5 4. Ayrton S Omar Berrio 50-1 5. Puerto Madero-x Kent Desormeaux 6-5 6. Albaha Alex Solis 30-1 7. Gentlemen-x Corey Nakatani 6-5 8. Free House Chris McCarron 3-1 9. Don’t Blame Rio Matt Garcia 50-1

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x-Gentlemen and Puerto Madero run as an entry.