Trainer Greenman Dies, Service Friday

A memorial service will be held in the saddling paddock Friday at 11:30 a.m. for longtime trainer Walter Greenman, 60, who died Sunday evening at his nearby home after a year-long fight with cancer.

A jockey before he turned to training at 19, Greenman underwent surgery for a brain tumor on Aug. 6, 1999, a day after he won a maiden claiming race at Del Mar with Bulls And Bears. He was back at his barn less than week later and saddled longshot Such Charisma when he finished last in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 29.

After training in Arizona for 10 years, Greenman moved to Northern California in 1969 and won training titles at both Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields. He topped the standings at Bay Meadows in 1975, ‘79, ‘83-84 and ‘84-85 and led at Golden Gate in 1969 and ‘83-84.

Among the stakes winners he trained were Savinio, Pacificbounty--who won both the El Camino Real and Golden Gate Derbies in 1997, but missed the Kentucky Derby due to injury--Pinfloron and Country Garden. He was also the original trainer of Hidden Lake. On his advice, she was moved to New York where she wound up winning an Eclipse Award as the top older filly/mare in 1997 under trainer John Kimmel.

Greenman is survived by his wife, Jeannie, daughters Debra and Donna, and a son, Dean, who has been serving as his assistant trainer.

Track chaplain Ted Bear, who was a part owner of Pacificbounty and a friend of Greenman’s for many years, will officiate the memorial service.

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Although it is only a Grade III race, Wednesday’s $125,000-added Palomar Handicap has attracted three Grade I winners.

Tranquility Lake, who won the 1999 Gamely Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park, Tout Charmant, who captured last year’s Del Mar Oaks, and 1999 Yellow Ribbon winner Spanish Fern are among those scheduled to start in the Palomar, which goes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The field also includes Caffe Latte, who beat Happyanunoit, arguably the top filly or turf mare in the country, in the Santa Barbara Handicap, a Grade II, earlier this year, and Sweet Life, who was second to Happyanunoit in the Beverly Hills Handicap early last month. Sweet Life will race coupled with Tranquility Lake and they are the 9-5 second choice. The coupling of Caffe Latte and Tout Charmant is favored at 8-5.

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Stormy Jack became the first two-time stakes winner of the Del Mar meet when he overtook stablemate and 6-5 favorite Gibson County in the final yards for a one-length victory in the $106,200 Real Good Deal Stakes Monday.

Notes

There is a Pick Six carryover for Wednesday of $135,035.56. . . . Captain Steve, second as the favorite in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 6, may make his turf debut in the $300,000 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 10. He worked a half-mile on the surface Monday morning in 49 2/5 seconds. . . . For the record: Jockey Laffit Pincay’s win on Give Praise in Sunday’s Sorrento Stakes left him two, not one, stakes victory behind Bill Shoemaker for second on Del Mar’s all-time list, as was reported Monday. Pincay has 91 stakes wins, Shoemaker retired with 93 and Chris McCarron is the leader with 129. . . . Pincay had two victories Monday, bringing his career record to 8,963.