Ramona Will Look Familiar

Even with Tranquility Lake sidelined because of a reaction to what is believed to be a spider bite, Saturday’s $400,000 Ramona Handicap will resemble a rerun of the Palomar Handicap three weeks ago.

When Spanish Fern was a surprise entry here Thursday, the Ramona became an eight-horse race, five of them grass fillies and mares that couldn’t beat Tranquility Lake in the Palomar.

Trainer Bobby Frankel, one of the leading critics of Del Mar’s worn-out grass course, still entered Spanish Fern in the 1 1/8-mile Ramona, the last of the five Grade I stakes at the meet, which ends Wednesday.

Spanish Fern, who was fourth in the Palomar, ran third in the Ramona last year, when Tuzla out-finished three rivals that were separated by less than a length.

The other Palomar runners going Saturday include Tout Charmant (second to Tranquility Lake), Miss Of Wales (third), Sweet Life (fifth) and Caffe Latte (the trailer in a seven-horse field).

Here is the field, in post-position order with jockeys and weights, for the Ramona: Spanish Fern, Eddie Delahoussaye, 117 pounds; Bordelaise, Kent Desormeaux, 115; Alexine, Alex Solis, 115; Tout Charmant, Chris McCarron, 120; Sweet Life, David Flores, 114; Caffe Latte, Brice Blanc, 117; Miss Of Wales, Tyler Baze, 112, and Keemoon, Victor Espinoza, 114. Tout Charmant will run coupled with Caffe Latte.

*

As though he needed one more edge, trainer Bob Baffert is bringing in Jerry Bailey from New York to ride Flame Thrower in Wednesday’s $250,000 Del Mar Futurity. Baffert will run two other horses--Arabian Light and Glorious Bid--in the Futurity, which he has won four years in a row.

Bailey is coming off a Saratoga meet in which he registered a record 50 victories.

Horse Racing Notes

Trainer Craig Dollase has been fined $2,500 and suspended for 15 days, from next Wednesday through Sept. 27, after his filly Abby Girl tested positive for albuterol, an unallowed breathing aid, after her victory on May 20 in the $150,000 Railbird Stakes at Hollywood Park.