The Pick Here Is the Sixth

Del Mar has an interesting feature, a $65,000 allowance sprint that attracted only six entrants. Nonetheless, there is quality in the lineup and all but one of the participants is returning from a fairly extended layoff. Performing Magic, who hasn’t run since Oct. 7, is the lone entrant who is a graded stakes winner. He won the Remington Park Derby, a Grade III, on Aug. 27 and this race has the look of a prep for longer. Owned by Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corporation, Performing Magic will be ridden by Gary Stevens and the last time he rode for this outfit was when he won Sunday’s $1.5-million Haskell Invitational with Point Given. Stevens had words after the finish with trainer Bob Baffert and was obviously upset when taking pictures in the winner’s circle. Baffert was originally critical of Stevens’ ride, saying he moved prematurely, but later backed down. The other comebackers are Capo Di Capo, the 5-2 morning line favorite who hasn’t run since April 14 but has won four of nine, Elegant Fellow, idle since July 16, 2000 and Beaumes De Venise, who last ran on May 28, 2000 but is proven fresh. He broke his maiden by 10 1/4 lengths at Prairie Meadows in Iowa back in 1999, and Tavasco, who last ran on March 10 at Turf Paradise. Martel arrives on a two-race win streak for Pat Gallagher. His last victory came on July 11 at Hollywood Park.

Race of the day: Aside from the feature, the pickings are slim in terms of quality, but the sixth looks like a good betting race. It is a $50,000 claimer for older fillies and mares at one mile on the turf. Contention runs deep and it is difficult to toss many of the nine entrants. The 3-1 favorite is Cleopatra, who will be making her first start for high percentage trainer Jeff Mullins. In the most recent statistics published in the Daily Racing Form, he had won with 49 of 180 starters in 2001, a 27% clip.

Who’s hot: Julio Canani. After a slow start to the meet, the Peruvian trainer won three races last weekend. Besides Tranquility Lake’s rebound victory in the Clement L. Hirsch Handicap, he won with maidens Smart Start and Tribal Rule, a 5-year-old who looks like he might have stakes in his future if he remains healthy. Canani has a live ticket in today’s finale--the recently gelded Audix.

Who’s not: Bob Hess, Jr. The leading trainer here in 1991 and ‘92, Hess began the fourth week of the meet with only one victory--an upset by Star Chief on July 28.

Exotically speaking: We’ll play a late pick three using Star’s Millennium, Warp and Cleopatra in the sixth, Capo Di Capo and Beaumes De Venise in the seventh and singling Audix in the eighth.