Stevie Delivers for Griffin

More than half a century ago, Merv Griffin had a huge hit singing about a lovely bunch of coconuts.

On Wednesday, his Stevie Wonderboy gave him more reason to sing.

The 80-year-old Griffin, who started out with Arabians before moving on to thoroughbreds, has never had good horses in bunches. In fact, Griffin never had a graded-stakes winner until Skipaslew, a horse his trainer claimed for $50,000, came along last year.

But now Griffin and Skipaslew’s trainer, Doug O’Neill, have the one horse that may be the real thing. While Griffin, suffering from a minor infection, watched on TV, O’Neill saddled Stevie Wonderboy for a five-length win in the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day here.

The Kentucky Derby next May is too far off for even the most imaginative of dreamers, but O’Neill -- convinced that Griffin’s colt has a future around two turns -- is allowing himself to talk about the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Belmont Park on Oct. 29.

“The first time we breezed this horse, we said, ‘Wow!’ ” O’Neill said. “He’s a very relaxed horse. I’ve said it often that he acts like a 2-year-old in a 5-year-old’s body. I haven’t been around that long, but I haven’t seen many horses like that.”

Stevie Wonderboy, a $100,000 purchase at a Florida auction in February, is named after Stevie Wonder, who appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show.”

The colt had only two horses beaten after the first half-mile of the seven-furlong Futurity, but the pace was blistering up front and closers figured to be heard from.

Stevie Wonderboy, who was favored, was fifth at the top of the stretch, but by then jockey Garrett Gomez had him in gear.

“He never caught his best stride until the eighth pole,” Gomez said. “He blew them away then. I never hit him. I didn’t have to. He’s something.”

The victory, in a time of 1:22 2/5, was Stevie Wonderboy’s second in four starts.

He was second in his debut at Hollywood Park in June, ran third in the Hollywood Juvenile in July and broke his maiden here Aug. 6.

Earning $150,000, Stevie Wonderboy paid $7 in the Futurity. The Pharaoh finished second, half a length in front of Jealous Profit, another O’Neill runner who was compromised by a rough start.

Bashert, the morning-line favorite who went off third choice, ran seventh after briefly making the lead at the head of the stretch. Bashert, who broke from the No. 11 post, flipped en route to the paddock, landing in a flower bed, and forced jockey Rene Douglas to dismount at the start of the post parade.

O’Neill said it was too early to say, but his preference would be to prep Stevie Wonderboy for the Breeders’ Cup with the Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.

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Garrett Gomez finished second to Victor Espinoza, 53-50, in the jockeys’ standings, but Gomez won six stakes, including the Del Mar Futurity, the Pacific Classic with Borrego and the Del Mar Derby and the La Jolla Handicap with Willow O Wisp. All of Gomez’s horses earned about $3 million at the meet.... The training title went to Jeff Mullins, who won Wednesday’s first two races to edge out seven-time titlist Bob Baffert, 23-22.... Tucked Away, winner of the Clement L. Hirsch Handicap on Aug. 7, was euthanized Sunday after complications from surgery on her right foreleg.