Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.
The recent sweltering triple-digit temperatures reminds us that we are getting into the dog days of summer here in Las Vegas, where we keep reminding ourselves that, after all, it's a dry heat.
While the mercury rises in the desert, the real reminder is sweet summer breezes off the Southern California shore that signals the opening of Del Mar. That spa summer session which sends multitudes of Las Vegas horseplayers motoring down the road to the San Diego County race course will open "Where The Turf Meets The Surf" down at old Del Mar on Wednesday.
Now, as we try to keep cool in the race books of Las Vegas, those who choose to partake in pari-mutuel endeavors at Del Mar should be armed with the ammo it takes to make enough profit for that number five suntan lotion.
Each year, the industry Bible -- the Daily Racing Form -- packages a publication aimed at helping players deal with the idiosyncrasies of the seaside season. Called the "Del Mar Players Guide," it is a must for anyone playing Del Mar races.
The Del Mar Players Guide points out valuable information for the short boutique meet that should be incorporated with each player's own handicapping criteria. The short season, the seaside location and the intentions of the horsemen who race their horses at Del Mar are all factors that could lead to a winner.
The vacation atmosphere and the beach in the summer puts both man and beast in a better frame of mind and matter. Some so much so, that a "for course" label can be applied when the calendar says Del Mar.
So, here are some of those pointers from the pages of the Del Mar Players Guide.
First, don't bottom out too quickly getting taken up in the vacation spirit. The bankroll is no different at the shore. Keeping in play is key.
Don't think that Del Mar is any different from the longer meetings up in Los Angeles. The perception that good price winners are any more plentiful at Del Mar is not supported by the raw stats. The percentage of winning favorites last year at Del Mar was 32.1, which is average, and, 34.5 percent for the past five years.
The Del Mar season highlights turf competition and racing for juveniles.
The Del Mar turf course sits inside the one-mile dirt oval and is much tighter than traditional courses inside dirt tracks elsewhere. Thus knowledge of the course by a rider is important and outside post position draws are deadly. Although the narrow course limits field sizes to 10, for the past four years horses who drew the 9 and 10 slots were a combined 3-for-84 at a mile on the course and only slightly better at 1 1/16th miles, where 7 of 96 won from those posts on the lawn.
Conversely, the main track played fair. Outside of the few days where pronounced biases were identified, post positions were not primary factors. In fact, at a mile on the main, rail post positions produced 23 percent winners while post 8 won at 28 percent. The tides and the weather play bigger factors than post position at Del Mar, where there are theories that when the tide comes in, the track slows down, and, of course, vice versa.
Be forewarned. The Del Mar grass course is new for 2005. The old grass was removed from the course and was replaced by a "tight Bermuda" called GN-1. Golfer Greg Norman's company produced the sod. So, the riders and players will be testing the new lawn for the first time this season. There may no longer be the "horses for courses" angle on the Del Mar green. At least for this year.
Trainer Doug O'Neill will be back with his volume of runners. The recent Hollywood Park title winner saddled more than twice as many runners during the Inglewood session than any other trainer. And, although his Hollywood Park winners may be beatable at Del Mar, having the largest stable in the state provides many replacements ready to roll. Although trainer Jeff Mullins isn't keeping pace with his abnormally high 27 percent winners from last year, the conditioner will still be a force coming to the shore with a winning percentage of 21 for the year. Trainer Mike Mitchell, who finished second to O'Neill at Hollywood Park (31-20), is coming into Del Mar rejuvenated and with solid stock.
Jockeys, like the fans, will be refreshed by the scenery. Corey Nakatani is a dark horse to lead the standings, while Hollywood Park title-holder Garrett Gomez, who finished the recent meet with 60 winners, will try to keep his momentum going at the beach.
Alex Solis, who finished five wins behind Gomez in second, will return to the scene of an early-meet riding spill that sidelined the rider through the end of the year and most of Santa Anita.
Kent Desormeaux returns stateside from another stint in Japan, Mike Smith returns to the Southern California riding colony after riding the Churchill Downs spring meet, and Pat Valenzuela should make the competition tough.
Like Saratoga, which opens next week in upstate New York, Del Mar will showcase some precocious juveniles making their racing debuts. Seaside or spa, the babies will start the Derby dreams this summer.
And, Del Mar or Saratoga are not bad places to begin a racing career. Or, for that matter, a vacation from the "dry heat," either.
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