DEL MAR : In Excess Is Among Missing, Again

DEL MAR —  When the field was drawn Wednesday for Saturday’s $1-million Pacific Classic, there was as much discussion about a horse that isn’t running as there was about those that are.

While Farma Way, Festin, Jolie’s Halo, Marquetry, Summer Squall, Itsallgreektome and Unbridled have spent much of the season going head to head in the 10-race American Championship Racing Series, In Excess has been running roughshod over the second echelon of America’s handicap division. In Excess won the Whitney Handicap last Saturday, becoming only the third horse, after Tom Fool and Kelso, to sweep that race and two other New York fixtures, the Metropolitan Handicap and the Suburban Handicap, in the same year.

Since leaving California late this winter, In Excess has avoided the ACRS. In the only series race he has entered, In Excess ran fourth--behind Farma Way, Festin and Pleasant Tap--in the Santa Anita Handicap. Since then, for the last five races in the series, In Excess has gone his way and the division leaders have gone theirs.

Because of In Excess’ winning streak, the New York media has suggested that he is a leading horse-of-the-year candidate. Trainer Wayne Lukas, who will be running Farma Way and Twilight Agenda in the Pacific Classic, doesn’t think so.

Lukas didn’t attend Wednesday’s post-position draw, but he was on the phone from Saratoga, where he had seen In Excess’ victory in the Whitney.

“If he’s a horse of the year,” Lukas said, “where is he when one of the best fields has been assembled for a $1-million race?”

Three of the horses that In Excess beat in the Whitney--Chief Honcho, Killer Diller and Silver Survivor--have run a combined six times in the ACRS. The best finish was a third by Silver Survivor in the New England Classic at Rockingham Park, where he was eight lengths behind Marquetry and five back of Festin.

“If you took the horses that finished behind In Excess in the Whitney and dropped them in the Del Mar race, they’d all be 20-1 or 30-1,” Lukas said. “It’ll be interesting to see what In Excess does after he gets off his cream-puff schedule and gets around to running against the best in the handicap division.”

Defending In Excess, trainer Bruce Jackson has said his horse has improved dramatically since running in the Santa Anita Handicap.

Burt Kinerk, the Tucson trial lawyer who owns Festin, also questioned In Excess’ light schedule. “In Excess hasn’t hit the competition yet,” he said. “Wayne made some valid comments.”

Although Festin is the point leader in the series--a bonus of $750,000 goes to the owner of the horse with the most points--Farma Way has been installed as the 2-1 favorite for the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic by Jeff Tufts, the Del Mar linemaker. Festin, who leads Farma Way in points, 37-32, is the second choice at 7-2.

The first five finishers in each race of the series receive points on a 10-7-5-3-1 basis. After Saturday, the remaining races are the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park on Sept. 1 and the Woodward at Belmont Park on Sept. 15.

The eight-horse Pacific Classic field, in post-position order, with jockeys and morning-line odds: Itsallgreektome, Corey Nakatani, 9-2; Anshan, Gary Stevens, 15-1; Farma Way, Chris McCarron, 2-1; Stalwart Charger, Roberto Gonzalez, 30-1; Twilight Agenda, Kent Desormeaux, 5-1; Best Pal, Pat Valenzuela, 6-1; Festin, Eddie Delahoussaye, 7-2, and Unbridled, Craig Perret, 6-1.

All will carry 124 pounds except Best Pal, who will race with 116 pounds because he’s a 3-year-old.

This will be the fifth meeting between Farma Way and Festin. The rivalry began in the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita on Feb. 17, with Farma Way winning and Festin finishing in a dead-heat for third, three lengths back.

In the Santa Anita Handicap three weeks later, Farma Way was a 2 3/4-length winner, with Festin second after a troubled trip.

Both horses went to Arkansas for the Oaklawn Handicap on April 13, and on a sloppy track, Festin was a 3/4-length winner, with Farma Way running seventh in his worst performance of the year.

Their most recent battle came in the Nassau County Handicap at Belmont Park on June 8. Farma Way and Jolie’s Halo killed each other off in an early speed duel, and Festin came from 20 lengths back to win by seven.

Lukas, displeased with Stevens’ tactics, took the jockey off Farma Way and replaced him with McCarron for the Hollywood Gold Cup. Farma Way spotted Marquetry 12 pounds and missed beating him by a head.

Laffit Pincay, expecting to ride Twilight Agenda Saturday, passed up the mount on Stalwart Charger, but then Lukas named Desormeaux to ride Twilight Agenda.

Desormeaux, with two winners Wednesday, has 16 for the season, good for third place in the Del Mar standings. After riding 65 winners to take the title at the Hollywood Park meeting that ended last month, Pincay has slumped here. He’s won with only two of 82 mounts and been hounded by near-misses.

Burnished Bronze, the 2-5 favorite, won the De Anza by 4 1/2 lengths, with the stewards allowing the victory to stand while conceding that he had interfered with two of the three other horses in the race.

Burnished Bronze, owned by John Mabee, veered to his left leaving the gate, bumping Waki Warrior just inside him and forcing Waki Warrior into Top Twenty, the horse on the rail.

Waki Warrior was second, 10 lengths in front of Monarch’s Pride, with Top Twenty running last in the 2-year-old stake that was reduced to four starters by the scratches of Roan Shark and Overstock. Burnished Bronze, ridden by Delahoussaye, ran six furlongs in 1:10.

After flashing the inquiry sign, the three stewards deliberated for seven minutes before allowing the result to stand.

“The winner ducked in at the start to interfere with the No. 2 and the No. 1,” said Mort Lipton, one of the Del Mar stewards. “But then Pincay was able to recover with Waki Warrior. Fifty yards into the race, Pincay had his horse back in contention. He was only a half-length back, lapped on Burnished Bronze. Then the winner won by as far as he did, so we ruled that the interference had nothing to do with the outcome.”

All stewards are appointed and licensed by the California Horse Racing Board.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Julio Garcia, who missed a night of riding at Los Alamitos, took off all his mounts Wednesday at Del Mar. Garcia, off to a slow start with three victories in 38 mounts at Del Mar, apparently has returned to Puerto Rico. He took all of his belongings from the jockeys’ room. “My guess is that he’s not coming back,” said Dave Samuel, one of the Del Mar stewards. Tony Matos, who has been working as an agent for Garcia and Corey Nakatani, said that he and Garcia are finished. “I’m turning the page in the book,” Matos said. “He’s done this, taking off, on me once before. He’s having marital problems back in Puerto Rico.”

Trainer Greg Martin, who had a horse test positive for cocaine after running fourth at Hollywood Park last November, has been suspended for 90 days, fined $1,000 and placed on probation.