Fantastic Run Makes Him Winning Fellow

Three weeks from today, Fantastic Fellow will have a chance to do something no 3-year-old has done here since 1974.

With a victory in the Del Mar Derby on Sept. 1, Fantastic Fellow would match the accomplishment of Lightning Mandate, who made a three-race sweep of the Oceanside Stakes, La Jolla Handicap and Derby 23 years ago. Back then, the Oceanside and La Jolla were run on the main track.

Owned by Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corporation and trained by Wayne Lukas, Fantastic Fellow followed up his Oceanside victory with a two-length win over favored Worldly Ways in the $135,450 La Jolla on Sunday. He completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43 2/5.

Ridden by Alex Solis, the 2-1 second choice sat just off the slow early pace set by longshot Rarecard, took the lead after a half-mile and drew clear in the stretch to win for the fourth time in nine starts.

“This horse is just terrific,” Solis said. “I can’t believe how good he’s getting. I worked him the other morning and told Mike [Lukas’ assistant Marlow] I thought he would improve five lengths since he last ran.

“His last race was good, but this one was much better. He felt stronger. He was really keen to go on. He’s a good one.”

With Lukas out of town, Marlow saddled the winner and said the Del Mar Derby is next on the agenda.

“We wanted to be second just like the last time,” Marlow said. “We wanted to lay right off the pace. The first turn was OK, but down the backside he was too rank and Alex had to let him go a little bit, but they were easy fractions [24 1/5 seconds, 48 4/5 and 1:12 4/5].

“It turned out fine. When he gets the lead, once in awhile he wants to ease up, but I think [Solis] kept him in contention enough that he kept [Fantastic Fellow] interested. That’s the way he likes to run. I was impressed.”

Although Fantastic Fellow was impressive, Worldly Ways would have made it a lot closer had he not fallen too far off the pedestrian pace and not been blocked entering the stretch. He did well to finish second, nearly two lengths in front of Falkenham.

Falkenham, who was second to Fantastic Fellow in the first division of the Oceanside, was a head in front of Without Doubt. Then came Steel Ruhlr, King Of Swing and Rarecard.

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All five of the horses who competed in Saturday’s $1-million Pacific Classic apparently came out of the race in good order.

There was a concern that River Keen, who finished last, 25 lengths behind Gentlemen, bled in the race, but tests showed he did not.

“We’re thinking now that it might have been a reaction to Lasix,” trainer Bob Hess Jr. said. “The first time we treated him, we gave him just a splash of Lasix and he bled, so we gave him a full dose this time. He was in distress after [the Classic], but a couple of hours later he was better and he was fine [Sunday morning].”

Percutant, who dumped jockey Corey Nakatani in the post parade and ran off--necessitating he be scratched--was also deemed OK by trainer Jean-Pierre Dupuis.

“Maybe it was a blessing,” Dupuis said. “Now we’ll go to Chicago [for the Arlington Million on Aug. 24]. We didn’t have any chance to win or finish second here. We have a chance to win [the Million].”

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Pat Valenzuela has yet to win a race at Del Mar since returning Aug. 2, but he did win with General Gem Friday night at Santa Fe Downs in New Mexico. The 2-year-old won a trial for the $600,000 Indian National Futurity Cup, which will be held Aug. 24 at Santa Fe. . . . Jockey J.G. Matos will begin a five-day suspension Friday after being cited for failure “to maintain a straight course in the stretch” while riding Pub in Saturday’s second race. There was no disqualification in that race, however. . . . Trainer Bill Spawr was fined $300 by the stewards for an excess medication violation on Artic Beaver, who finished second in the first race at Hollywood Park July 19. . . . The California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Assn. will hold its annual Del Mar yearling sale today and Tuesday at the nearby Del Mar Horse Park. . . . The total mutuel handle Saturday was $17,493,308.90, the second highest in the track’s history. . . . Corey Nakatani’s suspension for pushing Ryan Barber off his mount eight days ago begins today. He won twice--and was disqualified once from first to second on Just Java in Sunday’s first race--in his final day.