DEL MAR OPENING DAY: MCCARRON DOMINATES IN THIS DEL MAR OPENER.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer

They neglected to play Bing Crosby's recording of ``Where the Turf Meets the Surf'' on the loudspeakers before Del Mar's season-opening race Thursday.

Think that raised a few hackles?

``Communists!'' growled an old press-box hand, who rated the end of the 60-year tradition to be downright un-American.

After blaming the silence on miscommunication, the Del Mar staff soothed the crowd of 28,410 by cranking up its theme song during the post parade for the second race.

And the good news is, that was as wrong as things would go on the first of 42 days of action at the seaside stop on the Southern California thoroughbred circuit.

Management worried about its resurfaced main track, which drew criticism from trainers and riders on the eve of the opener, and feared a repeat of last summer's first week, which produced a rash of horse fatalities and bad publicity.

``It's hard to hold your breath for nine races,'' said Del Mar president, CEO and general manager Joe Harper.

But for at least one afternoon, Harper need not have worried.

The racing was dominated by jockey Chris McCarron, who won two of the afternoon's three stakes, the $87,800 first leg of the Oceanside with the appropriately named Domination and the $71,300 Fantastic Girl with Snowberg. Alex Solis and Mula Gula romped in the $86,800 second leg of the Oceanside.

The horse ambulance was called out once, to carry High Gun Ryder off the track when the 5-year-old claiming gelding was pulled to a stop by Chris Antley after finishing third in the fourth race.

But the injury was reported to be non-life-threatening.

Track officials said High Gun Ryder reinjured a bowed tendon in his left foreleg. Trainer Vladimir Cerin said the injury occurred when the horse kicked himself during the race.

``It had nothing to do with the racetrack,'' Cerin said. ``I think the track is excellent right now. It's the same as Santa Anita, but it has a little more cushion. It absorbs a little more shock.''

The 1998 season began with six fatal breakdowns in a brutal span of six racing days, although the season total of 12 turned out to be less than the recent average.

The resurfacing, at a cost of $600,000, shored up the base with limestone and softened the top layer with fine sand.

Softened too much, according to one trainer and a few riders quoted in the Daily Racing Form.

Thursday's first race made the track look bad. A field of nine maiden claimers was strung out from the finish line to midstretch. That could indicate most horses weren't handling the new surface. Or it could indicate it was just a bad bunch of horses.

``It (the soil) is a little loose,'' Antley said after the first race. ``But it's OK.''

``Tell the truth,'' trainer Bob Baffert said. ``It's dry and it's loose. When you add a lot of sand, it's going to be dry and loose.''

Baffert, who began defense of his '98 Del Mar training title by saddling third-race winner Captain Steve, said he thinks the track will tighten up as the week goes on.

``It takes (track superintendent Steve Wood) about a week to figure it out,'' Baffert said. ``Steve's good. He's just a little slow.''

The track seemed to tighten up as the afternoon went on and displayed no obvious bias.

Winners came from on and off the pace and from inside and outside post positions. If anything, more winners took a path near the rail, with only favored Snowberg ($6) and McCarron rallying wide.

``It's too early to form an opinion whether it's good, bad or indifferent,'' McCarron said of the track. ``It felt fine to me.''

On the thick turf course, McCarron and favored Domination ($6.80) led the entire mile to beat a field of non-stakes-winning 3-year-olds in 1:35.24, and Solis and Mula Gula ($7.40) took a stalking trip to victory in 1:35.57. McCarron's shot at a stakes sweep vanished when Perusing reared at the start.

As with McCarron, Del Mar had a good day overall.

The usual opening-day glitches were minor - a balky turf-club elevator, an ATM outage and some misprinted programs.

``Same thing that's happened every year I've been here,'' Harper said of the elevator. ``It's the ghost of Bing Crosby.''

A WEEK AT THE RACES 

Final Hollywood Park leaders: Jockeys: Alex Solis, 57 wins; David Flores, 48; Garrett Gomez, 44; Laffit Pincay, 32; Eddie Delahoussaye and Emile Ramsammy, 31; Corey Nakatani, 29; Chris McCarron, 27; Martin Pedroza, 26; Iggy Puglisi, 24. Trainers: Ron McAnally, 25; Bob Baffert, 19; Julio Canani and Richard Mandella, 16; Bob Hess Jr., Mike Mitchell and John Sadler, 14; David Hofmans, 13; Jack Carava, 12; Barry Abrams and Ted West Jr., 11.

Handicapper helper: Barry Abrams' barn is one to follow early in the Del Mar season. The trainer won six races in the first week in 1998 (and finished the seven-week meet with 14), and won five in the first week in '97 (and finished with seven).

On the stakes schedule: At Del Mar: today, $150,000 CTBA Stakes, California-bred 2-year-old fillies, 6 furlongs; Saturday, $100,000 Osunitas Handicap, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/16 miles on turf; Sunday, $200,000 Bing Crosby Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs, and $100,000 Fleet Treat, Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs; Wednesday, $150,000 Graduation, Cal-bred 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs. At Belmont Park: Saturday, $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 1-1/2 miles. At Thistledown: Saturday, $300,000 Ohio Derby, 3-year-olds, 1-1/8 miles. At Delaware Park: Saturday, $500,000 Delaware Handicap, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1-1/4 miles.

Mileposts: Excellent Meeting's upset loss in Saturday's Hollywood Oaks will be Kent Desormeaux's last ride for Bob Baffert - at least for a while. The trainer told the Daily Racing Form the jockey will be replaced because ``we're not having any luck together.'' Excellent Meeting escaped a box, rallied without punch and finished second to Smooth Player. Desormeaux apparently provoked Baffert by saying the filly was ``second best.'' . . . The 66-day Hollywood Park season that ended Monday produced a 1 percent gain in overall betting, to $10.3 million a day, a 5 percent drop in on-site attendance, to a 9,820 average. . . . Hollywood Gold Cup winner Real Quiet was named Horse of the Meeting in a press-box vote. . . . River Bay, vanned off the turf after failing to defend his Sunset Handicap title Sunday, has been retired with a ligament injury after earning more than $1.1 million in five seasons. . . . Female turf champion Fiji makes her 1999 debut carrying a race-high 124 pounds and Chris McCarron in Saturday's Osunitas Handicap at Del Mar. . . . Trainer Bruce Headley, a fast starter at Del Mar last year, will send Son of a Pistol and Lakota Brave against Big Jag in Sunday's Bing Crosby. Son of a Pistol won the sprint in '98. . . . Del Mar will race in the twilight every Friday, starting today at 4 p.m. . . . Saratoga, the Del Mar of the East, opens its short season Wednesday. . . . Charismatic's future home has been chosen. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, injured in the Belmont Stakes, will go to stud at Lane's End Farm near Lexington, Ky., at $35,000 per live foal in 2000. His sire, Summer Squall, stands at Lane's End. . . . Derby also-rans Ecton Park, Grits'n Hard Toast and Valhol are in the Ohio Derby. . . . Keeneland's July auction, which ended Tuesday, set a record for a yearling sale with a $581,932 average price. A daughter of Storm Cat went for $3 million. . . . Yes It's True's win in the De Francis Dash at Laurel lifted the 3-year-old to No. 6 in the NTRA poll. Behrens remained No. 1. . . . Hollywood assistant racing secretary Doug Bredar was named to head the racing office at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, replacing Mike Harlow, now at Santa Anita. . . . The Hollywood meet was the swan song of clerk of scales Charlie McCaul, a familiar figure at the local racetracks since he graduated from high school in New York 25 years ago. McCaul will go into private business. . . . Trainer Lonnie Stokes was ordered to start a 30-day suspension Friday after Emma Java tested positive for the medication Tramadol following a fifth-place finish May 20 at Hollywood. . . . Tom Durkin resigned as Gulfstream Park's announcer effective after the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup. Durkin, who cited overwork, will continue to call races in New York. . . . The Santa Rosa fair opens Wednesday.

- Kevin Modesti

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Box: A WEEK AT THE RACES (See text)