Del Mar notes: Dance With Fate to get test in Futurity

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DEL MAR, Calif. - After an eighth-place finish in his debut in July and a stylish win Aug. 11, Dance With Fate will start in Wednesday’s $300,000 Del Mar Futurity with high expectations.

But the extent of his ability is still largely an unknown to trainer Peter Eurton.

“They are all so young, and no one knows who is who,” he said of the prospects for the Del Mar Futurity in general. “I feel good about the way he’s training.

“I want to see how he handles the competition and see where it goes.”

Dance With Fate was well beaten by Alberts Hope at Betfair Hollywood Park on July 14. Alberts Hope returned to win the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 4 and is a leading contender in the Del Mar Futurity over seven furlongs.

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Dance With Fate won a maiden race over 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 4, leading throughout under leading jockey Rafael Bejarano, who has the mount Wednesday.

“It was a race without a lot of pace in it,” Eurton said. “I was surprised how easy he made the lead.”

Thursday, Bejarano was aboard Dance With Fate for a half-mile workout in 47.40 seconds.

“I’m pleased with how he worked and so was Rafael,” Eurton said.

The Del Mar Futurity has a projected field of nine, including Alpine Luck, California Chrome, Can the Man, Celtic Moon, Guns Loaded, Indexical, and Rum Point.

The Del Mar Futurity will not include the maiden race winner Forever Juanito, who has been turned out to a local farm after contracting a virus, trainer Victor Garcia said.

“He’ll be there for a couple of months,” Garcia said.

Forever Juanito won his second start in a maiden race over six furlongs July 27.

The Del Mar Futurity is the closing-day feature Wednesday. The Barretts Sales and Racing meeting at Fairplex Park begins Friday in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Fair. The main Thoroughbred race Friday is the $50,000 Beverly Lewis Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over 6 1/2 furlongs.

The Fairplex meeting continues through Sept. 22.

Eurton has a contender for Monday’s $150,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap with My Gi Gi, who won the Grade 2 Honeymoon Handicap at Hollywood Park in June 2012.

She is part of a projected field of 10 in the Yellow Ribbon, run over 1 1/16 miles on turf for fillies and mares. Other expected starters are A Jealous Woman, Appealing, Closing Range, Customer Base, Egg Drop, Halo Dolly, In the Stars, Quiet Oasis, and Royal Empress.

Trainer Aguirre suspended

Trainer Paul Aguirre has been suspended 15 days and fined $500 after one of his runners at Betfair Hollywood Park tested positive for the banned Class 2 medications carisoprodol and meprobamate last November.

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The positives were found in a post-race test taken from Dugan Bill, who finished second in an optional claimer, earning $9,600. Dugan Bill was disqualified from the purse because of the medication violation, and the purse was redistributed in February.

Carisoprodol is a muscle relaxant. Meprobamate is a metabolite of carisoprodol that can act as a tranquilizer.

The suspension begins Tuesday and continues through Sept. 17.

Del Mar stewards Scott Chaney, Kim Sawyer, and Tom Ward issued the ruling Thursday, acting on an order from the California Horse Racing Board.

Apprentice Nicolas gets three days

Apprentice jockey Gonzalo Nicolas, who through Thursday had four wins at Del Mar this summer, has been suspended three days for causing interference Wednesday. Nicolas, 23, was cited for his ride on Magic Number, who finished fifth in a maiden claimer over 5 1/2 furlongs.

The suspension covers the final day of this meeting on Wednesday and the first two days of the Santa Anita autumn meeting – Sept. 27-28. Nicolas has ridden seven winners in his career.