DEL MAR, Calif. - Discerning horseplayers will see beyond the obvious attributes of picturesque Del Mar racetrack, and welcome the 43-day summer racing season Wednesday with arms wide open.

Pleasant weather, breezy ambience, and soothing narrative from track announcer Trevor Denman provide enough gratification for an afternoon. But Del Mar is a racetrack after all, and ultimately the meet will be judged by what transpires between the rails. Based on the opening-day card, it could a memorable summer.

DEL MAR, Calif. - There are certain opening-day traditions that make Del Mar special, none more so than the day's first race, which always is a two-turn, main-track race, starting right in front of the grandstand. The crowd, already fueled by sunshine and margaritas before the 2 p.m. Pacific post, begins buzzing as the first horse is loaded into the gate, and by the time the last horse is loaded, the whooping and hollering are at rock-concert level.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Eoin Harty worked for Bob Baffert for seven years, but even though he left his employ more than 1 1/2 years ago, they cannot stay out of each other's way, especially at Del Mar, where both trainers have deep, talented crops of 2-year-olds. They battled memorably here last year, with Baffert's Flame Thrower nosing out Harty's Street Cry in the Del Mar Futurity, and it appears they will be picking up right where they left off when the 43-day meeting opens Wednesday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Gibson County won his first stakes in 18 months with a front-running win in the $75,025 Answer Do Stakes at Hollywood Park on Monday, the closing day of the spring-summer meeting.

Gibson County ($3.40) ran 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in 1:01.23, holding off the late rally of The Morris Monroe, who lost by three-quarters of a length. A 4-year-old colt by In Excess, Gibson County set fractions of 21.77 and 43.50 seconds, leading by as many as 4 1/2 lengths. Indiahoma finished third, followed by McCordnskuba and Tzigane.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The final week of Belmont's spring/summer meet gets under way Wednesday, when the featured race will be a second-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up.

The seven-furlong sprint drew a contentious field, six of the seven entrants having run a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 or better in one of their last two starts. Among them is Bay Head King, who returned from a layoff on June 23 to win his entry-level condition by nearly seven lengths with a 98 Beyer, which is the top last- out Beyer in the race.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - The battle for leading rider at Arlington Park continued to tighten Sunday with Rene Douglas pulling to within one win, 29-28, of Mark Guidry. While Guidry and Douglas have spoken respectfully of one another and both say they are focused merely on performing well, their agents, closely intertwined in their relationships with both riders, are waging a war of boasts.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Phil Oliver knows First Lieutenant is a good horse. He is just biding his time until First Lieutenant can show that he is a top handicap horse.

That opportunity could come on Aug, 5 in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile, but more likely in the Grade 2 Iselin Handicap on Aug. 26. The Iselin has been the objective all along for First Lieutenant, who remained on track for Monmouth's premier handicap race by dominating a tough allowance field that included graded stakes winner Leave It to Beezer on here Saturday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Quiet Resolve put his challengers for the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy on notice here Sunday morning, drilling five furlongs in 58.60 seconds on the firm turf training course with Todd Kabel in the irons.

A 6-year-old gelding who is Canada's reigning horse of the year and champion turf male, Quiet Resolve will be the 124-pound highweight in Sunday's Grade 2 Hong Kong Trophy, a 1 3/8-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up, with a purse of $250,000.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Highland Mood will try to extend her unbeaten record to four races Wednesday at Woodbine in the $104,400 Passing Mood Stakes, a seven-furlong turf dash for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.

Highland Mood was dismissed at 26-1 when she made her debut in a six-furlong maiden special on the main track May 23, and pressed the pace en route to a daylight score. Her two subsequent races were both on the grass. She came from just off the pace to win a six-furlong preliminary allowance with ease June 6, earning a 92 Beyer Figure in the process.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - I'm Free proved a couple of things with his game victory against El Nino Mi Amor in Sunday's running of the $37,829 Jim Coleman Province Stakes.