Weekend Racing at Del Mar : Mettee Seeks an Encore in San Diego Handicap

DEL MAR — Rick Mettee has an impossible act to follow. The only other time the 31-year-old trainer had anything to do with the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, he was involved with Bates Motel, who made a shambles of the 1983 running of the 1 1/16-mile event.

Today, Mettee will try to return to the winner’s circle after the $132,450 San Diego Handicap with Hot Operator, a 4-year-old bay colt who has yet to win a stake.

However, in the Bel Air Handicap at Hollywood Park on July 16, the son of Well Decorated finished second, beating favored Ruhlmann in the process.

Rahy, the Bel Air winner, ran the mile in 1:33 to beat Hot Operator by 10 lengths.

“I’m not sure Hot Operator paid much attention to Rahy,” Mettee said at his Del Mar office Friday morning.

“My colt came from pretty far back, and by the time he was making his move for second, Rahy was long gone. Hot Operator may have even thought he won the race, if horses actually think in those terms.”

Hot Operator began his career with four straight seconds, then broke his maiden at Del Mar last Sept. 5. Since then, the colt has won three races and placed in two stakes, while finishing worse than third only once in 12 starts.

“I’d describe him as a very athletic horse, with good, sound legs and a pretty good temperament--for a colt,” said Mettee.

Mettee learned his trade as John Gosden’s assistant trainer for eight years. When Gosden returned to his native England to train for Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum at the end of 1988, Mettee went into business for himself.

The low-key, unassuming Baltimore native retained several of Gosden’s best horses and top clients, among them Herbert Allen, who bought Hot Operator at a Florida auction in 1987 for $170,000.

“As far as I can recall, Allen has never seen the horse run,” Mettee said. “He’s not the type of owner who needs to know how a horse worked, or if he cleaned up his feed. But he’s always interested in their well-being.

“Whenever I call his office in New York I’m told he’s tied up. When I leave my name they ask me to wait, then he comes right to the phone. Apparently I’m on the right list.”

Only five horses have been entered in the San Diego, and none live up to the quality of such recent winners as Cutlass Reality, Skywalker and Super Diamond.

Lively One, from the Charlie Whittingham stable, will carry top weight of 120 pounds, but the horse Mettee fears most is the Argentine 5-year-old Monte Simon, trained by Neil Drysdale and leased by Drysdale’s wife, Inger.

The rest of the field includes Mi Preferido, who is looking for his first victory since the San Fernando Stakes Jan. 15, and Splendor Catch, who has won three of his last four races on turf but none on dirt since November of 1988.

Horse Racing Notes

With Hawkster and Notorious Pleasure sitting it out, Sunday’s $110,200 La Jolla Handicap has the look of a runoff for third-best local grass 3-year-old. Exemplary Leader, winner of the slower Oceanside Stakes division on opening day, will be joined by stablemate Broke the Mold. Double Found, Trebizond, Tenacious Tom, Tokatee and Art Work all have a chance, but the wild card is River Master, an improving son of His Majesty from Charlie Whittingham’s barn. . . . Rick Mettee reports that Annoconnor came out of her disappointing fourth in the Palomar Handicap July 29 in need of a rest. The 5-year-old mare will be out until the fall.