Del Mar Déjà Vu: Meet Begins With Split Oceanside

Edited from track reports
For the 15th straight year, two divisions of the Oceanside Stakes will highlight opening day at Del Mar as the seaside tracks kicks off its 64th season of action. Nine 3-year-old grass runners with their eyes on the Del Mar Derby later in the season have been entered in each division of the one-mile turf test. The purse in each division is $75,000.

Heading the first division of the Oceanside, slated as the day's fifth race, will be Slew City Citadel, owned by Karen and Mickey Taylor of Seattle Slew fame and film and stage actor Albert Finney, and Singletary, owned by Little Red Feather Racing. Slew City Citadel is fresh from a third-place finish in the grade III Cinema Breeders' Cup Handicap June 29 at Hollywood Park and brings an earnings ledger of $141,486 into the race. Singletary has posted earnings of $133,762 and finished third in his most recent outing, the grade III Will Rogers at Hollywood Park May 25.

The field for the 1st division, in post position order, with weights and riders:

1--Slew City Citadel, 120, Alex Solis
2--Obermeister, 118, David Flores
3--Singletary, 120, Patrick Valenzuela
4--Requite, 116, Julie Krone
5--Sweet Return, 116, Corey Nakatani
6--Excess Summer, 116, Tyler Baze
7--American Fury, 116, David Nuesch
8--Kofi, 116, Frank Alvarado
9--Crowned Dancer, 118, Kent Desormeaux.

Leading the parade into the second division, which will be run as the day's eighth race, are three coming off victories at Hollywood Park --Banshee King, Marina Minister and Stanley Park.

The field for the 2nd division, in post position order, with weights and riders:

1--Royal Place, 116, Matt Garcia
2--Puma, 118, Jose Valdivia Jr.
3--Devious Boy, 116, Julie Krone
4--Flirt With Fortune, 116, Victor Espinoza
5--Royal Robe, 118, Goncalino Almeida
6--Stanley Park, 120, Mike Smith
7--Banshee King, 120, Tyler Baze
8--Marina Minister, 120, Patrick Valenzuela
9--Fairly Ransom, 118, Alex Solis