Del Mar for Saturday 16 July 2016
Average looking card for Saturday at beautiful Del Mar. Be back with you on Sunday
Best of luck as always!
race 1 Â Â below average clarity
4  Brother Soldier  claimed by one dangerous trainer 1st out following a claim.......like the cut back of 1/2 furlong but what really catches my eye is the significant rider upgrade  to Baze who had a nice opening day yesterday
2  Stormin Trick  Puype is good at getting back to back wins with a given horse.......and he might here with this four-year old gelding who has a shot at getting the lead ........and when he does sprinting on a fast rated track he has a record of (4 2 1 1)
1  Two Six Wins  Stevens riding a cheap horse for Pender.....seems very significant......colt needed his layoff last and popped a strong near bullet 4F drill since.....likely moving forward this afternoon
race 2 Â Â average clarity
2  Passionate Emotion  last race fits and is somewhat hidden.......and I actually believe the effort was a gimme following a long layoff.....if that is so she should be tough to handle today
4  Shanghai  might be a good claim by Miller of a winning 1st time starter......I like that Miller doesn't get overly ambitious with his new shooter and places her where she fits fine if she repeats her debut with a better trip
6  Sunshine Laurie  exits a key race with a win albeit 4 months ago.....but she sure is working like she is returning ready for Mulhall and company......fits fine is she is
race 3 Â Â average clarity
5  Home Journey  proven at Del Mar in these abbreviated grass sprints.....and appreciates ample time between starts and gets it......also gets Desormeaux who I believe is on a mission of sorts this meeting
1  Xoxo  away since July of 2015 but she is proven running fresh.....she's 2 for 2 breaking from the 1 post......she's 3 for 3 at 5 1/2F or less and that includes a 5F turf win at Dmr.......that'll do
2  She's a Big Winner  away 14+ months but Smith wants the mount and her works say she is more than ready to run only 5 panels......2 for 3 on the SA hill grass course and she was right there at the 5F mark of those 3 grass races.......a decent sign 5F will be a fit
3 Â Big Move
Long-shot consideration:   7  Cindy's Secret  trainer has had a very good 2016 with limited starters........5 year old mare fits 5F grass races well and seems very dangerous when she takes back some
race 4 Â Â average clarity
7  Look Me In The Eye  on the right end of the learning curve and is proven on the Dmr dirt.....last is better than appears in print as he was caught wide up on a solid pace and still won going away
5  Basinca  last two racing endeavor's fit and seem as good as our top choices last.....but he might not care for the Del Mar dirt as his only race on it was poor......we shall see
4  Spanish Hombre  last fits well but it was produced turf to dirt off of a bullet work.......will need to repeat the effort dirt to dirt with less impressive a.m. work leading up to today......with that said it seems like a good sign that Desormeaux signs up again
3 Â Midnight Edition
race 5 Â Â average clarity
6  Vyjack  quite the new addition for the D'A' barn and he is training lights out for D'Amato......six year old seems best at one mile and draws Prat......believe he is sitting on a big race
7  A Red Tie Day  2 for 2 at one mile on the grass ......tossed a clunker in latest but he has been training like a rebound of sorts will occur.....seems likely to get a stalk position behind a reasonable pace
2 Power Ped  finally back to a shorter grass route......connections keep running him at 1 1/8th or longer where he constantly flattens out.....( 5 2 2 1) at the distance .......(18 2 4 3) at other turf distances........it's not rocket science
race 6 Â Â average clarity
5  Rinse and Repeat  like his MSW debut 2 back.....didn't fare so well shipping to Otp in 2nd outing.......believe rebound will occur as O'Neill is usually very dangerous when he ships back to his home base off of a failure out of town
1  Westmont  not exactly top S Cal connections for this 1st timer but the a.m. work elsewhere and at Dmr is too good to ignore....and he sure is decently bred to be quick sprinter
9  Close to Midnight  prolonged work tab for this Lewis first time starter with a few works of merit.....and he draws Desormeaux who for the most part has been given live mounts over the last couple of months from Lewis
3 Â Rim Ditch
race 7 Â Â below average clarity
(AE 13  Free Rose  has a shot if gets in)
10  Lauren's Ladd  both lifetime grass route races are better than appear in print......blinkers back on today and cut's back in distance.......should be in the hunt from start to finish
3  All The Marbles  bet very hard in 2nd lifetime start and 1st at a turf route and did not disappoint winning despite a bad trip........likely needs a cleaner trip this afternoon to take down this affair......Smith sticks around to attempt to give one
12  Lucky Bryan  very nice pick up for Baltas and company.......three old gelding showed very significant early gas in two nice grass routes in Kentucky.....and his last race where he ran 3rd ?  1st and 2nd won their next outs
2 Â It's The Ice
race 8 Â Â average clarity
1  Champagne Room  exceptionally strong series of drills for this Eurton 1st timer starter who was just purchased in April for a cool $310K......so the connections pretty much knew what they were getting....rather sure more than ready.....training at SA so let's hope she takes to the Dmr surface
3  Noted and Quoted  Baffert and Smith are 5 for their last 8 over the last couple of months as a team and they look as if they might add to that here with this expensive recently purchased 1st timer all primed and ready to shoot for the winners circle
6  Go Baby Run  Hollendorfer has done rather well with his maidens training over at LA and shipping to the big track....and he has this two year old filly working as if she is meant and ready to rock and roll
10 Â La Vitesse
Long-shot consideration:  Lovely Linda  Eoin Harty might get ignored here with all the big barns signed up for this MSW baby race........his 1ster also is training like she is a runner and likely will go off somewhere between 15 to 25 to 1
race 9 Â Â average clarity
5  Majestic Heat  needs a little more than her last but believe she will provide it.......2nd out following a layoff and gets 7 lbs off.....in fact with 7 lbs less to carry and a 2 lengths logical forward move she should be up for a par for the level run today.....and she seems likely to get a nice stalking trip in this affair lacking speed
4  Prize Exhibit  has never run a bad race on the new Del Mar grass course but has been hurt some record wise by multiple bad trips.......lone race ever at 1 1/16th on the grass was in last year's version of this Grade 2 and was a very solid 2nd
2  Nancy From Nairobi  on the improve with almost every race since arriving to the USA from GB........and today she gets a significant rider upgrade.......would have placed her higher is she wasn't assigned as the high weight....seems a little too high in my opinion
3 Â Her Emmynency
race 10 Â Â below average clarityÂ
(splitting hairs with all 6 selections)
8  Song of the South  trainer Neil French has it the board (although without a win) in 3 of his last 6 maiden claiming 1st timers......works are many and fairly solid and mom has tossed 7 winners from 7 starters.....dangerous and likely at a handsome price
10  Coltonsgrace  nice move forward and that is hidden by a bad trip worth about 6L......and I like that he runs off of short rest today......if he can handle it he should run his best ever and do so with a rider upgrade
6  Bundesliga  bet hard in debut and had a bad trip but most of it caused by him.....and he was a bit goofy to say the least......so he was gelded soon after the race.....not crazy that he shows only one drill since his eventful 19 June debut or I would have placed him higher
3 Â Run Like That
7 Â That Brigade
9 Â Olimpio's Scat Cat