Del Mar for Sunday 25 November 2018
OK card to finish the week of racing at Del Mar. One more week left at Dmr and then on to the Los Alamitos thoroughbreds.
Best of luck as always!
race 1Â Â average clarity
2 Tizway That Way  very consistent racing on main track surfaces and she owns a very good history when competing in starter alw or starter hcp races.........decent rider/trainer combo in Val Brinkerhoff & Alfonso Quinonez
5 Sweet Treat  O'Neill has had a dull Del Mar meeting but might get his 3rd win of the meet here with this speed route mare who he just claimed only 10 days ago........five year old seems like a lead type only and my guess is it will be pedal to the metal when the gate opens
6 Lea's Reward  good history racing at Del Mar and at today's one mile distance.........like our 2nd pick this mare is racing 1st out following a claim and in this case by new trainer in Armando Cardenas
7Â Ipray
race 2Â Â average clarity
4 Blackout  Miller won 4 yesterday and two of those wins were with Prat up.......five year old gelding sure improved in his last which was his 1st out in the Miller barn.......two impressive works since......2 for 5 at today's distance........hard not to like
6 Perfectly Majestic  double barrel action from Miller as he also trains our top choice.......sure like the small field for this six-year-old as he tends to run wide and faces only 6 competitors in this spot which should help him not be too wide
2 Any Questions  4 for 9 at 8F on the turf........2 for 14 at other turf distances........race two back is better than appears in print........Bejarano sticks around and the somewhat forgotten rider has his mojo back in a big way and at the moment he still doesn't get pounded at the windows like he used to.....that won't last long if he continues riding so well
3Â Sawyer's Hill
race 3Â Â above average clarity
4 Battle of Midway  for some reason this outstanding colt has yet to win at 9F in 3 attempts at the distance.......but..........he is so much the best runner in this field and he owns two wins and a 2nd at Del Mar in 3 starts.......that and Prat knows him extremely well as this is his 10th straight mount on him.........seems like a "free square" to me
5 Isotherm  only race at Del Mar on the dirt which was run 3 races back is way better than appears in print.......bad race in last but in the past he has rebounded well following a poor effort
6 Dabster  this Baffert colt will likely need his best to date to overcome our top selection (not including his last as 1 3/4 miles on the dirt as that distance is a different animal and doesn't relate too much to more conventional dirt route distances)......not impossible but easy to make as 3rd selection
race 4Â Â average clarity
3 You Must Chill  bad trip in latest helps disguise an effort that is about 3L better than par for today's higher MC level........nasty 10 post in that race.......3 post this afternoon should help underrated rider Fuentes work out a cleaner trip
1 Carbon Zero  trainer is solid 2nd out after a layoff and also stepping up a given runner........both are the case here.......and the brothers Desormeaux are doing well together of late
2 Knight's Cross  another Desormeaux runner here .........this colt was compromised by a wide trip in his latest........better post today and for a rider in Talamo who is having a very good Dmr fall meeting
8Â Surprise Fashion
7Â Salah
race 5Â Â average clarity
4 Sought More Prep  Eddie Truman has started very few at the meeting but he sure has made the most of those starts with 2 wins and a 2nd in 3 starts........like this gal's chances if G. Franco takes back a little as her success is much better when she does
3 Swallows Inn Gal  last two racing endeavors fit well for today's lower level......Hess is rather chilly and might get his 1st win at the meeting in this low-level affair
2 Devil's Beauty  yet to really show much since Ellis and company claimed this mare for twice today's claiming price but maybe racing turf to dirt can help her cause
8Â Lucky Student
7Â Honor Maker
race 6Â Â above average clarity
6 Flying Scotsman  very solid 1st at a route on the turf in his 2nd lifetime start running somewhat wide and doing so pressing the pace.......earned a Santucci fig that is par to today's G3 level.....that and we get one heck of a jockey upgrade
3 Vantastic  sprint-sprint-route scenario for this Eurton colt and with a solid bullet 5F work put in a week ago.........good post and a rider upgrade........very dangerous if he takes to two turn racing
1 Takeo Squared  start might be the key to this colt's chances as to date he hasn't exactly exited the metal monster too well.....not out of the win picture if Bejarano gets him to break OK today
race 7Â Â below average clarity
5 To the Morning  solid work regiment for this Neil Drysdale MSW 1st time starter........last 5 drills are very tightly spaced with 5 or 6 day intervals......wound up and ready to unwind today.......mom has tossed two Stakes winners from 7 starters
9 Qahira  Baffert has only started a few at the meeting (4 for 9 in the win column) and most of them have been "live".......1st timer seems ready with copious drills and some of them quite quick........mom has tossed 8 winners from 9 starters good and 2 of them were Stakes winners
1 Bizwhacks  turf to dirt today and considering her last was a route turf race she should have better endurance at today's 6F dirt distance........last sprint for her was run 3 back at Del Mar and is rather good
8Â Tizwellwithmysoul
10Â Slewgoodtobetrue
race 8Â Â average clarity
8 The Hunted  blinkers off for the 1st time in his last and did the equipment change help as he made ultra impressive early turn two move ...........and yet he still managed to finish up strong........rider Cruz has struggled and I doubt he gives this gelding that good trip of a trip .........but........ it might not matter
3 Acclimate  last is better than appears as this gelding had about 5 lengths of trip adjustment and the trouble was rather subtle.......and considering that his latest was the 1st time with the D'A as his trainer more has a chance at occurring today with another month in the stout Phil D"Amato barn
4 Six Point Rack  toss out his fig in his latest as it was a pace-less affair where it is impossible to produce a valid fig.........race two back at Dmr is better than par for today's alw level and hidden by a bad trip-a-rue.......in fact his last four turf races at Del Mar all appear pretty decent in this spot
7Â Shaymin
2Â Push Thru
race 9Â Â average clarity
2 Sought Bai  by far at his best on conventional dirt.....both lifetime races on it fit well here.......should be in the mix from the get go.......and he has the potential to move forward 2nd out after a 7 week break
5 Spanish Bay  MSW to MC20K for this Richard Mandella three-year old.......the kind mega drop I usually despise........for me it's flip a coin as to how much horse is left in this fellow with obvious health issues
10 Littlebitamedal  both lifetime sprint races fit but Art Sherman has been ice-cold for quite awhile.....but then again this is one dismal looking group of MC20K runners......and I like that his last two works were at Del Mar
7Â Moon Juice
9Â Astonishing Tweet
4Â Iron Curtain