Horse Racing: Today at Del Mar, July 24
July 23, 2014 - 9:56 pm
Post Time 2 p.m.
Race 1 – 5 furlongs, Purse $38,000, Maiden claiming $50,000, 2-year-olds
7 Sacred Temple – Was flattered when favored in career debut; lead every step until the final stages.
4 Peacenluvpeacenluv – Peter Miller barn has been firing bullets out of San Luis Rey Downs; watch the tote board for clues.
Long Shot – 5 Bandido Too
Race 2 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 6 feet), Purse $40,000, Claiming $40,000, Fillies, 3-year-olds
2 Hugh Knew – Taking a solid class drop from $75K to $40K; ran a good second last year over Del Mar turf.
7 George’s Peach – Midwest trainer Michael Stidham is making himself felt in SoCal; respect the horses from this ship and win barn.
Long Shot – 6 Scene Queen
Race 3 – 1 mile, Purse $43,000, Claiming $25,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
1 Tebowing – He doesn’t win much, but he won over the Del Mar main track last summer; don’t think Julio Canani missed that.
7 Pebble Beach Baby – Claimed by Mark Glatt and spotted among his friends to win first out; like the vote of Rafael Bejarano too.
Long Shot – 4 Le Fascinator
Race 4 – 6 furlongs, Purse $33,000, Maiden claiming $40,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
10 Citizenship – Bob Baffert cull is taking the biggest class drop in racing; from MSW to maiden claiming.
7 Kristinite – If you follow my handicapping over the years, you know one thing; I like cut back horses, especially with a bit of speed.
Long Shot – 8 Cravin’s the Heat
Race 5 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 6 feet), Purse $43,000, Starter allowance $40,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
7 Lakota Road – Has a good 6-of-9 in the money on grass; first try over Del Mar sod, has tactical speed on the stretch out.
1 Coconut Cream Pie – A good angle at Del Mar is horses who won over the course in the past; this filly ran a solid second last year.
Long Shot – 6 Hanserella
Race 6 – 1 mile, Purse $24,000, Claiming $16,000, 3-year-olds and up
9 Counting Days – I wrote at the start of the meet that red flag drop downs at Del Mar are to win races; no one gives away horses here.
6 China Girl Lover – Ran a strong second in last at Los Alamitos; has a busy turf resume where the switch to synthetics makes sense.
Long Shot – 2 Brazilian Court
Race 7 – 6 furlongs, Purse $48,000, Claiming $32,000, 3-year-olds and up
6 Mike Man’s Gold – Emerald Downs ship and win candidate; like that Vann Belvoir gets the honors, very clever horseman.
3 Tiz Point – Tepid chalk in a wide open affair; Pick 6 carryover of $67K is more than capable of continuing until Friday.
Long Shot – 9 Roman Threat
Race 8 – 1 3/8th miles (turf, rail at 6 feet), Purse $77,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds and up
10 African Oil – They don’t card races any tougher than this to handicap; Joe Talamo just missed with this guy two races ago.
11 Mambo Man – The key to lasting the trip is to relax throughout; this one is dangerous if recovered from a trip to Belmont Park.
Long Shot – 7 Christopher Street
Race 9 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $38,000, Maiden claiming $50,000, Cal-breds, Fillies, 2-year-olds
9 Positivo – Was claimed in debut while a strong betting favorite; makes first start for new trainer Mike Pupye.
7 Hula Girl – Well bet in debut at Oak Tree Pleasanton; shipped south by Steve Sherman and is capable of upsetting.
Long Shot – 6 Powerful Girl
Best Bet – 10 African Oil (race 8)
Del Mar Wednesday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 18/3/$27.40; Long Shots, 9/1/$9.40; Best Bet, 1/0/$0
Del Mar Totals – 96/21/$148.60; Long Shots, 48/2/$24.20; Best Bets, 5/1/$6.60
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – #7 Treasured (9/2) in race 6 at Delaware Park. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Wednesday, Equilateral ran out at Saratoga. Stats – 112/68/$657.30; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick