If high-end LIVE MONEY Contests are your forte, and you’re visiting or close to DEL MAR this Saturday & Sunday, July 25-26, don’t forget the ON-TRACK BETTING CHALLENGE!!$250K in TOTAL PRIZES.
FULL DETAILS on how to enter, register, and the other contest format/specifics are available here:
https://www.dmtc.com/calendar/detail/del-mar-betting-challenge
Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 5-City Exile (Race 4)
Race #1: Selections: 6-9-8
Blinkers off, 6-Winsor George finished a wide trip, even fourth on debut back on May 15, and now drops in for a tag in career try number two. This barn has had modest success with this maneuver from a small sample, going 2-for-6 (33%) with a high $5.50 ROI. Not the flashiest Beyer, but 9-The Moe Show rallied for the place spot despite a slow start in a much-improved second try at Los Al when switching to dirt. The gelded son of Stay Thirsty adds blinkers today, for the all-important third career try, and gets a key rider upgrade to Rosario. 8-Club Fighter (by Clubhouse Ride) has trained steadily for today’s unveiling, and this jockey-trainer combo is 2-for-5 (40%) with a lofty $7.64 ROI with maiden claiming debut runners the past two years.
Race #2: Selections: 7-4-2
7-High Society U has run modestly well with competitive Beyers in all three grass-sprint tries at Santa Anita and now returns off a mini-freshening for new conditioner Michael McCarthy. The Dialed In filly shortens up to five furlongs this afternoon and has shown solid early zip in all those tries, which should make him difficult to reel in late with an alert break. 4-First Or Last rallied 5-wide for the place spot in an off-the-turf five-furlong sprint debut over the sloppy going at Churchill and now gets his desired turf in start number two. Further improvement likely. The daughter of Twirling Candy/16% turf sprints goes out for Team O’Neill. Her stablemate, 2-Little Opal, is by multiple Group 1 winner Caravaggio, who gets 14% with 3-year-olds and up debuting prodigy and 17% with grass sprinters. This sophomore filly has trained well, but this barn is 0 for 27 with turf firsters at Del Mar the past five years.
Race #3: Selections: 6-7-8
6-Photogenic scampered away to a 5 ½-length maiden claiming win on June 28, and steps up in class off that visually dominating score. Hernandez replaces Rosario, who opts for 7-Interplay. The 6-year-old mare rallied for third at 44-1 at Los Al in her first main-track try in 13 starts for trainer Neil Drysdale, and in doing so, posted the field’s best last-out dirt Beyer (72). She’ll need some pace to run into, however. 8-Tulavia’s World was hardly disgraced when stepping up to face winners on June 13 over the main track, finishing second, and has enough positional speed to get a favorable upfront pressing trip.
Race #4: Selections: 5-6-3
5-City Exile had far too much ground to make up from a tough post when finishing a closing fifth on June 7 for the Papaprodromou barn, but now takes a sizable class drop and gets his preferred 1 1/8-mile trip. He was a game off-the-pace winner two back over Packs a Wahlup, who won handily last Saturday afternoon. 6-Lord Bullingdon is in sharp form, finishing second two back, and then winning off the claim in his most recent try on June 5. Both of his last two turf route Beyers (86,87) make him a key contender again this afternoon. A multiple winner on this grass course. 3-Uncle Happy got outkicked by the top three when finishing fourth on June 5, but could move up this afternoon with the venue change and switch to Rosario.
Race #5: Selections: 9-8-11
9-Sunk Cost Fallacy drops in for a career-low claiming tag, while making his third start of the form cycle for trainer Mike Puype. Kimura is back aboard here after riding several of these geldings in prior starts, and his main track sprint Beyers match up well with this softer group. 8-Duke of Orleans rallied wide to grab the show spot at this level when making his first start in seven months and shipping in from Delta Downs for his new conditioner, Francisco Rodriguez. The Grazen gelding has worked four times since that encouraging effort and should prove dangerous again against this suspect group with any normal second-off-the-bench improvement. Overmatched in the last 11-My Man Joe Roldan goes turf to dirt on the class drop and finished second at this level two back.
Race #6: Selections: 4-6-1
The upset-minded Florida invader 4-Gabaldon is fast enough to clear this field at the break, which makes him very dangerous in this spot, while returning off a six-month freshening for top conditioner Jose D’Angelo. The 4-year-old gelding has fired fresh in the past and gets top turf pilot Emisael Jaramillo in the saddle. The ultra-consistent 6-Bad Uncle Barry has hit the board in seven of eight turf tries for trainer Mark Glatt and shows two wins off a layoff on the resume. The Good Magic gelding has worked steadily for the start of his 2026 campaign and figures to run another bang-up race off the bench. 1-Virat is back off a 10-week freshening and should be aggressively sent from the fence by Berrios for the Blacker barn. The 5-time winning 7-year-old gelding has run par or better for this level on multiple occasions.
Race #7: Selections: 8-10-6
The $5 Late Double starts here. The three-time stakes-winning 8-Mohaven looks tough to overhaul this afternoon for conditioner John Sadler, having won two straight by a combined 11 lengths. The Yaupon filly is proven going seven furlongs when taking the Golden State Juvenile Fillies S. over this course last fall and returns fresh. A runner-up in her last three starts, 10-Cecilia Street has never tried seven furlongs but might find today’s trip quite appealing on the turnback for trainer Leonard Powell. The 3-year-old daughter of Stanford sports the best late-pace figure in the field, and there should be plenty of early speed to set up the filly’s late kick. The Ed Freeman-trained 6-She’s No Quant has won two straight sprinting on turf (with her Beyers increasing in each subsequent start) and now tries dirt for the first time this afternoon. By Pavel, she should be more than comfortable over the main track, and Hernandez sticks for the gal’s first stakes try.
Race #8: Selections: 9-4-6
The fast-closing 9-Flash of Lightning has rallied to hit the board in five of six career turf starts for trainer Richard Baltas and returns off the mini-freshening with some solid synthetic drills in tow. The gray colt figures to make his customary late run, switching to Hernandez. 4-Going Nowhere is a logical fit off back-to-back seconds at Santa Anita (both sprinting and routing) after finishing in front of several of these in both starts. 6-Feeling Lucky (by Vronsky) finished an even, non-threatening seventh on debut June 12, but is eligible to move forward in start number two for a barn that has solid stats with second-time starters overall (21-for-79; 27%).
