Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 3-Pink Ace (Race 5)
**The first post on Friday is at 3 p.m. PT
Race #1: Selections: 6-3-1
The lightly raced 6-Comanche Gal finished in a dead heat for the place spot when switched to the turf on July 26 when flashing good speed from an outside post. The daughter of Animal Kingdom makes the all-important third career start for conditioner Craig Lewis and came back to fire a five-furlong bullet drill over the main track on August 8. 3-Nothing Is Forever adds blinkers off the mini-freshening for trainer Andy Mathis, and this is a productive equipment change for this outfit. 1-Hollywood Penny moves back to the grass and stretches back out this afternoon for trainer George Papaprodromou, who heated up last week with three wins after a sluggish start to the meet.
Race #2: Selections: 6-7-1
The speedy 6-Frost Alert drops back in for a tag today and makes his second start off the 10-month layoff for trainer Steve Knapp. The 5-year-old gelding looks like a solid gate-to-wire threat over a main track that’s been kind to speed so far this meet. 7-Pass the Baton makes his second start off the bench today and first try on dirt for trainer Bill McLean. The 4-year-old gelding is by Sharp Azteca, who gets a strong 19% with his dirt route runners, so today’s surface switch should be a favarable one. 1-I Don’t Get It has been beaten by double digits in his last three starts but drops to a career-low $25k tag today and is eligible to spring back to life against these lesser rivals.
Race #3: Selections: 1-7-3
1-Apple Valley Girl finished a troubled trip fourth in her July 26 Del Mar debut when coming up just a length short and is eligible to move forward off that encouraging effort. Expectations are that she’ll be aggressively sent from her rail position this afternoon. 7-Recycleyourheart finished in front of Apple Valley Girl in the aforementioned July 26 Maiden $50k event as the beaten favorite and is a logical threat again, making her second start at this reduced level. 3-Sunset Grazen is by Grazen, who gets a below-average 7% with his debuting prodigy but hails from the barn of Dean Pederson, who is more than capable of firing with a first-time starter. This filly has trained steadily for today’s unveiling.
Race #4: Selections: 2-7-3
2-Mendelssohns Music has been a disappointment thus far in two career tries for trainer John Sadler and now drops to the bottom-level $20k Maiden Claiming level in start number three. This barn is a strong 5 for 16 (31%) with a $2.38 ROI with MDSW to Maiden Claiming dropdowns the past 5 years. The 3-year-old colt is eligible to wake up against this inferior group of colts and geldings. 7-Western Grit has flashed speed and tired in his last several turf sprint tries but now moves back to the main track today and drops in for a first-time tag. This 3-year-old gelding should prove tough to catch with an alert break on this class plunge. 3-Candy’s Wildcat hasn’t been seen since September 2022 but returns for an excellent layoff barn and a productive veteran jockey-trainer combo. He drops in class and adds Lasix today off a steady work pattern.
Race #5: Selections: 3-2-7
3-Pink Ace goes two sprints to a route today for D’Amato, exiting back-to-back beaten favorite second-place finishes at this level. The 4-year-old filly has worked five times since that last June 13 effort and should establish a clear lead against this group. 2-Port Ellen (Ire) steps up in class, having won two straight for trainer Richard Baltas, and has been freshened 2 ½ months for this. 7-Ankyrah rallied from off the pace to grab second against cheaper on July 26 and, in doing so, earned the field’s best last-out grass Beyer (78). This 6-year-old mare is only 2 for 20 but merits consideration if able to run back to that last figure.
Race #6: Selections: 6-7-1
6-Keen to Go goes turf to dirt and makes his second start off the 10-month layoff for conditioner Jeff Mullins. The 4-year-old gelding drops in for a career-low, claiming tag today off a non-threatening fifth-place finish on June 8. If he can run back to the Beyer figures he produced over this surface last summer, he’ll be tough to beat at this reduced level. 7-Midnight Mojo stretches back out this afternoon and slashes his claiming tag in half for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. This 5-year-old is 1 for 19 but is another entrant making his second start off the long layoff and is eligible to improve substantially with the class break. Recent Maiden winner 1-Splashed in Gold has good speed from the rail and appears appropriately placed for his first crack against winners. However, he’ll need to step it up Beyer-wise to compete with these.
Race #7: Selections 2-1-8
Multiple Grade 3 winner, 2-Linda’s Gift, has won four of her last five turf route starts for Mandella and has multiple victories over this Del Mar grass course. The 6-time winning 5-year-old mare projects to be forwardly placed again this afternoon and is simply the class of this field. 1-Sunset Glory (Ire) has won two straight since returning off an extended break for trainer Michael McCarthy and continues to climb the class ladder with improving Beyers. She moves inside this afternoon with regular pilot Umberto Rispoli and might be ready to tackle this group in her first stakes appearance. The hard-trying and consistent mare 8-Musical Rhapsody (Ire) has finished behind Linda’s Gift five times for D’Amato and must deal with that talented gal again this afternoon. Her stablemate, 6-Sun Of Hill (Brz) is a multiple stakes winner in Brazil and likely needed her first stateside start on July 21.
Race #8: Selections: 8-3-5
8-Rivoli goes first off the claim for the Papaprodromou barn, exiting a fourth-place effort over the course on August 4. The 5-time winning gelding made a nice middle move before flattening out in that last try and should be much tighter, making his second Southern California start. The veteran 9-year-old gelding 3-Sunrise Journey has seen his Beyers improve with each subsequent start in 2024 and comes in here off a sharp runner-up try in the aforementioned August 4 event. He’s 17 for 55 lifetime and projects to get another favorable upfront pressing trip in the Friday nightcap. 5-Solomons Gold ships in from Gulfstream for a new barn off the June 6 claim and has run some figures that match up well here on paper. This 4-year-old turned in two decent morning drills over the local strip and should get a live pace to close into.
