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Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner

BEST BET: 3-Ro Town (Race 1)

Race #1: Selections: 3-7-2

3-Ro Town goes first off the claim for conditioner Ron Ellis, exiting a runner-up finish on Aug. 1 when facing a trio of today’s returning rivals. The five-time winning mare has plenty of solid positional speed to work out a favorable upfront pressing trip and retains Hernandez. This barn has solid stats with all its recent acquisitions. 7-Empress Ellie, a Jeff Mullins re-claim, has won two of her last three, including finishing in front of the top choice in the aforementioned Aug. 1 grass route. The American Pharoah mare sports the field’s best last-out turf Beyer (80) and is a logical threat right back. Class dropping 2-Super Ellie was a wide trip beaten favorite fourth in last and is a late threat for Glatt with the proper setup.

Race #2: Selections: 2-3-7

The Michael McCarthy-trained 2-My Hero shortens back up to a sprint today off a much-improved effort on July 4 at Los Al when moved to dirt. The 4-year-old gelded son of War Front makes the third start of the form cycle today and looks primed for a top effort on the turnback, getting his seventh different rider in eight starts. 3-Hephepcutdownnets steps up from maiden $20k to $50,000 off the July 24 Bob Hess claim when finishing second off a six-month layoff. The 3-year-old gelding lures Hernandez, and that last maiden event has produced a pair of next-out winners. 7-Grinnell drops from $62,500 to $32k maiden claimers this afternoon for conditioner Carla Gaines, exiting a fourth-place finish and field’s best last-out main track Beyer (72) when last seen back on May 4 in a live race. The son of hot sire Vekoma has trained well since that effort.

Race #3: Selections: 3-7-10

3-Sunglow (Ire) looked home free but was reeled in late when flashing solid early zip off the mini-freshening for Sadler in the five-furlong grass dash on July 24. The 3-year-old filly by No Nay Never looks quickest off the blocks again this afternoon and may prove tough to run down today, second off the bench. Berrio sticks. 7-Double Bay (Ire) turns back to sprinting off a runner-up effort going a mile when racing off a 13-month layoff on July 20. This No Nay Never filly returned work sharply with a :47 flat main track bullet on Aug. 22 and sports the field’s best last-out turf Beyer (75). 10-Judicious is stuck on the AE’s and needs to draw in, but is a big threat if she does. The 4-year-old flashed good speed off the long layoff in the aforementioned July 24 event when well-backed but faded to a well-beaten eighth and last. She’s likely to be much tighter for D’Amato with that race under her belt.

Race #4: Selections: 9-5-8

9-Hard to Figure is winless since September 2022 but slashes his claiming tag in half today for Team Baffert off the three-month freshening and could find himself on the lead today stretching out to a mile. 5-Spun Not Stirred never got involved when a wide trip ninth at Los Al in last but drops in class today for Eurton and is eligible to bounce back with a better effort with the venue change. This gelding was a solid second two-back at 29-1 at Santa Anita with a lofty (86) Beyer speed figure. 8-Mighty Kai is 1 for 16 moves back to the main track, where he finished second in consecutive races two and three back for trainer Victor Garcia, who has had a sensational seaside meet, going 4-1-2 from nine starts. The N2L $25k claiming grass route he exits on Aug. 2 has already produced a pair of next-out winners.

Race #5: Selections: 7-8-11

A wide-open Maiden Special Weight turf route for juvenile colts and geldings is perhaps a good spot to try a first-time starter. 7-Third Beer (by Mendelssohn) debuts for trainer Tim Yakteen off a steady work tab and lures jockey Antonio Fresu at first-asking, who has a high win percentage when teamed up with these connections in all relevant categories. This jockey-trainer combo is 4 for 15 (27%) with a lofty $4.65 ROI at DMR the past two years. 8-Bandolero adds blinkers after breaking tardily on Aug. 3 in his first grass try and first attempt at going two turns for conditioner Peter Eurton. Improvement likely. 11-Mo Holland Drive is stuck on the AE’s and needs to draw in, but fits well here in this weak field off a beaten-favorite fourth in the aforementioned Aug. 3 when breaking sluggishly. The Mo Forza colt makes his second try around two turns for conditioner Peter Miller.

Race #6: Selections: 7-2-3

Claimed out of his last two sharp DMR dirt sprint efforts, 7-Nation makes his first start under the Bob Hess shedrow, exiting a solid runner-up finish on Aug. 17. The 5-year-old gelded son of Constitution is 6-for-9 ITM and should get a live race flow to flatter his late kick. 2-Clever Clover nearly pulled off the 65-1 shocker on Aug. 10 when moved back to dirt for trainer Sean McCarthy, when making a wide, bold move to the front from far back. The gelding settled for second, but it was an impressively improved effort nonetheless. The speedy 3-Ballyvaughan Gig made his Del Mar debut a winning one when scampering away to a 13-1 grass sprint upset on Aug. 14 and now tries the main track on the class rise. This sharp gelding is just a nose shy of having won three straight and has hit the board in eight of nine lifetime starts for trainer Isidro Tamayo.

Race #7: Selections: 8-6-9

8-Barbara T was overmatched in the Great Lady M S. (G2) at Los Al when returning off the three-month freshening for trainer Michael McCarthy and now goes dirt to turf this afternoon, while making her second try off the mini-freshening. The daughter of Army Mule has enough speed from the outside to either lead or sit close this afternoon with Rispoli and has plenty of grass pedigree to suggest she’ll handle the surface switch. 6-Uncorked (Aus) drops out of 12 straight stakes events, which includes eight against graded stakes-types for trainer Phil D’Amato. The hard-hitting 6-year-old mare just missed in her most recent try in the Daisycutter H., finishing in front of a trio of today’s returning rivals. 9-Miss Roberts (GB) unleashed a strong late rally when finding room late to post the mild 6-1 upset, earning the field’s best (90) turf Beyer when shortened up to this five-furlong distance on Aug. 10. Not entirely convinced this filly will get a similar setup and hard to endorse at likely much shorter odds this afternoon.

Race #8: Selections 2-8-10

The 8-year-old mare 2-Ole Silver finished a flat fourth on July 27 when stepping up in class off an impressive score at Santa Anita two back, but is eligible to rebound today for D’Amato, dropping back down in class against $10k claimers. She makes her third start of the form cycle today and drilled a bullet sharp five furlongs in :58.4 over at Los Al on Aug. 23. The ultra-consistent 8-Gray Frost has finished first or second in her last seven starts for trainer Bob Hess and returns to Southern California off a brief freshening. Today’s likely pacesetter exits consecutive runner-up finishes at Keeneland and Churchill while consistently running some of the fastest speed figures in this field. 10-Twilight Empire defeated a trio of today’s returning rivals on Aug. 7 with a game score for conditioner Librado Barocio, who has been on a tear this summer meet, clicking at a 33% rate with a (18-6-5-2) record as of this writing.