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Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner

BEST BET: 4-Glorious Life (Race 4)

Race #1: Selections: 2-6-3

2-Opus Uno broke awkwardly and slowly in his June 1 Churchill debut for Team Miller, finishing up a non-threatening wide sixth. The son of Vino Rosso returns as a first-time gelding, drops in for a tag, and has trained steadily over the local strip. This barn is a solid 8 for 25 (32%) with a $3.23 ROI with second-time starters going from MDSW to Maiden Claimers in career try number two the past five years. His stablemate,  6-Jewlz, is the lone filly in the field. She moves back to dirt after flashing good speed in both well-backed sprint starts (dirt and turf) and drops down to today’s $50k tag. 3-In the Mix drops in for a first-time tag for trainer Doug O’Neill and makes the all-important third career try. The colt sports the field’s best last-out Beyer, and this jockey-trainer combo has a high win percentage with these types of class drops at DMR.

Race #2: Selections: 4-3-6

The Powell-trained 4-Comeback Girl finished a good second with a field’s best (90) turf Beyer in her first start over this grass course and first crack against winners—the sophomore daughter of Speightstown figures to be mighty tough with a similar effort. 3-Tight Squeeze rallied for third behind the top choice in last and has come back to work exceptionally well for Sadler, including a bullet “best of 51” five furlongs in :58.4 on Aug. 25. 6-Baela was a winner at first-asking on turf for Team Baffert, which is a low-percentage angle for this barn. The City of Light filly can build upon that encouraging gate-to-wire Aug. 8 winning debut.

Race #3: Selections: 8-9-3

8-War Swift transitions from turf to dirt, dropping in for a career-low claiming tag today under trainer George Papaprodromou. The 4-year-old gelding is by Clubhouse Ride (18% dirt routes), and his lone main track try in his debut was an OK even fifth at Los Al. He makes his third start of the form cycle this afternoon and has the potential to improve in a weak field. His stablemate, 9-Cano for the Win, finished a better-than-looks wide fourth on July 20 behind a next-out winner and is another dropping in for a career-low tag today. 3-Toppers At Seaside is a 12-start maiden also dropping in for a career-low $12,500 tag. The gelding is hard to trust, but has run some of the fastest dirt Beyers in the field.

Race #4: Selections: 4-1-9

4-Glorious Life was an impressive five-furlong maiden winner with a lofty (88) Beyer off the seven-month break on Aug. 2 over next-out winner, Jack Fish. The 5-year-old gelded son of Vronsky has worked twice since that winning performance and looks well-spotted facing winners today for conditioner Carla Gaines. 1-Andthemofthebrave ran on to grab the show spot off the seven-month freshening for conditioner Steve Knapp, and is eligible to move forward off that return try on the class drop. The 4-year-old gelding broke his maiden going five panels over this grass course. 9-Case Hit is a logical fit and draws in. He’s never been worse than first or second in four career starts for Miller and exits back-to-back runner-up finishes at this level on turf to start his 2025 campaign.  

Race #5: Selections: 1-2-11

The pricey $600k daughter of Tiz the Law, 1-Usha broke through in career try number five off the extended layoff for Baffert, with an 11 ½-length romp on July 27, earning a field’s best (95) Beyer speed figure. She’s worked four times since that blowout victory and looks like a serious repeat candidate. 2-Artisma returns to a more appropriate level after shipping east to finish a well-beaten seventh at 50-1 in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga. The Munnings filly ran well in all three main track sprint tries before that last subpar effort, including a runner-up finish in the Santa Anez S. Baffert’s other filly, 11-Showers, hasn’t been out since last October but is training sharply for her return try. The daughter of Ghostzapper is adding Lasix today and has likely matured nicely over the past 11 months.

Race #6: Selections: 4-5-6

Irish import 4-Cortina d’Amprezzo (Ire) makes her first stateside try for D’Amato, who excels with these turf types. The daughter of G1 winner Lucky Vega has been training steadily, lured Rispoli, and finished second and third overseas in bulky fields. 5-Yurak is a pricey $950k Keeneland purchase by Tapit debuting for Berrios and Sadler off a spirited work tab. From a small sample, this jockey-trainer combo is a sharp 3 for 7 (43%) with a $3.89 ROI with turf debut runners the past two years. The Michael McCarthy-trained 6-Counterbalance rallied to round out the superfecta in an encouraging fourth in her July 19 unveiling and now switches to grass in career try number two. The juvenile filly is bred for turf on both sides of her pedigree and is likely to take a substantial move forward with the surface change and a race under her belt.

Race #7: Selections: 1-5-3

Graduation S. winner 1-Sammy Davis looks for his third win of the 2025 summer Del Mar meet for trainer John Sadler, taking the first two starts by a combined five lengths. The gelded son of Sir Prancealot improved 11 Beyer points from his debut to the second start and is a strong candidate to remain undefeated with another progressive move forward. 5-Thirsty Rebel was a sharp 3 ¾-length debut winner for Team O’Neill in a well-backed unveiling. A pair of runners has returned from that event to win. Stablemate 3-Saul Elliott disappointed when shipped to Churchill for the Bashford Manor S. back in June after a sharp gate-to-wire maiden win at Santa Anita. It was an excusable effort, considering post-race inspection revealed he had bled. Freshened since, the juvenile colt is working well and can rebound this afternoon. 6-Max Ciao was a sharp 10-1 6 ¼-length maiden winner in his most recent start on Aug. 8, going today’s 5 ½-furlong trip.

Race #8: Selections 6-7-1

6-French Moonlight has improved with each subsequent start for Powell and exits a sharp runner-up try on July 25 when making her first start over this grass course. Another potential move forward, making her second try off the bench, makes her the filly to beat in the Friday nightcap. 7-Penny Worth finished a troubled trip fifth in start number two when getting bogged down among traffic mid-stretch for D’Amato, and is dangerous with clear sailing, making the all-important third career start. Hernandez sticks. 1-We the Hobby is a 10-start maiden that has hit the board in seven of nine grass starts for Miller. She makes the third start of the form cycle today, but has lacked the winning desire. The filly gets her seventh different jockey this afternoon.