Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 2-Ima Track Star (Race 5)
Race #1: Selections: 5-4-6
Of the Doug O’Neill-trained pair in the Saturday opener (both owned by Calumet Farm), second-time starter 5-High Pronto gets the nod after battling gamely on the front end before tiring late to finish fifth on debut at Los Al. The juvenile figures to improve sizably in start number two for a barn that has solid second-time starter stats. His stablemate 4-Billy Goat (by Vekoma) makes the all-important third career try today off an improving Beyer pattern and even fourth over the course opening day. 6-Boss Man Bolt is the other colt with prior racing experience, having finished in front of Billy Goat in the aforementioned July 17 event when a game closing second. The son of Bolt d’Oro removes the blinkers today and is an obvious fit.
Race #2: Selections: 1-3-2
1-Eternal Reign (Ire) returns off a two-month mini-freshening after just missing in an allowance N3L level back on June 5 and now drops back down to today’s winning level from two back. The 5-year-old mare sports the field’s best last-out grass Beyer (81), is reunited with winning rider Juan Hernandez, and draws the cozy inside rail. Her stablemate 3-Nikolina goes two sprints to a route today, having hit the board in five of seven career tries. The Honor A. P. 4-year-old is working well leading up to today’s first try around two turns. 2-Hannah Buckle (Ire) is winless since last July but gets some class relief this afternoon, and this mare is a multiple winner over the track and distance. As of this writing, the 0-for-20 Powell barn was still looking for its first win of the meet.
Race #3: Selections: 6-3-2
6-Kennyten kicked away to an impressive 7 ½-length runaway debut score at 8-1 on June 12, earning a lofty (91) Beyer speed figure for trainer Vladimir Cerin. By G1 winner Drain the Clock, the juvenile colt figures to be a handful for his first stakes try if he can avoid a potential bounce. A sharp five-furlong “best of 37” bullet drill on Aug. 1 indicates he remains on his toes. The Baffert-trained 3-Hughes romped to a six-length score of his own during his June 21 unveiling at Los Al with an 81 Beyer and is a pricey $675k son of Into Mischief. He’s trained exceptionally well in the interim. Baffert has won this race a record 12 times. 2-He Is No Lie (by Early Voting) has been ultra-sharp in both starts for Team O’Neill. The colt was an 8-length maiden winner on debut and followed up that effort with a runner-up try in the Churchill Bashford Manor S., where he was nailed late by a 31-1 outsider.
Race #4: Selections: 8-5-4
The Mark Glatt-trained 8-Agency drops in for a career-low claiming tag off an 11-month hiatus and has been working well over at San Luis Rey for today’s return to action. This 6-year-old gelding has run well off the bench in the past for an excellent layoff barn, and figures to be rolling late with Leparoux. 5-Code Duello is an obvious fit, having hit the board in six of his last seven starts for Dollase, with competitive Beyers, and now drops from $40k claimers to today’s $25,000 level. The veteran 8-year-old gelding 4-Tigerhon (Fr) has run well over the Del Mar turf course over his career, evidenced by his (11-3-2-2) mark. He’s been competitive at this level over many of these same familiar faces throughout his 2026 campaign, and is back off a two-month mini-freshening.
Race #5: Selections: 2-8-3
The $148,537 Two-Day Pick Six Carryover begins here: The lightly raced 2-Ima Track Star should dispose of this weak field on the class plunge for conditioner Brian Koriner in gate-to-wire fashion with Rosario hopping aboard. A maiden winner two-back, he stepped up to face winners and flashed good speed before tiring to finish fourth. This is a much easier group assembled here this afternoon. He’ll be my single to kick off the $2 Pick Six. 8-Chapter One took nine tries to break through the maiden ranks and did so in commanding fashion two-back against $20k maiden claimers, with a 10 ½-length romp. He tried similar tactics to no avail on July 19 against significantly better opponents, but like the top choice, he is a much better fit at this reduced level. A potential two-speed number here. Not sure who the beneficiary is if the top pair hook up, but maybe it’s 3-Desert Kat who finished an improved second on the class drop to this level in last and stays within range with his grinding running style.
Race #6: Selections: 6-9-7
6-Conquer We Must (Ire) is an obvious win threat based on back-to-back runner-up finishes in both career grass tries for trainer Simon Callaghan. The sophomore colt rallied for second in his most recent try on July 18, over several of these, despite a slow start. D’Amato sends out a pair of imports that could easily win this, and they exit the same May 30 event. 9-Path to Power (GB) adds blinkers and is newly gelded, exiting a non-threatening sixth. A much-improved bullet five-furlong drill on July 30 hints at improvement. His stablemate 7-Hazaka (Fr) finished a wide fourth (beaten 4 lengths) in his first Stateside try, and is likely to move forward today with that U.S. racing experience behind him. Rispoli takes over the riding assignment.
Race #7: Selections: 6-8-2-3
6-Her Strut just missed the place spot when encountering late traffic issues on debut July 18, when finishing in front of Take Revenge and galloped out four lengths in front past the wire. She’ll likely appreciate moving further outside and is a solid win threat if Belmont can keep her head straight. 8-Take Revenge (by Clubhouse Ride) was the slight favorite on debut opening weekend at Del Mar, but never really lifted his feet in a subpar fifth-place effort. However, Hernandez stays aboard, and this jockey-trainer combo is 2-for-2 with their last two dirt sprint second-time starters. Improvement likely. 2-Fire’s Makin’a Run is by Straight Fire, who is 7-for-35 (20%) with juvenile debuting 2-year-olds (according to DRF Formulator), and this filly has shown solid early zip in her a.m. drills. She gets an aggressive gate pilot, Edwin Maldonado, and will likely be sent along from the get-go. Rosario and Sadler were on a roll last week, and they team up on the Justify firster 3-Just Work It Out, who has trained steadily for today’s unveiling and is likely to come out running at first-asking.
Race #8: Selections: 4-1-6
The 12-time winning 4-Princess Moche (Per) stretches back out this afternoon for trainer Doug O’Neill. This 6-year-old mare should find herself on or close to the lead this afternoon, exiting an even fourth in the Daisycutter S. Her Beyers are well within range of the top contenders in this group. She’s worth a flier as a potential longshot upsetter with veteran pilot Joe Bravo aboard. The multiple Grade 3-winning 1-Take a Breath (GB) closed well for the show spot in the May 25 Gamely (G1) and should be making his typical late run here this afternoon for trainer Mark Glatt. The 4-year-old filly is 1-for-1 going into this 1 1/16-mile trip and is in a three-way tie for best last-out turf Beyer (89). 6-Warming ships back into Southern California for trainer Graham Motion. This gal won the G3 Autumn Miss at Santa Anita last fall with Hernandez aboard and took the Galorett (G3) at Laurel two back this current campaign. She’s 2-for-2 at 1 1/16 miles, the distance she gets back to this afternoon. Like several others in here, however, this filly will need to work out a trip from off the pace.
Race #9: Selections: 1-9-3
1-Special Club has never strung back-to-back wins together but has come close and looks like a solid repeat candidate off that last game score opening weekend when returning to Del Mar. He goes first off the claim for trainer George Papaprodromou, who does well overall with new acquisitions (close to 30%)—although not as lucrative over this course. Nonetheless, he beat a good field last time, which included a pair of next-out winners. 9-Matt At Five has finished first or second in five of six lifetime tries and was a solid, well-clear runner-up when moved back to the main track opening day. A best of 93 four-furlong bullet drill in :46.4 on Aug. 2 indicates he remains razor sharp for Miller. 3-Miss Jo’s Curlin hasn’t raced in a year, when outrun in the California Dreamin S. over this turf course when last seen, and now returns to sprinting on dirt. His lone main-track try was nothing special, but he lures Hernandez off the bench and will likely come out running despite a couple of uncertainties regarding the surface and time off.
Race #10: Selections: 5-6-3
The closing leg for the multi-race exotics is a mad scramble featuring a full field of $50k maiden claimers routing on turf. Several different directions one could potentially go. 5-Non Domicile led all the way before coming up a nose short in a blanket finish on June 7 when facing a pair of today’s returning rivals in what was this gelding’s best effort to date for conditioner George Papaprodromou. We’ll give him one more chance coming off a career-best turf Beyer. 6-Throwthefirstpunch crossed the finish line first but was DQ’d to third for interference when moved to the Los Al main track on June 26, and now moves back to grass looking to make amends for Team O’Neill. The gelding’s three turf route tries prior to that last unfortunate disqualification were competitive against a few of the same foes he meets again today. The first-time gelded 3-Lucky Sniper drops in for a tag this afternoon for conditioner Dan Blacker, and this barn is a solid 8-for-24 (33%) with a $2.86 ROI overall the past five years with this class plunge.
