Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 10-Thought Process (Race 8)
Race #1: Selections: 6-4-3
6-Roman Empress gets the tepid vote in a competitive $8k claiming main track dirt sprint Saturday opener off a recent third-place effort on July 19, when finishing in front of several of these and posting the field’s best last-out dirt Beyer. 4-Discrepancy has been a popular commodity at the claiming box in recent months and finished behind the top choice in last when battling through some taxing early splits before tiring to sixth. The 4-year-old filly makes her second try off the Hollendorfer purchase. 3-Unwritten Code finished a disappointing ninth and last as the beaten favorite when facing several of these in the aforementioned July 19 event, but now makes her first start off the Steve Knapp claim. This barn has above-average stats with new acquisitions.
Race #2: Selections: 7-6-9
The lightly raced 7-Bad Uncle Barry has hit the board in five of six career tries for Glatt and has run well in both 2025 starts, finishing second by a head when returning to the Del Mar sod on July 18 and winning off the extended layoff at Santa Anita back on June 15. The 5-year-old gelded son of Good Magic makes his third start of the form cycle this afternoon and will look to capitalize on another stalking trip. 6-Vancougar finished a solid third behind Bad Uncle Barry in his most recent try off a 670-day hiatus for conditioner Peter Eurton and is dangerous with a move forward off the long break. Berrios sticks. Blinkers on 9-Kangaroo Court is nicely drawn outside with good early zip and could prove quickest off the blocks for trainer Tim Yakteen. The 5-year-old gelding should relish the turnback to five furlongs.
Race #3: Selections: 2-1-6
Trainer Bob Baffert has another pair of well-bred juvenile colts that are sure to attract most of the betting support. 2-Litmus Test is a $875K Fasig Tipton purchase by Nyquist, who gets an above-average 18% with his 2-year-old debuting prodigy. The colt has trained swiftly in the a.m. and lures barn’s go-to pilot, leading rider Juan Hernandez. His stablemate, 1-Falcon Jet, holds the experience edge, finishing second in his local Aug. 3 unveiling behind barnmate, Buetane. He draws the rail again for career try number two, but is dangerous with any normal second-out progression. 6-Sendit Mo finished a subpar sixth and last (beaten by double digits) in a well-backed turf sprint debut Aug. 1 when flashing early speed and tiring. The Peter Miller trainee by win-early G1 winning sire Yaupon is likely to show vast improvement moving to the main track in start number two.
Race #4: Selections: 7-2-3
7-Padel Addict (Ire) makes her first Stateside start for D’Amato, who typically excels with these types of imports. This juvenile filly is by multiple Group 1 winner Ten Sovereigns and exits a “key” race back on May 25 in her lone start at Navan in Ireland—a race that has since produced multiple winners. Her stablemate is 2-Yours Sincerely (Ire), another import with a third and fourth place finish in bulky fields in a pair of starts, and is equally dangerous in her U.S. unveiling. 3-Got the Ring ran an improved fast-closing second when stretched out to today’s one-mile trip on July 26 and now makes the all-important third career try for conditioner Peter Miller.
Race #5: Selections: 8-2-1
8-Lil’ Boom Boom and 2-Misty Muppet co-top the field’s best last-out main track Beyer (62) and exit the same July 6 six-furlong Los Al race where they finished second and third, respectively, in a short field. Boom Boom may offer more upside for conditioner Steve Miyadi, making her third start of the form cycle. The daughter of Stay Thirsty has hit the board in six of seven lifetime starts. 2-Misty Muppet goes second off the claim for conditioner Jesus Uranga, who clicks at an above-average clip with this claiming angle with dirt sprinters the past five years. 1-Eltonsinganother has good speed from the rail and makes his second try off the bench for trainer Mark Glatt. The 1 for 13 5-year-old mare figures to be hustled along from the fence by jockey Rickey Gonzalez, but has faded in the last pair after reaching the front.
Race #6: Selections: 11-10-4
The speedy 11-Rugelach must negotiate today’s outside draw but is a sharp 4-for-5 over the Del Mar sod and gets some class relief today for the Papaprodromou barn after a speed and fade to finish seventh (beaten only two lengths) on July 31. The 5-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy makes her second start off the 10-month layoff today and is a solid gate-to-wire threat with an alert break. 10-The White Lady (Fr) is a logical fit again off her back-to-back runner-up beaten favorite efforts in both U.S. tries for D’Amato. The 4-year-old filly makes her third start of the form cycle this afternoon off an improving Beyer pattern and is the horse to beat. 4-Gypsy Woman (Ire) is back off a 10-month freshening for conditioner Mark Glatt and has proven she can fire off the bench. This mare has been training sharply in the a.m. over at San Luis Rey and ran well in both local turf appearances here last summer.
Race #7: Selections: 8-7-2
8-Can’t Help Myself (by Violence) is the most experienced juvenile colt in the field, exiting an improved second on July 19 over this racetrack for Sadler and should be ready for a career-best try in start number three. 7-Arisaka is by G1 winner Jimmy Creed and has trained solidly over the Del Mar main track, which includes a bullet “best of 57” four-furlong drill in 47.1 on Aug. 11. This jockey-trainer combo is a strong 3 for 9 (33%) with a $5.29 ROI with Del Mar first-time starters the past two years. 2-Mystic Moes rallied for second in career try number at 34-1 two behind repeat stakes winner Sammy Davis on July 19, and is dangerous with another progressive move forward.
Race #8: Selections 10-5-1
The multiple graded stakes-winning 10-Thought Process is fast enough to grab the front this afternoon despite the outside draw for D’Amato as she looks to win her third straight this year. The daughter of Collected is 3-for-4 over this grass course and holds a double Beyer advantage over the rest of this field. 5-Lush Lips (GB) ships in from Churchill for conditioner Brendan Walsh off a recent 3 ¾ length win in the Tepin S. on June 28 and has hit the board in six of eight career tries. The 3-year-old filly gets jockey Tyler Gaffalione this afternoon. He was aboard for both of this filly’s top tries in Florida this past winter. D’Amato’s other filly, 1-Slick (Ire), moves all the way inside this afternoon of a wide closing third off a seven-month layoff and is eligible to move forward substantially off that top try. She’s ambitiously placed today, which is likely a positive sign from this top barn.
Race #9: Selections 1-4-3
1-Four O Six Creed is a Century Downs shipper making his first start in the Robert Diodoro barn. He goes two sprints to a route today, adds blinkers, and exits with back-to-back second-place finishes. The gelding’s last (82) Beyer matches up well here if he can run back to that at this new venue. He did work well over the track on Aug. 7. The former Grade 1 winning 4-Get Her Number has seen better days, but goes two sprints to a route for conditioner Peter Miller and drops in for a career-low claiming tag. The 7-year-old gelding would have buried these in his prime. 3-Joint Venture drops from $16k to $12,500 off the July 18 claim for conditioner George Papaprodromou off a wide trip fifth. This gelding has much more early zip than he showed in his most recent try.
Race #10: Selections 3-8-2
3-The Mizen Queen (Ire) is a sophomore import making her first U.S. start with Lasix for the Dan Blacker barn. She was second of 15 when last seen racing in Ireland back in April, and has trained steadily for her Stateside unveiling. An encouraging sign to see top turf pilot, Hector Berrios, land here. 8-Gathered returns off a nine-month layoff for new trainer Michael McCarthy and lures Hernandez off the bench. This daughter of Collected adds Lasix today and is likely to come out running. 2-Toes (by multiple G1 winner City of Light) ran a better-than-looks sixth when returning off a 10-month layoff for Drysdale on July 18 and should move forward off that effort, making the all-important third career start. She projects to get a favorable upfront pressing journey from a good post.
