Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 9-Thought Process (Race 4)
Race #1: Selections: 5-3-2
The daughter of Malibu Moon 5-Classymadeemoiselle has not been out in 10 months for conditioner Gary Stute but has been training steadily for today’s return to action. She posted a career-best Beyer (82) when last seen back in October of 2023. Layoff lines have plagued 3-A Real Jewel, but drops in class today for winning veteran connections and she figures to get an upfront pressing trip over a speed-friendly surface. The speedy 2-Just a Little Luck has won four straight at Los Al (both on the afternoon and evening layout) but is 0 for 4 at Del Mar.
Race #2: Selections: 5-2-1
5-Dandy Man Shines (Ire) is a multiple winner over the track and distance and drops out of the Wickerr Stakes into this softer spot. The 4-year-old gelding has run par or better for this class level on multiple occasions and projects to get a close-up favorable stalking trip. 2-Sarwar (Fr) made an eye-catching midstretch move to the front from the back of the pack before tiring on July 21 and now makes his second start off the 9-month layoff. A winner over this course last July, this gelding should move forward with that race under his belt. 1-Irish Prophet finished a troubled trip third at 19-1 in the aforementioned July 21 event and now makes his second start off the bench for Drysdale.
Race #3: Selections: 6-2-4
The lightly raced 6-Journey D’Oro drops in class and returns to the dirt for career start number three. This 3-year-old colt was a smashing 8-length debut winner at Los Al on June 23 and will be tough in here if able to run back to that (72) Beyer figure. Blinkers off 2-Smokem Ez drops into a career-low claiming tag this afternoon for trainer Steve Miyadi and is eligible for a wake-up call facing this reduced level. 4-Come Out Fighting flashed brief speed before fading fast when clearly overmatched in his first dirt try on July 27 but now drops down to a more fitting level and shortens back up to 5 1/2 furlongs.
Race #4: Selections: 9-8-2
9-Thought Process goes dirt to turf on the stretch-out for D’Amato and had a perfect prep for this with her recent wide third-place finish on July 27. The juvenile filly is by G1 Collected, who gets 14% with his turf route prodigy, and this gal has continued to train well since that debut effort. Trainer Michael McCarthy sends out a pair of juvenile fillies in this spot. This conditioner is 4 for 16 (25%) with a $2.66 ROI for the past three years with turf route debut runners at Del Mar. 8-Aransas Pass (is by G1 winner Global Campaign) and comes in here off a spirited worktab. This juvenile filly lures Rispoli for today’s unveiling. Her stablemate is 2-Uptown Sweetheart, who is by G1 winner Mo Town. 4-Lee’s Baby Girl returns to turf and tries two turns for the first time for Team O’Neill. She was runner-up on grass in her May 31 turf sprint debut.
Race #5: Selections: 7-2-6
The 6-year-old gelding 7-Departure is 10 for 28 lifetime and goes first off the claim today for trainer Steve Knapp. He drops into a $12,500 claimer after being snagged for $25k back on June 29, which wouldn’t ordinarily be a positive sign. This barn’s stats prove otherwise, however. Knapp is 5 for 23 (22%) with a $3.23 ROI with this claiming maneuver. He’s a serious gate-to-wire threat at this reduced level on a track that’s favored frontrunners all meet. 2-Lord Sheldon takes a substantial class plunge today for trainer Steve Sherman, exiting a recent fifth-place finish at Pleasanton on July 7. The 5-year-old sports a solid 4 for 12 record and owns the field’s best last-out main track Beyer (77). Blinkers off 6-Funkenstein returns to Southern California off the recent Baltas claim after racing competitively this spring in New York. This barn doesn’t claim many horses but is 4 for 18 (22%) in the past five years when doing so.
Race #6: Selections: 3-1-6
3-News At Ten (GB) flashed speed and tired when making his first start off a long layoff, but he is eligible to improve upon that seventh-place finish for trainer John Sadler. The gelding is stakes-placed overseas and shows several strong grass drills over the local lawn, including a four-furlong bullet drill on August 11. 1-Fleet Feet posted a career-best turf Beyer (88) when dropping in class and finishing second at this level on July 20. He finished directly in front of next-out-winning colt Nesso’s Lasthurrah, who came back to win on August 10 with an identical Beyer number. 6-Tejon Pass makes his first try on turf off the five-month layoff for conditioner Peter Miller. The sophomore colt is by Justify, who gets a solid 16% with his turf sprint offspring, and this colt has trained well over the grass in his morning drills.
Race #7: Selections: 1-2-5
1-Unique Power is a well-regarded juvenile by win-early sire Into Mischief who has trained exceptionally well in his morning drills for the Sadler barn. The colt fired a “best of 131” four-furlong bullet drill in :46.2 on August 11. He’ll need to break cleanly from the tricky rail draw. He’ll also have to deal with the Baffert pair of 2-Kalea Bay and 5-Citizen Bull. Kaleais a $700K Keeneland purchase by multiple G1 winner Authentic, who debuts off a series of flashy a.m. drills. His stablemate, Citizen Bull, is a $675K Into Mischief colt who has also trained swiftly for today’s unveiling. This jockey-trainer combo hasn’t hooked up since 2021 but was 7 for 15 (47%) in the three prior years combined combined. A runner-up in both his sprint tries 3-Smash It has something valuable that the rest of these colts do not—racing experience.
Race #8: Selections: 1-3-6
1-Iscreamuscream looks to extend her unbeaten streak to four for trainer Phil D’Amato after defeating four of the same rivals in the G2 San Clemente on July 20 when making her two-turn debut. The talented daughter of Twirling Candy has speed and the rail and shouldn’t have any issues stretching out an additional eighth of a mile. A winner of three of her last four starts, 3-Whiskey Decision, ships in for a top turf outfit with strong Beyers and lures Rispoli for her Southern California unveiling. The Into Mischief filly has proven she can handle this distance and projects to get a favorable upfront pressing trip. 6-Medoro is four for five and suffered her first defeat when having some traffic issues and breaking a step slowly in the aforementioned July 20 San Clemente where she finished third. This filly won the G3 Providencia at today’s 1 1/8-mile trip two-back when racing closer to the pace.
Race #9: Selections: 2-5-3
2-Tiz Tok’s last try on grass is a toss when racing on a foreign surface and outclassed. The 4-year-old is back on the main track this afternoon at the appropriate level for conditioner Jorge Periban and will likely bounce back. He sports a solid record (12-4-3-0) at today’s one-mile journey. Turf to dirt 5-Upstart Yankee looms an upset chance in here off two subpar efforts. The 5-year-old gelding makes his second start off the Doug O’Neill claim. This barn is a strong 9 for 21 (45%) with a $3.58 ROI with second off-the-claim dirt route runners in the past five years. 3-Stop and a Tres has enough early foot to get a good spot early on in this $12.5 claiming route. It’s a race that appears (at least on paper) to have come up light on early zip, and he’s 2 for 4 going one mile.
Race #10: Selections: 5-2-4
Dirt to turf 5-Champagne Camie has won two of three for trainer Vladimir Cerin since returning off an extended hiatus and is proven going this five-furlong trip. The 5-year-old has the versatility to sit a nice trip in here for Desormeaux, who survived an Inquiry and guided his first winner of the meet Thursday afternoon with longshot Here Comes Braylon ($60.80). 2-Aventapp finished a troubled trip fifth on July 25 and now makes her first start off the Steve Knapp claim. The 6-year-old mare is reunited with winning pilot Antonio Fresu, who was aboard for two of her four career victories. The speedy 4-Dancing Soul exits back-to-back runner-up finishes going 1,000 yards under the lights at Los Al and was third behind Aventapp when last trying turf three-back.
