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Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner

BEST BET: 4-Nysos (Race 10)

Race #1: Selections: 2-7-4

2-Tempus Volat shipped west and ran a solid second against similar off the three-month mini-freshening for conditioner Leonard Powell on July 26, going this one-mile trip. The son of Not This Time sports the field’s best last-out grass Beyer (73), and is the horse to beat in the Saturday blockbuster 11-race premier summer card. 7-Never Ambling (Ire) is one of two colts from the D’Amato barn. The No Nay Never sophomore finished second of 13 runners in his Dundalk debut back in April and has trained steadily for his U.S. unveiling. He adds Lasix for a jockey-trainer combo that has excelled with these types of turf imports. 4-Doc Bovie finished a better-than-looks fourth in his five-furlong grass sprint debut on Aug. 14 when breaking slowly and now stretches out in start number two.

Race #2: Selections: 10-3-6

10-Jaguar Jon moves back to dirt, going second off the claim for trainer Bob Hess, after flashing brief speed and tiring to seventh against better three weeks ago. The gelded son of Om is dangerous at today’s reduced $16,000 claiming level with today’s favorable outside draw if he can run back to that (78) Beyer from July 26. Rispoli sticks. 3-Coach Cronin has not been out in 10 months but returns for a barn that’s had success from limited chances with their extended layoff runners, and this gelding has previous main track Beyers that match up well against this suspect group. The gelding was an impressive maiden winner off a 13-month hiatus last June. 6-Arabian Flirt has the field’s best late kick in a race that’s top-heavy with early speed and exits a solid runner-up try going 1,000 yards under the Los Al lights.

Race #3: Selections: 6-10-3

Recent maiden winner 6-Vodka Vodka steps up to face winners off a sharp 5 ¼-length impressive gate-to-wire score going today’s one-mile trip off a year layoff on Aug. 1. The 4-year-old gelding is primed for the repeat (despite the class hike) if he can move forward off that strong effort. 10-Annan is a logical fit dropping out of the California Dreamin S. off a third-place finish into this softer spot today. The gelding cuts back to his preferred one-mile trip today and registered the field’s best last-out grass Beyer (85). 3-Brazenly has hit the board in nine of his last 10 starts (on both dirt and turf) and figures to make his customary late run to fill out the underneath vertical exotics for trainer Dan Azcarate. The 7-year-old gelding gets a “key” jockey upgrade to Hernandez today.

Race #4: Selections: 4-6-2

Baffert’s 4-Misstrial lost all realistic chance in his heavily backed debut on Aug. 2 when stumbling at the break, but will look to make amends in career try number two. The daughter of multiple Grade 1 winner Constitution removes the blinkers today and was training smartly up to her unveiling prior to the mishap. She has something that the rest of these fillies lack–prior racing experience. 6-Heaven’s Bolt (by Bolt d’Oro) draws a cozy outside post for her debut for trainer Richard Baltas and has shown promise in her a.m. drills. Prat takes the call, and she’s likely to come out running for a jockey-trainer combo that is 3 for 11 (27%) with a $2.40 ROI the past five years with firsters. 2-Santa Monica Beach debuts for Team O’Neill off a spirited work tab. This juvenile filly is by top sire Omaha Beach, who gets a solid above-average 16% with his 2-year-old firsters.

Race #5: Selections: 4-7-8

The multiple Grade 1-winning 4-Formidable Man is a perfect 5-for-5 over the Del Mar lawn for conditioner Michael McCarthy and exits a sharp score in the Eddie Read (G2) on July 27. The colt shortens back up to a mile today, where he’s a three-time winner, and figures to be motoring home late with Rispoli. His recent five-furlong main track drill in :59.1 on Aug. 23 indicates he remains razor sharp. The D’Amato-trained 7-King of Gosford has been well-rested since his Grade 1 Shoemaker victory back on May 26 at Santa Anita, where he earned a (100) turf Beyer. The 7-time winning 4-year-old has put in a series of sharp turf drills over the last several weeks and retains jockey Flavien Prat, who is a perfect 4-for-4 riding this talented colt. Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner 8-Full Serrano hasn’t been seen since that impressive score last November for trainer John Sadler, and now returns on grass off that lengthy absence. This talented 6-year-old was a stakes winner on turf in his native Argentina and looks like today’s frontrunner off the bench.

Race #6: Selections: 1-2-6

The multiple graded stakes-winning 1-Tenma hasn’t been seen since her disappointing effort in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill for Baffert, and now shortens back up to a mile off a solid work tab. She’s back at Del Mar (where she’s an undefeated 2-for-2) and this pricey daughter of Nyquist was a 6 ½-length winner of the Grade 3 Las Virgenes when last trying this one-mile trip last February. Her stablemate, 2-Howin, had a confidence-building allowance win over the track on Aug. 1 and makes her third start of the form cycle today. The Gun Runner filly returned to fire a “best of 91” bullet five furlongs in :58.2 on Aug. 24, as she looks to secure her first graded stakes victory. 6-Om N Joy gets a stiff class test today, but has rattled off four consecutive wins for conditioner Aggie Ordonez. She’ll likely need to improve by five or six lengths to compete with the Baffert pair, however.

Race #7: Selections: 7-5-10

The late pick five begins with an ultra-competitive full field of established fillies and mares going one mile over the lawn. 7-Musical Rhapsody (Ire) had little chance when stuck far behind a sluggish pace in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon on Aug. 9, but could potentially rebound nicely this afternoon with a projected better race flow and class drop. The D’Amato-trained 6-year-old mare makes her second start off the year layoff today and switches to top turf pilot, Umberto Rispoli. 5-Sneaker is still looking for her first win over the Del Mar lawn, but sports the field’s best last-out grass Beyer (88), exiting a sharp runner-up effort in the Solana Beach on Aug. 17. 10-Violeta M (Arg) makes her first stateside start after an eight-month layoff with an unfavorable outside post draw, but is a multiple G2 winner on turf in her native Argentina, and has trained sharply over the local footing for her comeback effort. Berrio sees fit to take the riding assignment. 4-Vibez has run well in three of four turf tries at Del Mar for conditioner Peter Eurton, but will likely be overbet this afternoon with Prat in the irons.

Race #8: Selections 5-2-4

5-Miss Kona closed strongly from far back to grab the place spot in a visually impressive debut performance for trainer Peter Eurton on debut Aug. 10. This daughter of Union Rags’ effort may have been flattered a tad since she got a swift pace to close into. However, she still galloped out impressively in front of the race winner and will undoubtedly appreciate another half a furlong to work with. This barn has solid stats with second-time starters. 2-Cashed ran decently for the show spot behind Miss Kona for her new barn when making her first try over the local footing off a runner-up debut at Wyoming Downs back in July. The daughter of I’ll Have Another posted a (65) Beyer, which is above par for this class level. 4-Danzing Daisy (By Danzing Candy) moves to the main track in career start number two off a solid closing second in a five-furlong grass dash on Aug. 7. This filly is likely to move forward off that well-backed, encouraging try and should appreciate the better post.

Race #9: Selections 10-11-2

The 9-time winning 10-Motorious (GB) looks to defend his title after taking both the 23-24 editions of the Green Flash H. for D’Amato and has been expertly managed the last two seasons by this top barn. A winner of three of his previous four graded stakes starts, this gelding loves the Del Mar lawn (4-3-1-0) and this five-furlong distance. Beaten favorite and the lone filly in this lineup, 11-Queen Maxima had a tough trip in the Osunita S. on July 20 when encountering some traffic issues and finishing a disappointing sixth. This 4-year-old was the winner of five straight turf sprints before that last misstep for Mullins and is likely to rebound today with regular rider Juan Hernandez back aboard. 2-No Nay Hudson (Ire) finished third (beaten less than a length) in this event last year for trainer Wesley Ward and enters this afternoon’s affair a fresh horse, exiting a third-place finish in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint S. at Pimlico. 9-First Peace returns off an 11-month layoff for Glatt, but has run extremely well when fresh in the past and has been training sharply over the Del Mar turf course.

Race #10: Selections 4-6-1

4-Nysos passed his two-turn test with flying colors in the Grade 2 San Diego H. in his most recent start on July 26, when kicking away by 2 ¾ lengths and posting a field’s best last-out (102) Beyer speed figure. This 4-year-old son of Nyquist is now 5-for-6 lifetime, with his lone defeat coming over a sloppy Churchill surface on Derby Day. He’s trained superbly coming into this year’s Pacific Classic, for conditioner Bob Baffert, who looks for his eighth win in this prestigious seaside Grade 1. He seems like the “now” horse peaking late in his 4-year-old season. The Preakness (G1) and Haskell (G1) winner, 6-Journalism, has had a strenuous 2025 campaign with six starts this year, but has shown his class and fortitude by consistently showing up for each and every start. There’s no reason to believe he won’t run well again, but he catches the streaking Nysos, who is in raging form and on the improve. Repole Stable’s 1-Fierceness has run back-to-back disappointing efforts as the beaten favorite in the Grade 1 Whitney and Metropolitan at Saratoga, and now treks all the way to the West Coast to face a stellar field. The 6-time winner ran well in his lone start over this racetrack in last year’s BC Classic but will need to bounce back in a BIG way this afternoon to match strides with the top pair. He’s likely to be hustled along from the rail by Velasquez and attempt to take this field gate-to-wire.

Race #11: Selections 8-5-4

8-Final Boss is still looking for his first graded stakes score for trainer John Sadler, but exits a sharp win over the local lawn on Aug. 9 and figures to get another favorable upfront pressing trip. This year’s edition of the Grade 2 Del Mar H. didn’t come up particularly strong, and perhaps looks like a good spot for this son of American Pharoah to notch his first graded stakes victory. Multiple graded stakes-winning 5-Atitlan finished an even fifth when last seen in the Grade 1 Shoemaker back on May 26 at Santa Anita, but has been freshened since then for trainer John Shirreffs and has worked favorably in the a.m. in preparation for today’s return effort. The colt is reunited with jockey Hector Berrios this afternoon, who has been aboard for all four of his career wins. 4-Stay Hot has hit the board in 11 of 15 career tries and loves the Del Mar lawn for conditioner Peter Eurton. He makes his third start of the form cycle today, exiting a pair of sharp efforts to start his 2025 campaign.