Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 1-Pioneer Prince (Race 6)
Race #1: Selections: 2-4-1
A tricky optional $50k claiming grass dash kicks off the Sunday early pick five. 2-Gordon’s Legacy ships back into Southern California for Ruis, who has run well here this summer, evidenced by his 9-1-4-1 record. This 4-year-old colt by Mendelssohn ships in from Churchill off the mini-freshening and shortens back up to a sprint, where he ran well in both 6 ½-furlong Santa Anita grass tries to begin his career at the start of 2026. He gets a top turf pilot in Berrios this afternoon. 4-The Rabbi broke a step slow, finishing a non-threatening seventh off a 10-month layoff on Aug. 16 for conditioner Ron Ellis and is eligible to move forward today, second off the bench. His last grass sprint Beyer was above par for this class level. The Michael McCarthy-trained 1-Broheim moves back to turf off his Aug. 14 six-furlong maiden-claiming score and returned to work well over at San Luis Rey. Hernandez sticks on the step up to face winners.
Race #2: Selections: 1-7-8
Trainer Bob Baffert sends out a pair of juvenile 2-year-olds, including firster 1-Prospect of Love and July 18 runner-up 7-Quattro Passi. Prospect of Love is a Wathnan Racing $300k daughter of Uncle Mo who has trained sharply for her unveiling and lures the barn’s go-to pilot, Juan Hernandez. Quattro Passi rallied for a safe, well-clear second behind stablemate graded stakes-winning Holmby and figures to be a handful this afternoon with any normal second-out progression. This dark bay Girvin filly has shown four a.m. drills since that encouraging unveiling. 8-Rosaura is by multiple Grade 1 winner Maxfield, who gets an above average 16% with his debuting juvenile prodigy. She draws nicely outside for Rosario and Sadler off a spirited worktab.
Race #3: Selections: 7-10-3
7-City Exile drops from $40k to $25,000 off the July 24 claim for trainer Steve Knaopp after a third-place effort, which is never a great sign, but is reunited with winning pilot JJ Hernandez and has consistently run grass route Beyers in the mid-80s. 10-Ah Jeez has won two straight for Team O’Neill and holds a double Beyer advantage over the rest of this field. The 4-time winner at Del Mar moves from the fence to today’s outside draw but must be respected in current form for the leading barn, and a threepeat is certainly not out of reach. 3-Living Life was outrun in the last pair but slashes his claiming tag in half this afternoon for Ellis and has never been offered this cheaply in 22 lifetime starts.
Race #4: Selections: 4-5-1
The $675K son of Into Mischief, 4-Hughes, is 2-for-2 for Team Baffert after taking the Aug. 8 Best Pal in a runaway 7 ¾ lengths as he looks to stretch out an additional furlong today for the potential threepeat. There’s no telling how good this colt is for a barn that’s won this race 19 times. His stablemate 5-Domus should not be overlooked, however. The son of Uncle Mo thrashed his competition by 5 ½ lengths on debut July 25 and may be quickest off the blocks this afternoon. He’s trained well in the interim and has plenty of upside as the distances increase. 1-Phone Booth was no match for Hughes last time and will need to find some 8 lengths to reverse that last decision. Not an impossible task for the O’Neill barn, switching to Rosario.
Race #5: Selections: 4-3-6
4-Brazoria (GB) showed improved speed when coming up just a neck shy in a solid turf route effort in start number two on the stretch-out for trainer Richard Mandella, and the daughter of Frankel is a logical win threat right back with a similar performance. Rosario climbing aboard adds to the appeal. 3-Peachy Canyon (Ire) finished a troubled trip closing third in her first try over the Del Mar turf course on July 17 behind repeat winner Goodies and now makes her third start off the bench for high-percentage winning trainer Lauren Robson. 6-Pentle Bay co-tops the field’s best last-out Beyer (73) and has had several close-up finishes routing on turf versus similar, including Brazoria and Preclude.
Race #6: Selections: 1-2-9
A runaway winner two-back, 1-Pioneer Prince drops in class, second off the Peter Miller claim off a well-beaten fifth, which is a 6-for-15 (40%) $2.39 ROI winning maneuver with dirt routers for this top barn. The 6-year-old gelding figures to be hustled along from the rail by Rosario and tough to reel in late as the Best Bet of the Day. 2-Shady Tiger has been plagued by layoff lines but drops in class off a wide trip fourth at Los Al back on July 5 and has never been offered this cheaply for D’Amato. 9-Big Juanito steps up in class off a much-improved runner-up finish on Aug. 16 for Hess. This gelding likes this main track, evidenced by his 4-2-1-0 mark.
Race #7: Selections: 4-10-5
The speedy 4-Delightful Laura has proven she can fire fresh for trainer Peter Eurton, and this daughter of Uncle Mo will look to control the tempo off the seven-month break with Hernandez climbing aboard for the first time. 10-Lady in Paris (GB) has run well in both U.S. starts for D’Amato with a close-up second back in May and then crossed the wire first (but was DQ’d to fourth) in her most recent effort on July 25 when finishing in front of a pair of today’s returning rivals. The 4-year-old filly makes her third start of the current form cycle this afternoon, and another forward move is well within reach of expectations. A recent closing third in the Solana Beach S. 5-Wink and a Grin makes her third start off the bench today, with an improving Beyer pattern for hot barn and is reunited with winning pilot Hector Berrios.
Race #8: Selections: 3-4-5
The well-traveled Baffert-trained 3-Desert Gate returns to Del Mar where he’s run well in both tries, including a dominating 8 ¾-length victory in the Best Pal (G3) last year. The son of Omaha Beach exits a pair of subpar, disappointing, beaten-favorite fourth-place efforts in the Ohio and Iowa Derbies but shortens back up to a mile today and should bounce back off some sharp recent drills. Recent maiden winner 4-Essos gets a stiff class test here but has the right closing running style in a race that appears (at least on paper) to be top-heavy on the frontend with speed types. The most recent “best of 61 bullet five furlongs in :59.1 drill on Aug. 30 indicates he remains in razor-sharp form for Glatt. Upset chance. The lightly raced 5-Decisive Win ran fourth in his lone stakes try in the Affirmed S., but has run some of the fastest main track Beyers in the field for O’Neill and is quick enough to clear this field.
Race #9: Selections: 4-2-1
4-Vanta shot through late along the rail to break her maiden on debut on July 31 for Mullins after getting bottled up amongst heavy traffic in what was a visually impressive performance. This juvenile filly by Greatest Honour stretches out for her step up into the stakes ranks and should relish the additional real estate. 2-Ogle was an impressive one-mile, 2 ¼-length maiden winner on debut for McCarthy after breaking a step slow and was widening her stride at the finish. The daughter of Oscar Performance gets a more-than-capable replacement in jockey Juan Hernandez, as Rispoli sticks with top choice Vanta. 1-River in Paradise (GB) ships in for her Stateside debut off a 66-1 upset win at Lingfield for Powell on debut and has been steadily training over the Del Mar sod the last 4 weeks for her first U.S. start. The filly gets a cozy inside draw.
Race #10: Selections: 6-7-8
6-Halo Howie is by Tamarando out of a dam named Halo Darlin, who was a winner on debut at Del Mar. This 2-year-old gelding has worked well for trainer Aggie Ordonez, who has quietly had herself a solid meet from limited chances, and he should come out running for a barn that’s fully capable of winning on debut. 7-Golden Club holds the experience edge over the rest of these juveniles with two lifetime tries for conditioner Craig Lewis. The son of Clubhouse Ride has hit the board in both and moves back to the main track today, switching to Hernandez. Trainer Doug O’Neill sends out 8-Nashville Champ by Nashville, who gets an ordinary 12% with his juvenile firsters, but he was a 11 ½-length maiden winner at Saratoga at first-asking.
Race #11: Selections: 8-3-5
Eclipse Thoroughbreds’ 8-Muscled rallied for second to finish in front of a half-dozen of this afternoon’s returning rivals in last on Aug. 9 and now make the third start of the current form cycle for trainer Paddy Gallagher. Rispoli on. 3-Back Nine Stakes makes his second start over the Del Mar turf course, exiting a flat fifth behind the top pick, but is lightly raced for trainer Sean Williams and is eligible to move forward off that effort while retaining Hernandez, who remains a solid 6-for-15 (40%) with a $3.60 ROI riding for these connections overall the past two years. 5-Rostovsky never factored when a wide eight when facing several of these in the aforementioned Aug. 9 event, but has run some grass route efforts for Glatt that match up well here, and this gelding has the top late pace figure in the field for a race that could set up right for him with the right Rosario trip.
