Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 6-Divin Propos (Fr) (Race 5)
Race #1: Grade 1 winner 4-Exaulted is likely to rebound in his second start off of the nine-month layoff after finishing a disappointing fifth in the Grade 2 Wise Dan at Churchill on June 29. The talented 7-year-old cuts back to his preferred one-mile trip, where he sports a solid resume (5-4-1-0) and has fired two morning bullet drills since that subpar effort. 5-Bran (Fr) is a multiple-graded stakes winner, making his first start in 10 months. The grade 2 winning 3-Watsonville returns off a seven-month freshening for an excellent layoff barn. The 4-year-old colt has trained well for today’s return to action.
Selections: 4-5-3
Race #2: First-time gelding 4-J B Strikes Back goes turf to dirt on the stretch out for trainer Doug O’Neill and should be forwardly placed on the class drop. A beaten favorite in three of his last four starts, 10-Citadino, has run par or better for this class level on multiple occasions. 1-Westeros drops to a career-low claiming tag and owns the field’s best last-out main track Beyer figure.
Selections: 4-10-1
Race #3: A multiple-winner overseas 3-Gypsy Woman (Ire) makes her first stateside start for conditioner Mark Glatt who has traditionally done well with these import types. The 4-year-old filly adds Lasix today on the stretch-out and meets a suspect group. 5-Cornelia Fort exits a decent third-place troubled try in the Fran’s Valentine on May 25 and has run well over this grass course. The lightly raced 8-Sunset Glory (Ire) steps up off sharp Maiden win off an extended layoff and has trained well since that winning effort for McCarthy.
Selections: 3-5-8
Race #4: 2-Casalu is a $775K Keeneland purchase by freshman sire Caracaro debuting for the Baffert barn off a string of solid a.m. drills. Her stablemate, 6-Two Bar (by Lookin at Lucky), has also shown solid ability in her works. 7-Acquitted is by win-early sire Into Mischief going out for the Richard Mandella barn. This filly has looked fast in her a.m. drills and blew out a sub :35 three furlong gate drill on July 14 in preparation for today’s unveiling.
Selections: 2-6-7
Race #5: 6-Divin Propos (Fr) steps up off a sharp win on June 15 when making his first stateside start for trainer Phil D’Amato and looks primed for the repeat. The 4-year-old gelding has never been off the board in eight career starts and has come back to work sharply since that winning performance. 2-Living Life makes the third start off the bench today, coming off consecutive third-place finishes for trainer Ron Ellis. Blinkers on 3-Maltese Falcon (Ire) is a grade 3 winner over this turf course and switches back to Hernandez this afternoon after some traffic issues in the aftermentioned June 9 event when facing both Living Life and Dean Martini.
Selections: 6-2-3
Race #6: 5-The Big Cheesola finished second against a similar group on July 6 at Los Al, slimly earning the field’s best last-out main track Beyer (63). A timid vote in what looks (at least on paper) to be a wide-open N2L sprint. 7-Devil Among Us has been beaten double-digit lengths in his last pair of efforts for D’Amato but is eligible to spring back to life this afternoon on today’s significant class drop. 3-Leading the Pace makes the third start of the form cycle today for trainer Dean Pederson with an improving Beyer pattern.
Selections: 5-7-3
Race #7: The speedy 7-Richi (Chi) ran extremely well in his U.S. debut for Baffert on June 2 in the Desert Stormer Stakes when flashing some quick early zip before tiring to finish second. The 6-time winning filly defeated multiple stakes winner Tom’s Regret in that last sharp effort and has proven she can handle today’s surface switch. 5-Ag Bullet returns to her Southern California base off the mini-freshening, where she’s done her best work for conditioner Richard Baltas. The 4-year-old filly has been training lights-out over at San Luis Rey. 8-Hang the Moon steps up off a sold win on June 9 for D’Amato going this one-mile trip and should be rallying strongly late.
Selections: 7-5-8
Race #8: 5-I’m a Bad Boy owns the experience edge over most of these off an encouraging debut try on May 26 when flashing good speed before tiring to third. The son of Stay Thirsty has trained well since that encouraging unveiling (when well-backed), including firing a “best of 94” four-furlong bullet drill on July 15. 2-Nyce Going is by multiple grade 1 winner Nyquist, who gets a respectable 17% with his 2-year-old debuting prodigy. This youngster has been training swiftly in morning drills for Team O’Neill but this jockey-trainer combo remains 0 for 14 with firsters at Del Mar the past five years. The other Luis Mendez-trained juvenile 1-Home Gamer (by Om) must negotiate the tricky rail draw for today’s unveiling but has shown fast morning drills for an underrated barn that’s had excellent success with juvenile debut runners.
Selections: 5-2-1
Race #9: 3-Almendares (GB) stretches back out this afternoon for D’Amato while exiting a decent third-place finish over the Santa Anita downhill course back on May 26. The 4-year-old gelding has run well over this grass layout (3-2-0-1) and looks primed for a big effort moving back to a mile. The 4-year-old gelding co-tops the field’s best last-out turf Beyer. 6-Air Force Red adds blinkers off a disappointing try in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile and looks like the speed of the speed with Maldonado climbing back aboard. 8-Conclude is another who floundered in the aftermentioned Shoemaker Mile but gets back on the Del Mar turf course, where he’s 2 for 2. The 4-year-old has shown the ability to sit and pounce, which gives him an excellent chance to rebound today.
Selections: 3-6-8
Race #10: 3-Ultimate takes a substantial class plunge for Team O’Neill off a non-threatening fourth-place effort against $50k claimers back on June 7. The 9-time winning 6-year-old gelding should get a live race to close into if today’s swift pace comes to fruition as TimeformUS projects it might. 7-Giver Not a Taker drops in class and should appreciate getting back on the Del Mar strip (4-2-1-0) for Miller. Class dropping 9-Windribbon defeated similar last summer at this level with Rispoli, who takes over the riding duties this afternoon.
Selections: 3-7-9
Race #11: 1-British Isles moves inside to the favorable rail draw this afternoon for trainer Richard Baltas after posting back-to-back competitive (80) Beyer grass speed figures over at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old gelding shortens up a bit this afternoon and projects to get a strong ground-saving trip with a top turf pilot signing on. 7-Promissio has flourished since moving to turf for Team O’Neill and finished in front of several of these in the last third-place effort on June 13. 4-Rastaman Vibe exits a troubled trip fourth in the aftermentioned June 13 event, and his lone win came over this grass course back in December 2023.
Selections: 1-7-4
