Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 3-Dirty Words (Race 6)
Race #1: Selections: 6-1-2
6-Lying Zero was no match for runaway winner Jolene Fury when well-backed to 4-5 favoritism for Team O’Neill on debut May 31, but the Nyquist filly figures to be a handful in start number two with that race under her belt. She gets a cozy outside draw. 1-Allons Y flashed speed but tired badly to finish seventh and last in her five-furlong Santa Anita debut 15 days ago, but figures to carry that early zip further today. The Upstart filly removes the blinkers, and trainer Luis Mendez is 4-for-11 (36%) with a lofty $4.13 ROI with second-time starters at Los Al the past five years. Blinkers off 2-Blockade (by multiple Group 1 winner Knicks Go) exits the same race as Allons Y, finishing a non-threatening even sixth (beaten by double digits), but is also eligible to move forward today with any normal second-out progression.
Race #2: Selections: 5-3-4
The 10-start maiden 5-Proud Racer has hit the board in eight of nine career tries for conditioner Peter Miller and looks like today’s clear frontrunner. The 5-year-old gelding has been the beaten favorite in the last four straight, however, so he’s tough to endorse with much confidence. He finished second in his lone try over this course. 3-Bello Rosso goes two sprints to a route and switches to dirt in the all-important third career try. He’s by Violence (16% dirt routes) and may find the additional real estate and venue change to his liking. The O’Neill-trained 4-Throwthefirstpunch goes turf to dirt in career try number nine and has run competitive races that match up well against this suspect MDSW short field.
Race #3: Selections: 5-4-6
5-Country Om (by Om) debuts for trainer Dean Pederson off a solid work tab, and this barn has won with their last two firsters over this course, including Agrowest last Friday afternoon. Om gets a solid 15% with his 3-year-old-and-up debuting prodigy. 4-Here’s Some More returns off an eight-month freshening for trainer Michael McCarthy, adds Lasix, and drops in for a first-time tag. 6-Kore Kinetic had the monumental task of coming off a three-year hiatus on April 25, but should improve today after dusting off the cobwebs, moving from the rail to today’s outside draw for career try number three.
Race #4: Selections: 7-4-1
7-Robarando hasn’t been out in nine months but has trained well locally for new conditioner Antonio Flores and gets a favorable outside draw for his initial start this 2026 campaign. 4-Winning Lover is one of two geldings entered for trainer Vann Belvoir and is back off a nine-month freshening, having run well on both the afternoon and evening Los Al programs. 1-Meeking spit the bit after opening up a four-length lead in his most recent try, then dropped back to finish fifth and last. The 1-for-16 gelding figures to be hustled along from the fence, shortening up to five panels.
Race #5: Selections: 7-2-8-9
This competitive Cal-bred optional $20,000 claiming sprint looks like a spread race to kick off the $1 late pick 4. A multiple winner over the track and distance, the speedy 7-Instinct D’Oro steps up in class after just missing by a nose at 15-1 on May 25 at Santa Anita and now makes the all-important third start off the bench for trainer Sergio Morfin. The 5-year-old gelding could prove tough to reel in late with a fast break. 2-Gypsy Tears is 2-for-3 over this course and looked sharp visually, winning at 17-1 back on April 5. The 7-year-old has trained well in the interim, including a “best of 41” bullet drill in :59 flat on June 21. 8-Supernal is also making his third start of the form cycle for Team O’Neill, coming off a solid runner-up finish when returning to dirt on May 25. 9-Devil Be Me is 0-for-5 over the Los Al afternoon layout but has won both starts (18-1 and 4-1) over the smaller layout to kick off his 8-year-old campaign, which included an upset in the 1,000-yard Summer S. on June 14.
Race #6: Selections: 3-4-2
A wide-trip third in last, 3-Dirty Words goes first off the claim today for trainer Charlie Treece, who has above-average stats with new barn purchases. The 4-year-old gelding was an eight-length runaway winner in his lone try over this course last December and sports the field’s best last-out Beyer (77). 4-Caribbean King takes a sizable class drop today for trainer Dan Blacker while making his dirt debut, second start off a 10-month layoff. The 6-year-old gelding figures to be closing strongly through the lane. 2-Atomic Drop has more speed than he showed in his most recent try on May 25, when he threw his head pre-race in the gate and hopped at the break. The 11-time winning veteran 8-year-old is reunited with his winning pilot this afternoon.
Race #7: Selections: 8-3-4
8-Going Great Guns must avoid a pace tussle with the other speedster Love Lock, but exits back-to-back seconds over the evening course and drops in for a tag today. The 4-year-old filly has shown the ability to sit and pounce when breaking her maiden over the smaller evening layout last winter, and a similar trip might serve her best today. The lightly raced 3-Pantages was overmatched in her most recent five-furlong grass sprint try at Santa Anita on May 24 but drops to a more realistic spot this afternoon for trainer Ryan Hanson and gets maiden-winning pilot Adrian Escobedo back in the saddle. It took 4-Can You Dream 14 starts to break her maiden, but she lands in a weak $8k claimer for her first crack against winners, and the filly could fall into a favorable stalking trip stretching out off her most recent 1,000-yard maiden score.
Race #8: Selections: 3-9-2
3-Hungover takes a substantial class plunge this afternoon from Maiden Special Weight to today’s $12,500 maiden claiming level for trainer Ryan Hanson on the turnback in distance and should win the nightcap at short odds. Kimura knows the gelding well. 9-He’s Got Fire makes the third start of the form cycle today for the Papaprodromou barn, with his Beyers improving with each subsequent try. The gelding finished a better-than-looks fourth against this level on June 7, and he can move forward again. 2-Johnlino drops again after flashing some speed and tiring in his first dirt try and figures for another favorable upfront-pressing journey.
