Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 6-Jaguar Jon (Race 1)
Race #1: Selections: 6-4-2
6-Jaguar Jon is in sharp form, having won two of his last three starts with a runner-up finish, and that last score on April 24 has produced a pair of next-out winners. He’s run well in two of three tries over the Los Al layout. 4-Hey Brother holds a double Beyer advantage over the rest of this field and has run well in all three starts this campaign for trainer Librado Barocio. The 6-year-old gelding ran second in his lone try over this trip—albeit back in 2023. He figures for a forward trip this afternoon. The other Barocio gelding, 2-See Through It, is now a 9-year-old but is 6-for-10 over this Los Al course and switches to Rosario with his move back to dirt.
Race #2: Selections: 6-1-5
The 12-time winning 6-Lady Gregory is back for another campaign, returning off a nine-month freshening for conditioner Steve Knapp. The 7-year-old mare has no experience running here, but lures Rosario off the bench and projects to come out running with a favorable outside draw. 1-Lyndee’s Dream powered away to a solid 2 1/3-length 10-1 upset maiden win on June 5, and figures to be hustled along by Ayuso from the fence. 5-Berry Valley returns to the main track off a year hiatus for trainer Librado Barocio. This mare has proven she can fire fresh, but the barn is only 1-for-25 with horses returning off >180 days the past four years.
Race #3: Selections: 2-5-1
2-Hughes is a pricey $675k Keeneland purchase by Into Mischief debuting for the Baffert barn. The juvenile colt has trained steadily up to this afternoon’s unveiling and will be ridden by Joel Rosario. Likely big expectations for this expensive colt. 5-Mosigma (by Mo Donegal) debuts for Team O’Neill off a limited work tab but had a snappy three-furlong blowout from the gate on June 17 at Santa Anita. 1-Midnight Ovation is by Grade 1 winner Olympiad and has trained well for Miller. The colt must negotiate the rail draw but looks to have good natural gate speed.
Race #4: Selections: 6-1-2
The newly gelded 6-Wicked Spud is hard to trust after a dismal debut back in late March when pulled up and walked off the course. Nonetheless, the Grazen 3-year-old has picked up his work tab tempo at San Luis Rey in the interim and could improve substantially on the class drop against a slow field. Class-dropping 1-Tess of Hemet has run some main-track sprints at Santa Anita that make him a solid win candidate against this suspect group. 2-Gold Proof exits back-to-back runner-up finishes going 4 ½ furlongs over the evening program against cheaper, but at least has positive recent form.
Race #5: Selections: 7-3-1
7-Donttellourwives showed some renewed life on June 7 with a giant class drop, rallying for third (beaten less than two lengths), and now goes first off the claim for trainer Lorenzo Campuzano. This barn is a solid 3-for-14 (21%) with a $2.50 ROI with new sprint acquisitions the past three years, and Rosario sees fit to ride. 3-Willow Cove returns off the April 18 mini-freshening and has run back-to-back seconds over 1,000 yards over the smaller Los Al course since the barn claim this winter. The 6-year-old mare figures to be forwardly placed. Turf Paradise shipper 1-Misty Heart makes her Los Al debut off a five-month layoff and has been training swiftly over the local course the last several weeks.
Race #6: Selections: 2-4-3
2-The Big Cheeseola weakened to fourth in his most recent try over at Santa Anita but now returns to an oval where he had previous success off the claim. Trainer Jesus Uranga is 3-for-10 (30%) with a positive ROI the past five years with newly acquired stock at Los Al. The 6-year-old’s versatile running style gives Kimura several options. 4-Too Much Info has won two straight, with a three-length solid score over this layout two-back, and then returned to back up that top try with a 5 ½-furlong sprint win at Santa Anita off the five-month break. The gelding has worked well since his last victory, and a three-peat is definitely within reach. A multiple winner over the track and distance, 3-Alpine Thunder has finished behind The Big Cheeseola in his last two starts, but goes second off the claim today and switches to Rosario.
Race #7: Selections: 7-1-5
7-All the Greats was a well-beaten fifth on May 3, going 1,000 yards on the evening program, but takes a sizable class drop back into claimers today for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, and was hardly disgraced in his lone try over this bigger layout last year against better. 1-Black Magician is 5-for-15 lifetime and has been running consistently well under the Los Al lights since late December of last year. The gelding just missed when last seen on April 12 and figures to be sent from the rail by Ramirez. A beaten favorite in his last three tries, 5-Chasin Munny steps up in class off the June 6 claim and is a strong fit with this group.
Race #8: Selections: 4-6-3
4-Cotta Ride is back off a seven-month layoff after finishing a much-improved second at this 50k level at Del Mar last fall—a race that proved fairly productive, with three next-out winners. It’s encouraging that there’s no panicky class drop by conditioner Craig Lewis, and the daughter of Clubhouse Ride should fire off the bench with Rosario. The Peter Miller-trained Blinkers off 6-Baby Needs Shoes was no match for runaway winner Miss Hellfire in her last but was a decent runner-up over a pair of today’s returning rivals in that May 30 event. She makes career try number seven today, but holds the recency edge over the top pick. Her stablemate 3-Blame It On Abby goes turf to dirt on her second start off a seven-month layoff and is likely to move forward from that well-beaten third. Blinkers off, and the second time Lasix adds to the appeal.
