Horse Racing
TODAY AT DEL MAR
By Richard Eng
Post Time 2:05 p.m.
Race 1 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $25,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
2 Tarheel Babe - Was well bet in debut, then got bounced around early and never recovered; fresh second start might surprise here.
6 Naughtical - Tepid favorite as none of these look very enticing; Jeff Metz takes the weight off with bugboy Vinny Bednar.
Long Shot - 3 Mile High Bunk
Race 2 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $40,000, Claiming $25,000, 3-year-olds and up
6 Gnarly Dude - Claimed off an even effort by trainer Bill Morey; key vote for me is he hires top rider Garrett Gomez.
4 Magic Beam - Sleeper was claimed by Bill Spawr off a sharp win; possible horse for course as he's won both of his starts at Del Mar.
Long Shot - 1 Format V
Race 3 - 1 1/16th miles (turf, rail at 7 feet), Purse $70,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up
1 Affrettando - Been unlucky to not win one of his last two starts; saves all the ground, again, under Garrett Gomez.
2 Raya Roja - Rafael Bejarano replaces Joe Talamo who opted for Toomanylucky's; ran OK in last and is improving with each start.
Long Shot - 6 Toomanylucky's
Race 4 - 6 furlongs, Purse $40,000, Starter allowance $40,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
3 Granny Calling - Showed gameness as a ship and win horse last time; Jack Carava spent more time with her, she should improve.
1 Miss Lady Ellen - Doug O'Neill has an uncoupled entry so caveat emptor; was sharp in debut win and is protected tonight.
Long Shot - 9 Candy and Thunder
Race 5 - 1 mile (turf, rail at 7 feet), Purse $71,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds and up,
1 Robbie's War - Was in the fight till the end last time; third start off a 9-month hiatus could be his best.
6 Gab Power - Can't pick him on top as he lacks a killer instinct; still it would be dumb to leave off your vertical bet tickets.
Long Shot - 10 Alley Hondro
Race 6 - 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $70,000, Maiden special weights, 2-year-olds
10 Manando - Another one of Bob Baffert's fastest babies in the world; suspect the tote board will be singing a chalky tune.
5 Forest Boy - Did everything but win in a very impressive debut second; if he improves one step he'll be hard to handle.
Long Shot - 1 Distintiv Passion
Race 7 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $71,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds and up
4 Nextdoorneighbor - Chased a very good Jimmy Creed in last; no such animal like that in here as Bob Baffert found a softer spot.
6 Royal Meridian - Was much the best in an easy win last time; steps up to face tougher but he is in rare form right now.
Long Shot - 1 Stoneside
Race 8 - 1 1/8th miles, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks (turf, rail at 7 feet), Fillies, 3-year-olds
8 Eden's Moon - She looks like lone early speed, the best bet in horse racing; set fast fractions in the San Clemente and kept on going.
2 Lady of Shamrock - Logical chalk will need some help up front softening up Eden's Moon; has a powerful late kick though.
Long Shot - 1 Indigo River
Race 9 - 1 mile, Purse $24,000, Claiming $16,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
12 Dynamic Diva - Last race if repeated is fast enough to beat these; Rafael Bejarano is getting a lot of choice mounts this meet.
5 Smil'n From Above - Ran like a short horse last time off a 5-month hiatus; expect more speed and an agressive ride by Joe Talamo.
Long Shot - 14 Bila Shaka
Race 10 - 1 1/16th miles, Purse $24,000, Claiming $10,000, 3-year-olds and up
7 Coluda - Speedball tactics just missed last time out; suspect Martin Garcia will send again and hope to hang on this time.
5 Falcon Rock - He clearly has lost his edge to father time; might have skipped but Rafael Bejarano took the call for Simon Callaghan.
Long Shot - 6 Temerity
Best Bet - 8 Eden's Moon (race 8)
Del Mar Friday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 12/2/$12.60; Long Shots, 7/2/$20.20; Best Bet, 1/1/$4.40
Del Mar Totals - 371/95/$618.80; Long Shots, 190/24/$230.40; Best Bets, 21/12/$48.20
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #6 Questing (5/2) in race 10 at Saratoga. For scoring purposes, we'll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Friday, Moment in Dixie ran second at Saratoga paying $3.30 to place and $4.20 to show. Stats - 127/91/$781.60; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick
