Horse Racing: Today at Del Mar, August 7

Post Time 4 p.m.

Race 1 – 6 furlongs, Purse $31,000, Maiden claiming $40,000, 2-year-olds

3 Last One Standing – Didn’t take trainer Peter Miller long to decide to geld this one; also taking a nosedive in class from $80K to $40K price tag tonight.

6 True Ranger – One of two ship and win candidates in here; that is a strong angle especially if the horse shows even a little bit of ability.

Long Shot – 4 Panther Creek

Race 2 – 1 mile, Purse $27,000, Claiming $16,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

5 Enduring Erin – I am still backing horses that ship south from Golden Gate; they train and race over Tapeta synthetic surface that gets them dead fit to run.

8 Light Striker – Logical chalk off the re-claim by trainer Ron Ellis; that is one of the best betting angles on trainers is when they claim a horse they used to have.

Long Shot – 1 Private Marina

Race 3 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up

1 Vartan – This could be a race where nobody wants to take charge late; in that case sometimes I just rely upon the jockey, in this case Corey Nakatani.

2 Desert Gem – Did a classic pop and stop last out going a 2-turn mile; if you follow me you know how much I like cutbacks in distance, this horse qualifies.

Long Shot – 4 Juansagain

Race 4 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $70,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

1 Sadie Clare – Ran like a green horse in her career debut; she hopped at the start trailing the field by daylight, then found her best stride to pass horses late.

6 Urloveneverfails – Blew a tire in last after a very promising career debut; the maestro Jerry Hollendorfer is adding blinkers on for this test.

Long Shot – 2 Jean Edward

Race 5 – 1 mile (turf), Purse $40,000, Claiming $32,000, 3-year-olds and up

7 Royal Banker – Ran better than looked in last; was put on the lead by Kieran Fallon and held well, his natural style though is to sit off others and make one run.

2 Huntsville – As the last race of the Pick 5 and the first leg of the Pick 4, this is fraught with danger; I would be very tempted to use the all button.

Long Shot – 4 Sinfully

Race 6 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $40,000, Starter allowance $40,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

8 Daddy’s Duo – Ran OK in turf debut after a 13-length blowout win to graduate; still might have some upside and I like that Keith Desormeaux continues to protect her.

6 Silver Mojave – Tepid chalk in another wide open affair; would not be surprised if this Pick 6 carries over to Saturday, then we’ll have a nice positive expectancy.

Long Shot – 4 Alexita

Race 7 – 5 furlongs (turf), $80,000 Daisycutter, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

1 Shrinking Violet – I like betting on Wesley Ward in turf sprints; he usually has then primed to go and often times you can get a square price on him too.

9 Home Journey – Logical chalk has done really well in turf sprints; has lots of early speed, but unfortunately for her, the turf rail is at zero position tonight.

Long Shot – 5 Birdlover

Race 8 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up

2 Bananappeal – Part of the trend I saw with horses from Golden Gate shipping south and running really well; they get conditioned over the Tapeta synthetic surface.

1 Show and Tell – Ran OK in last considering he was way overmatched; the drop back in class to the bottom will allow him to compete well as he did two and three races ago.

Long Shot – 3 The Grumbler

Best Bet - 1 Sadie Clare (race 4)

Del Mar Thursday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 16/5/$42.20; Long Shots, 8/0/$0; Best Bet, 1/0/$0

Del Mar Totals - 270/56/$411.40; Long Shots, 132/21/$260.00; Best Bets, 15/4/$15.80

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #7 Vinegar Joe (7/2) in race 4 at Saratoga. For scoring purposes, we'll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Thursday, The Great War ran second at Saratoga paying $5.20 to place and $4.30 to show. Stats - 112/78/$607.10; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick