Today at Del Mar, Aug.25

TODAY AT del mar

By Richard Eng

Post Time 1 p.m.

Race 1 - 5 furlongs, Purse $77,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds and up

1 Follini - Speed and the rail; will play catch me if you can from gate to wire.

8 D’Obsession - Must overcome a parking lot post; has enough speed to not get too far behind early.

Long Shot - 7 My Slew

Race 2 - 1 mile, Purse $80,000, Optional claiming $62,500, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

1 Lady Asano - Powerhouse win last time under Julien Leparoux; figures to sit a trip and try a repeat performance.

3 Ismene - Bill Spawr has done well with limited starters this meet; lost all chance at the start in last.

Long Shot - 6 Magic Union

Race 3 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $24,000, Claiming $16,000, 3-year-olds and up

4 Just Irish - Claimed by little known trainer Emily Mode off a sharp second; don’t worry, she can train, and win this race.

2 Suances Candy - Like the cutback in distance for this speedball; should have some late energy tonight.

Long Shot - 1 Mudflats

Race 4 - 6 furlongs, Purse $75,000, Maiden special weights, Fillies, 2-year-olds

3 Be Proud - Did everything but win last time for Bob Baffert; should improve in her second career start.

5 Antiquity - Joel Rosario will not ride today due to injury; pay special attention to his many mounts this afternoon.

Long Shot - 4 Lady Bugatti

Race 5 - 1 mile (turf), $200,000 Del Mar Mile Handicap, 3-year-olds and up

4 Obviously - Will be a deserving short price in a grade 1 stakes; it is his race to lose on the front end.

3 Silentio - Rafael Bejarano likes to sit a trip and give his horse a chance late; may not have the firepower to win this.

Long Shot - 2 Tigah

Race 6 - 6 furlongs, Purse $75,000, Maiden special weights, 2-year-olds

2 Primal Instinct - FTS from Bob Baffert who has been winning a ton of baby races; watch the tote board for more clues.

6 Bardstown - Exits two bullet works for Bob Hess; cost $400K so a lot is expected from this Stormy Atlantic horse.

Long Shot - 9 Van Fraassen

Race 7 - 7 furlongs, $250,000 Pat O’Brien, 3-year-olds and up

3 Goldencents - Did everything but win the Bing Crosby in last; musical jockeys, Kevin Krigger, Joel Rosario, now P Val.

6 Fed Biz - Like the cut back in distance from 2-turns to elongated sprint; can sit a trip and come on late.

Long Shot - 9 Batti Man

Race 8 - 1 mile (turf), Purse $77,000, Optional claiming $40,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

5 Zanbo - Gutty win in last, now steps up to face tougher; like that Rafael Bejarano remains loyal to the cause.

3 Lilbourne Eliza - Huge class relief from a grade 2 to this optional claimer; been frustrating for trainer Jim Cassidy.

Long Shot - 2 Include the Aussie

Race 9 - 1 1/4 miles, $1-million Pacific Classic, 3-year-olds and up

10 Delagation - Interesting Canadian import loves the Woodbine synthetics; plus he is long winded too.

11 Game On Dude - Short priced favorite is still considered a vulnerable chalk; all he does is win stakes races.

Long Shot - 9 Dullahan

Race 10 - 1 mile, Purse $38,000, Claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up

9 Smokin’ Cat - Claimed out of a win by Robertino Diodoro; he keeps Martin Pedroza up, a jockey he rarely uses.

1 Format V. - Claimed by Cody Autrey who has had more success this meet than in the past; expect a ground saving trip.

Long Shot - 8 Diamond of Blue

Race 11 - 1 1/16th miles (turf), Purse $75,000, Maiden special weights, 3-year-olds and up

5 Volkonsky - Turf course has been playing well to speed this meet; beaten favorite in last, will Joe Talamo change strategy?

9 Empty Headed - Dead late closer gets a hot riding Garrett Gomez; he’ll sit in arrears and make one run.

Long Shot - 1 Mr Lemon Tree

Best Bet - 4 Obviously (race 5)

Del Mar Saturday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 16/5/$31.20; Long Shots, 8/1/$7.80; Best Bet, 1/1/$5.80

Del Mar Totals - 476/113/$828.40; Long Shots, 231/35/$378.60; Best Bets, 29/7/$30.20

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #1 Enchanting Lisa (7/2) in race 11 at Saratoga. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Saturday, My Happy Face ran third at Saratoga paying $2.50 to show. Stats - 142/93/$751.80; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick