DEL MAR 8/7

Can't complain about yesterday: our Price Play #10 Tuff Storm won race race 5 at odds of 13-1 and #2 Sunset Glow won the Sorrento stakes at an overlay price of 3-1 in a five-horse field. Nice!

Looking back at that sequence it's tough to see how i missed that late pick-4. I missed the winner in race 6 who was coming off a nice debut win at the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meet.

Let's take a look at the plays for Thursday...

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DEL MAR 8/6: SORRENTO STAKES

A new week of racing begins today at Del Mar with a pick six carryover of $195k and the running of the G2 $200,000 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The pick six looks competitive and I would not be surprised if we have another carryover.

Best Bet
Race 3
#4 Champion Risk: showed an improved effort in her second start when breaking her maiden over this track. She was claimed by new connections and shows a bullet 3-furlong workout since that last start. She showed good speed and I expect her to be in front again. She returns in a spot where she is not entered to be claimed and her competition doesn't seem to be too tough. I do expect #3, #5, and #10 to get bet so hopefully we can get the morning line odds of 2-1 on Champion Risk.

Price Play
Race 5
#10 Tuff Storm: will be making his poly track debut after racing three times on the turf. His last effort was a good one when he finished third beaten less than three lengths at today's distance. Turf runners seem to really take a liking to the main track and I think he will do just fine. He's coming off a small break since June and shows to maintenance workouts over this surface. I think he can get a good middle-pack trip in this group. He's 10-1 on the morning line.

G2 $200,000 Sorrento Stakes
Race 7
#2 Sunset Glow: no surprises here. She's the morning line favorite and i expect her to be heavily bet. No value in this race but this might be a "free square" in those pick six and pick four bets. She finished a good second at Royal Ascot in the Albany Stakes against a field of 20 runners. I think her experience will be key against this bunch.

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DEL MAR 8/3 : BEST PAL STAKES

It was weird to have rain at Del Mar on Saturday

This Del Mar meet has been filled with big prices and large payouts and today's card looks like another recipe for that. Be patient, be selective, there's more racing ahead. That's the approach I have been taking when playing this meet. I've been concentrating on daily doubles, exactas, trifectas, and superfectas given that putting 3 or 4 winners in a row has been a difficult task.

I will share my Best Best, my Price Play, and my feature race selection (Best Pal Stakes).


Best Bet
Race 4
#6 Dutch Chocolate: ran well in her first local try here when finishing third beaten a nose for second. She has some speed, is only making her third start, and has some winners in her pedigree. Her odds are 5-2.


Price Play
Race 7
#2 Alpha Bullet: is a horse that just loves to run. He's two noses away from being undefeated in five career starts. He's shown he can run on any surface while sprinting or routing. He's got good early speed and has
a good spot towards the inside part of the track. He's facing a tougher group today but these are the kind of spots where you can get good prices on sharp horses. His odds on the morning line are 12-1.

Best Pal Stakes
Race 8
#4 Bad Read Sanchez
His debut win at Santa Anita was visually impressive. He broke good and pulled away easily. His stakes debut at Los Alamitos was a good effort considering the trip he encountered in the race. He got caught in a tight spot between horses and was bumped repeatedly in a four-horse field. All he needs is a clean trip and he will be tough to beat. His odds are 3-1.

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