Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
ANALYSIS
BEST BET: RACE 5, PALERMO STYLE
FIRST RACE
The highly rated race in which TRUE VALIDITY finished third stamps her the most likely winner of this MSW for 2yo fillies. The race was won by the exciting filly Brill, the runner-up Del Mar May returned to finish second in a G2, fifth place Angel Alessandra returned to win a MSW turf route and sixth place Bizwhacks returned to finish second. TRUE VALIDITY faces no such rivals this time, it appears. First-time starter ENAYA ALRABB is by Uncle Mo, whose progeny win at a higher-thanaverage rate first out. CHERISHED is a Congrats filly that might be better than her modest works indicate. DEVILS DANCE has the highest figure in the field, a 72 Beyer earned in a five-runner field. She is a contender.
SECOND RACE
EIGHTY THREE seeks his third straight, he gets the call over upset candidate TOUGH BUT NICE in this competitive $25k claiming sprint. EIGHTY THREE was claimed last out, moves up one level, has a pressing style that allows him to adjust to any pace scenario, and can score right back. However, TOUGH BUT NICE looms a live longshot on the front end. He pressed a blazing pace last time racing inside, stuck in there to the eighth pole and tired to finish third in a better-than-looked effort. That was his first in three months, he worked an easy half since, moves from the rail to an outside post (7 of 9) and might be the speed of the field. Long gone at a price? BEST TWO MINUTES returns from a layoff of nearly two months, while dropping below the level at which he was claimed in May. That does not exactly signal optimism, yet he might be the “best horse” in the field based on figures. He also likes this racetrack. LUCKY STAXX crushed a N3L last time over a track that may have been favorable to the inside lane on which he ran.
THIRD RACE
This N2L claiming sprint is perplexing. Also-eligible DOWNSIDE UP finished third last time at this level. Good enough. AWESOME HEIGHTS raced over his conditions twice recently. He drops from N3L claiming to N2L, and takes off blinkers. He may have been too close to the pace last time. SIR VALENTINE goes first off the claim with back figures that put him in the hunt.
FOURTH RACE
ARMS RUNNER may have had an alibi for finishing tenth as the favorite last out in a similar N2X turf route. He jumped over a patch on the turf course going into the first turn, and never looked comfortable after. He was gelded since that race, his close fourth two back against legit stakes horses would be good enough. PERFECTLY MAJESTIC, third in back-to-back stakes, drops in class while entered for the optional $62.5k claiming tag. He finishes second and third more often than he wins, but the Del Mar course seems to be his favorite (3 for 9). SECRETARY AT WAR makes his California debut for an outfit that does well with this type. His races in New York and Florida put him in the hunt.
FIFTH RACE
Second start after a promising runner-up debut at Golden Gate, PALERMO STYLE enters as the most probable winner on the card. First time out, he broke slowly, trailed, made an extended run into and through the lane, and missed by only a length. The race turned out productive. The winner
returned to finish second in a DMR starter allowance, the third-place finisher returned to win, the fourth- and fifth-place finishers returned to hit the board. ‘STYLE posted a solid gate work here six days ago, adds blinkers, and his stable continues to fire. RED ENVELOPE also ran well first out. He pressed legit fractions and missed by a halflength. Good effort, and he has something the top choice lacks. That is, a race over the track. Firsttime starter JEFFERSON DAVIS is a sibling to four multiple winners; his trainer-jockey combo scored an upset with a first-time starter last weekend.
SIXTH RACE
European import CASHMAN is in tough if the “real” ITS IN THE POST shows up in this G2 turf marathon. But an uncharacteristically poor effort last time by the favorite opens the door for a potential upset by a new face. Group 3-placed CASHMAN might surprise. He gained a confidence-building win last month in Germany, his pressing style could play well in a race without true pace and owner Team Valor has a long history of success with foreign imports. Take the newcomer to pop at a price. ITS IN THE POST is the “best horse,” a seven-time graded winner repeatedly proven at marathon distances. However, he misfired last time without a visible alibi. Perhaps the distance was too short, fractions too fast, or he was too close to the pace. Regardless, he finished nowhere. The veteran gelding certainly is good enough to rebound, and possibly win for the first time at Del Mar in his 11th try on this course. But questions remain. KENJISSTORM, G2-placed, could make the lead in an otherwise paceless race. FASHION BUSINESS will rally late.
SEVENTH RACE
STONE HANDS is back at the level of his latest win (N2X/ optional $62.5k claiming) after being overmatched in two graded stakes. The pace pressing sprinter got his act together early this year by winning three races and finishing second twice; the last time he raced at this level he won by more than two lengths as the favorite. He faces two formidable comebackers in GATO DEL ORO and CAPTAIN SCOTTY. This is the first start of the year for GATO DEL ORO, who ran well all three starts on this surface last year (N1X win, stakes runnerup, pacesetter Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile). He might want farther than six furlongs, but the lightly raced (six starts) 4yo did win a maiden sprint last June. CAPTAIN SCOTTY raced only three times, his first two starts were runaway wins including a highly rated first-level allowance in which he earned a 99 Beyer. A repeat of that figure would be tough to beat.
EIGHTH RACE
The local 3yo turf fillies take turns; the Del Mar Oaks is a good spot for a well-connected shipper to upset. COLONIA fits. Her form in Europe was modest; she is an improved filly in the U.S. based on an impressive last-to-first win in her U.S. debut in a $100k stakes at Arlington. Trainer Graham Motion won this Grade 1 race in 2011 with then-G3-caliber Summer Soiree, and East Coast Midwest shippers dominated this race in recent years. Locally based OLLIE’S CANDY ran super in the G2 San Clemente here last month. The race was won by the pacesetter; ‘CANDY broke from post 13, rallied from ninth and missed by only a neck. She gets a better post (4 of 12) this time, has a hot stable, and more tactical speed than she showed last out. FATALE BERE looms an upset candidate. Her sixth in the G1 Belmont Oaks was okay, she had an alibi two back (saddle slipped), and her April victory in a G3 at this mile and oneeighth distance was super. If she runs back to that race, she can win. PAVED finished eighth in the Belmont Oaks; her California form gives her a look. CALIFORNIA GOLDRUSH won both starts in winter at Santa Anita. Ambitious comeback placement, but not impossible. She smoked the final quarter of her February allowance in :22.76.
NINTH RACE
ISTANBUL finished a promising second in his career debut, a race won by the exciting 2yo colt Roadster. ISTANBUL was not quick, lost ground four-wide through the turn and five-wide into the lane, kept grinding and finished a solid second. With a race under his belt, he is likely to improve. The race he exits already produced at least one winner. GAME WINNER makes his first start for a stable that won five races this summer with debut 2yos. ‘WINNER, by Candy Ride, is a sibling to local maiden special-weight winner Flagstaff. DUELING rallied to finish an okay second in his debut; he benefits by the longer distance as he stretches from five furlongs to six.
TENTH RACE
ACCELERATE looks tough in the Pacific Classic. His stellar 2018 campaign includes three stakes victories with a pair of Grade 1’s at this mile and a quarter trip, he loves Del Mar, pointed to this race for months, is training well and is the class of the field with an advantage in speed figures. The favorite is solid; the Pacific Classic has been predictable. Favorites won four of the last five, 2017 winner Collected was second choice. BEACH VIEW offers value in the exacta, at 15-1. He crushed the mile and one-half Cougar II by nearly five lengths last out his first at Del Mar. ‘VIEW will try to follow the same path as 2009-2010 syntheticsurface Pacific Classic winner Richard’s Kid, who prepped in the Cougar II before both Pacific Classic wins. DR. DORR is suspect at the distance, but could make the lead in a field lacking pace. His stablemate ROMAN ROSSO makes his U.S. debut after winning three Group 1’s in South America. This is an ambitious move by a top trainer, and suggests ROMAN ROSSO is doing well for his first start in five months. PAVEL, second choice in the program, might be ranked too low by this handicapper. His G1 win two months in Kentucky was super. THE LIEUTENANT will roll late. TWO THIRTY FIVE earned a figure (104 Beyer) two back winning a second-level allowance that suggests he has a longshot chance to hit the board.
ELEVENTH RACE
Lightly raced comebacker MORSE CODE gets the call in a competitive N1X turf route. The well-bred colt is working well on the Del Mar main track; his best races in the East were on turf. Sired by Tapit and a sibling to graded winners Honor Code and Noble Tune, his workout pattern suggests he is ready to fire first start back while returning to grass. AVALANCHE might be the best closer. He finished a creditable fourth in his comeback last month; he will fly late. ROYAL ALBERT HALL is a 2-for-38 veteran with 19 total in-the-money finishes from 34 starts. Must use in the trifecta.
SCRATCH BOARD
Here are the horses entered today who have been scratched in the last 45 days and have not raced since the scratch. Definitions: Off the turf: Turf race switched to main track. Trainer: Any scratch made by a trainer, including ones for weather, medical issues, a decision not to run in a stakes race, a horse entered back the next racing day, or a conditional entry (i.e., main track only for a turf race). Vet: Injury or illness. Steward: Administrative issues like medication and eligibility.