Note: Del Mar’s fall season opens Saturday, but I haven’t decided whether to handicap the track or not. I already told my boss at the San Diego Union-Tribune that I won’t be handicapping for the paper (although I will do the Breeders’ Cup next week). Here’s the issue, for those that don’t know I work 2:30-10:30 p.m. on the U-T sports desk. Every major track in America EXCEPT DEL MAR has 48-hour scratch time. Del Mar has a 24-hour scratch time or 10 a.m. the day before the races. That doesn’t give me enough time to fully handicap the way I normally do. A lot of stuff I look at doesn’t come out until after the scratches. This isn’t a problem with any other track in the country EXCEPT DEL MAR. I have talked to the racing office but there has been no change. So I have to decide whether to give out a subpar product or do tracks that help handicappers and bettors. 

LAST SUNDAY (Races 6-11)
Top choice winners: 1 (Maxim Rate $6.80, ninth race)
Second choice winners: 1 (Mongolian Window $16, sixth, exacta box $49.20, trifecta box $89.25)
Third choice winners: 1 (Rain Diva $8.20, eighth, exacta box $29.60)
Long shot winners: 0

LAST SATURDAY
Top choice winners: 2 (Brickyard Ride $6, first race; Shadow Sphinx $4, 10th)
Second choice winners: 2 (Order and Law $3.80, exacta box $10.60, trifecta box $15.80; Classier $9, ninth, exacta box $36.40)
Third choice winners: 3 (Curry $6.80, second, exacta box $19.80; Defense Wins $5, exacta box $11.80, trifecta box $24.70; The Stiff $43.40, sixth, exacta box $120)
Long shot winners: 2 (Blazing Charm $9.40, seventh, exacta box $40; Biddy Duke $20.20, eighth)

LAST FRIDAY

Top choice winners: 0
Second choice winners: 2 (My Princess Ellie $3.60, first, exacta box $11.60, trifecta box $24; Beautiful Gift $3.40, second, reverse exacta $3.60)
Third choice winners: 3 (Gryffindor $13.80, sixth; Nice Ice $5.60, seventh; Westward Breeze $7.20, ninth, exacta box $17, trifecta box $38.70)
Long shot winners: 3 (Commas Save Lives $10.20, fourth, exacta box $33.80; First Prez $10.20, exacta box $30, trifecta box $53.50, superfecta box $135.30; Oil Can Knight $12.40, eighth, exacta box $28.80, trifecta box $40.30)