Tag Archives: San Luis Rey Downs

Del Mar, Horse racing

Del Mar opinions for Saturday, July 22

Preview: The great Arrogate will run in today’s San Diego Handicap and that’s worth the price of admission right there. Jockey Rafael Bejarano seems to be on an every other day binge right now as he had four winners on opening day and two of the first five races on Friday’s card.

FIRST RACE: 1. #5 True Ranger, 2. #8 Looks Good N a Tux, 3. #1 Golden Atlantic. LONG SHOT: #4 Where’s Bubba.
True Ranger has never been off the board in three tries on the Del Mar main track with a 3-1-1-1 record. Jockey Jamie Theriot is 27% with trainer Ryan Hanson, who is 25% in dirt races.

SECOND RACE: 1. #4 Alley Boss, 2. #6 Cherubim, 3. #3 Pray Hard. LONG SHOT: #1 Kaabraaj.
Alley Boss comes out of a key race that has produced two winners from five starts. This colt has been throwing bullets in morning works at San Luis Rey Downs and seems to be ready for an upset.

NINTH RACE (San Diego Handicap): 1. #3 Arrogate, 2. #5 Cat Burglar, 3. #4 Donworth. LONG SHOT: El Huerfano.
Did you really expect me to pick against the big horse? I think trainer Bob Baffert will run 1-2 here. This is just a work out for Arrogate and he should be able to toy with this field.

For the rest of my selections go to:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/sd-sp-nahills-del-mar-picks-for-july-22-story.html

Good luck.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Del Mar, Horse racing

Del Mar selections for Thursday, Aug. 4

Preview: The middle of the meet woes have hit as there are less than 60 horses entered on this card. Some trainers off to slow starts are Mike Puype 1-for-22, Kristin Mulhall 1-for-18 plus Keith Desormeaux and Bob Hess Jr., both 1-for-16.

Race 1: 1. Celebrity Status, 2. Ain’t No Other, 3. Senator Bob. LONG SHOT: Tripski.

Race 2: 1. Arrogate, 2. Five Palms, 3. Teniente Coronel. LONG SHOT: Mystery Train.

Race 3: 1. Moose Skowron, 2. Handsome Hank, 3. Quorum of Joy. LONG SHOT: Proud Zoning.

Race 4: 1. #5 Tattooed Kitty (4-1) BEST BET, 2. Lil Miss Sapphire, 3. Holy Mosey. LONG SHOT: Zensational Dancer.
Trainer Peter Miller has a penchant for scoring with first-timers from San Luis Rey Downs, like this filly. We love the sire Wildcat Heir (15% first time out) and Miller puts Brayan Pena aboard.

Race 5: 1. #3 Hell On Wheels (12-1), 2. Lamontagne, 3. Discatsonthesquare. LONG SHOT: Lemon de Oro.
It isn’t often you get double-digits on a horse trained Phil D’Amato but that’s what we are getting here. D’Amato is 24% with horses coming off a 90-plus day layoff and she has plenty of early foot in this turf sprint. The sire Speightstown gets 12% winners first time turf.

Race 6: 1. Prime Issue, 2. Eight Spokes, 3. Signature Cat. LONG SHOT: Pulla Train.

Race 7: 1. #1 Dame Street (9-2), 2. How Unusual, 3. Mo Knows. LONG SHOT: Lunar Empress.
It’s that man Phil D’Amato again as he gets this filly off 2-for-2 efforts on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs. Top grass jockey Flavien Prat takes the mount for this improving 3-year-old and he’s 28% with D’Amato.

Race 8: 1. Soap Box, 2. Triple Clown, 3. Jimmy the Juice. LONG SHOT: Accordance.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Del Mar, Horse racing

Del Mar selections for Saturday, July 23 (updated)

Preview: Can any card with California Chrome and Dortmund on it, be bad? Doubt it. Soi Phet and Hard Aces have scratched out of the San Diego, leaving just five horses for Chrome and Dortmund. Jockey Edwin Maldonado is off all mounts today attending his grandmother’s funeral.

In case you haven’t heard three horses were injured this morning at Del Mar during workouts, with at least one fatality. Trainer Richard Mandella decided not to work Beholder due to the condition of the track and said he hopes to work on Sunday morning.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has scratched a top 2-year-old filly from a maiden race today. I don’t know if the track has anything to do with it.

I had one Del Mar executive tell me after the first three days of racing last weekend that he didn’t like the way the main track was playing. Food for thought.

Race 1: 1. Ketos, 2. Feldini, 3. Patron. LONG SHOT: Westwood’s Wizard.

Don’t know what to do with Bob Baffert’s Patron. She is working well, but she is bred for the grass and to run long. She will get bet. She may win, but not with my money.

Race 2: 1. Dutchessa, 2. Q’ Viva, 3. Foxy Lover. LONG SHOT: Avicii.

Race 3: 1. #6 Paiasolo (9-2), 2. Hobbits Hero, 3. Free Rose. LONG SHOT: Banze No Oeste.
This colt almost broke through at this condition last time but came up a length short. Trainer Richard Mandella is 21% with beaten favorites and 31% in allowance races. Jockey Flavien Prat rides and he is 18% with Mandella.

Race 4: 1. #4 Light of the Moon (3-1) SCRATCHED, 2. Adorable, 3. Princess Coco. LONG SHOT: Feel Freely.
This filly didn’t get off to the best start in her debut, but she took plenty of money so the clockers must have liked what they saw. She must make up 5 lengths on Adorable in this race, but trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is 30% with second-time starters. Jockey Mike Smith stays aboard and he’s 47% with Hollendorfer the last two years at Del Mar.

Race 5: 1. #1 Metaboss (5-1), 2. Calculator, 3. Perfectly Majestic. LONG SHOT: Texas Two Step.
After running his last three races in Maryland for trainer Michael Dickinson, this 4-year-old ends up in the Phil D’Amato barn, which is 18% with horse first time in their barn. Jockey Rafael Bejarano jumps on and he’s 31% with D’Amato.

Race 6: 1. Sorryaboutnothing, 2. Classico, 3. Swiss Minister. LONG SHOT: Blanket of Ice.

Race 7: 1. #1 Belvoir Bay (4-1), 2. Mokat, 3. Be Mine. LONG SHOT: Jade Princess.
Jockey Florent Geroux comes west to ride this filly for owners Team Valor and Gary Barber. Last the 3-year-old was seen, she destroyed the competition in the Blue Northern stakes at Santa Anita. Trainer Peter Miller has been her ready at San Luis Rey Downs. Look for her to use her speed from the inside and roll from there.

Race 8: 1. Princess Kendra, 2. Katy Drama, 3. Tooluckysupermoon. LONG SHOT: Ish.

Race 9: 1. California Chrome, 2. Dortmund, 3. Win the Space. LONG SHOT: Follow Me Crev.

Pace 10: 1. Sassy Ashley, 2. Lethal Legacy, 3. Whistle Pretty. LONG SHOT: Georgia Blue.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

Friday’s top choice winners: 3 (Pray Hard $6.20, fifth race; Little Scotty $7.60, sixth; Enola Gray $2.20, seventh)

Friday’s second choice winners: 0

Friday’s third choice winners: 3 (Ask Me I Might $8, second; All Star Parade $6, third; Lord of Chaos $5.40, eighth)

Friday’s long shot winners: 0

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Sunday, July 10

Preview: Final day of the meet. Thank God. The last three weeks have been torture. Still not sure why Santa Anita couldn’t have waited 10 days to re-sod the turf course. Thank God, on to Del Mar on Friday.

Race 3 – SA
#3 Tuscany Beauty (5-2): This filly just finished second over the track and trainer Bruce Headley is 63% with beaten favorites. Jockey Edwin Maldonado stays aboard and he’s 38% with Headley at Santa Anita.

Race 6 – SA
#6 Tell Me a Story (6-1): Trainer Peter Miller trains out of San Luis Rey Downs so you never know how fast these 2-year-olds really are but this colt has one bullet work and gets Lasix. The sire Telling is 17% with firsters and jockey Fernando Perez is 31% with Miller at Santa Anita.

Race 9 – SA
#1 Distinctive B (12-1): We go back to that man, Peter Miller, here in the finale. This gelding was claimed in April and hasn’t run since. There is a bullet showing in his last work at SLRD and Miller is 34% first off the claim. He puts blinkers on and this 5-year-old has the best Brisnet Late Pace Rating.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Saturday, June 26

Preview: Gold Cup Day and we like the idea of running the race as the last event on the card. Rafael Bejarano went 2-for-2 on Thursday to create some space in the jockey’s race and he could pick up some more today as Flavien Prat is suspended and can only ride in the Gold Cup. Bad day on Friday as favorites won everything and my favorites ran up the track

Race 3: #4 Concorso (9-2): Trainer Dan Hendricks is 2-for-8 at the meet. This gelding showed good speed in breaking his maiden at Los Alamitos but he also has the Brisnet top Late Pace Rating. Hendricks is 21% with horses coming off a 46 to 90-day layoff and jockey Drayden Van Dyke gets aboard.

Race 4: #7 Chasing Aces (6-1): Trainer Peter Miller scored Thursday with a maiden training at San Luis Rey Downs and that’s what we have here in this colt sired by Flatter, an 11% first out sire. Miller is 17% first time out and he’s 26% with jockey Fernando Perez.

Race 6: #8 Family Code (3-1): This gelding pressed the pace in his last win and has two wins over this track. Trainer Robertino Diodoro is 48% when he drops a horse off a win.

Race 7: #5 Tiz No Bluff (6-1): This colt is making his second career start after an even effort in his first try around two turns. He should improve off that effort for trainer Ron Ellis, who is 24% with horses off a 61 to 180-day layoff and 20% on the dirt.

Race 8: #2 Kobe’s Back (5-2): Absolutely love this horse in this spot going 7 furlongs. He also loves this track with a 6-3-2-0 record over the oval. There is plenty of speed in here and he has Brisnt’s top Class and Late Pace Ratings.

Race 9: #1 Bal a Bali (9-2): This horse has run all 21 lifetime efforts on the grass so why does Richard Mandella run him here? Because he’s a Hall of Fame trainer. The 6-year-old horse from Brazil has been tearing it up in the mornings in workouts on the dirt and there are no world beaters in this race so why not take a shot? Mandella is 26% going from turf to dirt and 22% with beaten favorites. This horses has been facing tough ones on the grass so the class shouldn’t be a problem and jockey Flavien Prat stays aboard.

Good luck.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Thursday, June 9

Preview: Not the best of cards. Remember no more downhill turf races due to renovation but they will go two turns on the grass. Speaking of the turf, Flavien Prat is lapping the jockeys with 16 wins on the green stuff from 46 mounts for 35% winning percentage and he’s in-the-money 59%. Next closest is Rafael Bejarano with 8 wins from 43 mounts and in the money 56% of the time.

Race 2 – SA
#7 Grand Prix (6-1): Trainer Gary Mandella gets wins 20% of the time from his first-time starters. This is a daughter of Tale of the Cat, who wins 16% of the time with his FTS. Good dirt jockey Martin Garcia rides.

Race 6 – SA
#5 Fast Magoo (4-1): Trainer Rosemary Trela doesn’t have many horses and she’s 0-for-6 this year, but she was injured earlier and is back in charge now. This mare has been smokin’ in workouts at San Luis Rey Downs and has a 9-2-2-2 record over the track. Trela is 26% on dirt, 25% in sprints and 38% in claimers.

Race 8 – SA
#6 Proud ‘n’ Ready (4-1): Trainer Peter Eurton drops this filly into a maiden claimer for the first time, a move he is 43% with. He also gets that turf maven Flavien Prat to ride so we’re looking for a huge effort in the 3-year-olds first time around two turns.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Saturday, June 4

Preview: Really good card (any card with Beholder on it is good), especially the Late Pick Four and if a couple of Bob Baffert favorites get beat that wager will pay off huge. Speaking of Baffert, he has been quiet at the meet with just a 2-for-13 record on the dirt. He’s probably getting ready for a summer assault on Del Mar has he starts a lot of comebacking horses this weekend. Phil D’Amato (9-24) and Jerry Hollendorfer (6-31) lead the way on the dirt.

Race 1 – SA
#7 Fiftypercentcotton (5-1): Trainer Dan Blacker is winless (0-for-17) on the year but one area where he excels is adding blinkers (25%, 4 for his last 12) and that’s what he does with this filly.

Race 2 – SA
#7 Bombard (4-1): Love this colt last time out bu didn’t get the job done for the team of jockey Flavien Prat and trainer Richard Mandella. Don’t think the 3-year-old liked the good turf and it will be firm today. Go to the windows.

Race 5 – SA
#6 No Contingency (8-1): This gelding has been popular at the claim box this year. In fact, trainer Mike Pender lost the 6-year-old and claimed him back out of his last race, which is always a popular angle. Pender is 25% first off the claim this gelding also has one of the best back speed Brisnet numbers. The gelding finished second at this level two back and Pender puts jockey Edwin Maldonado back on.

Race 6 – SA
#2 Twentytwentyvision (7-2)
Pure and simple we’re hoping for a pace meltdown between Heart to Heart and Midnight Storm here in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile. If that happens, we hope this gelding picks up the pieces for that team of Prat and Mandella again.

Race 9 – SA
#5 Right Wing (10-1)
#7 Alley Boss (12-1)
We’re going to dutch in this race and hope to beat all three Bob Baffert’s maidens in here. RIGHT WING is from the Jerry Hollendorfer barn and he’s 27% with first-time starters and we think jockey Martin Garcia would like nothing better than to stick to his old boss Baffert. ALLEY BOSS is from the Molly Pearson barn and has some nice works at San Luis Rey Downs. This 3-year-old is a son of Twirling Cany, who gets 20% first out winners.

Race 11 – SA
#2 Film Freak (12-1): Not sure this colt like the good turf or the distance in his last race. Trainer Tim Yakteen cuts him back to a distance where he finished second at in a similar race two back. Red-hot jockey Flavien Prat takes tthe mount and he has been winning everything on the grass.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Friday, June 3

Preview: It’s another mediocre midweeek card but there is the the return of Lord Nelson for trainer Bob Baffert in the seventh race. When last seen, Lord Nelson finished third to Runhappy in the Grade I Malibu on Dec. 26. Just a note: This will be the final week of racing on the downhill portion of the turf course as the remodeling of the course begins so look for lots of 6 1/2 furlong races.

Race 5 – SA
#9 Mysterious Miracle (4-1): This filly ran second in her only try down the hill. Trainer Phil D’Amato tried to get her on it again but it was rained off and she broke her maiden on a wet fast track. The red-hot D’Amato returns her to the turf where he is 21% going dirt to turf. He is 21% with jockey Joe Talamo.

Race 6: #7 Like That (9-2): Really like the Australian sire Lonhro, who gets 11% first out winners. We would love it even more if this race was on the grass, but trainer Peter Miller still gets good numbers first out (15%) and puts good speed rider Edwin Maldonado aboard. This filly has been training at San Luis Rey Downs away from the private clockers so Miller might be trying for a score here.

Race 8 – SA
#8 Radiant Journey (5-2): Another Phil D’Amato mare that finished second in her only trip down the hill. This one has been away since November at Del Mar. She is taking a big class drop from open company to Cal-bred company. D’Amato is 27% with horses off a 180-day layoff or more. She has speed and that has done well on the turf this year.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Horse racing, Santa Anita

Santa Anita opinions for Saturday, March 5

Preview: Good card and turf racing today because it’s supposed to rain on Sunday. Look for turf trainers to fill races as Santa Anita announced it will renovate the grass course beginning in late June so there will be no turf racing the final 3 weeks of the spring meet in addition to a 3-week break in April when Los Alamitos will run.

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Race 4 – SA        

#6 Albeit (12-1) (turf only) 

Arguably this filly’s best race came around two turns on the Santa Anita turf and returns to that set-up here. Trainer Doug O’Neill is 19% going sprint-sprint-route. Jockey Mario Gutierrez jumps back on and is 23% with O’Neill.

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Race 8 — SA

#10 Texas Two Step (15-1)

This gelding has a ton of speed for trainer Peter Miller and has been training well at San Luis Rey Downs with a pair of bullet works. Jockey Victor Espinoza takes over and he is 21% with Miller. I look for Espinoza to go straight to the front and try to steal it.

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Race 9 – SA

#2 Vartan (4-1) 

Trainer Bill Spawr is 38% first off the claim like this gelding. Jockey Agapito Delgadillo is 26% with Spawr and will likely put this 4-year-old on the front end.

@Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

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Del Mar, Horse racing

Del Mar selections for Thursday, Aug. 27

FIRST RACE: 1. Ike Walker, 2. Doyouknowsomething, 3. Jens de Ville. LONG SHOT: Papa Kade.

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SECOND RACE: 1. Treasuring, 2. Jade Princess, 3. Shakti. LONG SHOT: Wake the Dawn.
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THIRD RACE: 1. Sinfully, 2. Antinanco, 3. City State. LONG SHOT: Okaad.
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FOURTH RACE: 1. #5 Bosserette (10-1), 2. Pearl de Vere, 3. Sweet Profit. LONG SHOT: Mark of a Gem.

Trainer Howard Zucker drops this 4-year-old filly into a claimer for the first time. She ran credible in her first race in a year last time and should be tighter this time. Jockey Joe Talamo takes over. Zucker is 17% on the turf.

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FIFTH RACE: 1. HANK THE TANK (5-2) best bet, 2. I’m Not Bullish, 3. Jimmy the Juice. LONG SHOT: Big Finish.

This son of In Summation is bred to sprint and he makes his career debut for trainer Peter Miller, who is seeking the Del Mar training title. There are some quick works at San Luis Rey Downs and Miller is 27% with first-timers. Miller is also 29% with jockey Martin Garcia the last 60 days.

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SIXTH RACE: 1. Take Back Spring (8-1), 2. Kyankes, 3. Housemaker. LONG SHOT: Showcase Winner.

Trainer Kristin Mulhall is pulling out all of the stops here as she adds blinkers (27%) to this daughter of Spring at Last. It may look like the filly is moving up in class but she’s going from facing older fillies and mares to only facing 3-year-olds here.

SEVENTH RACE: 1. All Run, 2. Gravity Force, 3. Swiss Cheese. LONG SHOT: Overcomer.
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EIGHTH RACE: 1. Tribal Zen, 2. Bussjaeger, 3. Midnight Edition. LONG SHOT: Rickles.

Jeff_Nahill on Twitter

Wednesday’s top choice winners: 1 (Buymeabond $12.80, fourth race)

Wednesday’s second choice winners: 1 (On Fire $7.60, third)

Wednesday’s third choice winners: 2 (Bully Pulpit $10, second; Kiss At Midnight $5, fifth)

Wednesday’s long shot winners: 2 (Dad’s Princess $7.20, first; Point Piper $62, seventh)

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