It’s the calm after the storm at Del Mar this Friday. The Breeders’ Cup Word Championships are settled, now it’s time for the California-breds to take the stage for three races that are part of the 50-cent Late Pick 4. Here’s a closer look:
DMR 5th race (5:30 p.m. EST) -- P TOWN PRANCER pressed the 32-1 winner but gave way after a half-mile off an eight-month layoff. He makes his first start as a gelding and for a claiming price and can make good use of his speed for trainer Doug O’Neill, who won two MSW turf races last week at Del Mar and has seven sprint-to-route turf winners with a $3.20 R.O.I in the past year. SHAPOVAL earned three mid-60 Beyers and finished in the money twice in one-mile races on firm footing at Santa Anita. He steadied behind a troubled rival last out at Del Mar while the two short-priced favorites got away from the field. FIGHT BACK, plagued by recurring trouble lines, gets a needed break from MSW company but draws outside in this $50,000 maiden claiming route for statebreds. He raced much closer to the pace when he last wore blinkers as he will today.
DMR 6th race (6:00 p.m. EST) -- The 2-3-4-5 finishers from the same race under these conditions reunite in this $32,000 maiden claimer. FLASHY FRITZ set all the fractions but he drifted and bumped the even-money winner in mid-stretch and settled for second. But be duly warned: the nine entrants in that race were a combined 28/0-2-1 coming in and a claim on the winner was voided by the vet. Hit the ‘ALL’ button in Leg B of the Pick 4.
DMR 7th race (6:30 p.m. EST) -- ANDTHEHOMEOFTHEBRAVE dueled and finished 1-2-3 in his three 5F turf sprints at Del Mar. But he was no match at 6F for TITANIC THOMPSON, who put away the top one at the top of the stretch, only to get caught by a pair of deep closers, including 46-1 shot GOOD COUNCIL. Use TITANIC THOMPSON as a solo play, but add ANDTHEHOMEOFTHEBRAVE if there are any scratches on our ticket below.
DMR 8th race (7:00 p.m. EST) -- VICTORIA’S JEWEL pressed recent stakes winner Too Sassy to the quarter pole in her debut, maintained ‘command through the turn’ before the deep closers arrived in her second start and wilted again at 5-1/2F last out. She has the speed of morning-line favorite LADY K WESTFALL to contend with today, but the class drop could be the answer. If the favorites duel each other into defeat, SOUTHERN ANTON is a viable longshot worth using on the ticket. She just missed after a stretch-long battle with the winner in her MSW debut at Emerald Downs, but was no factor at this level in a follow-up try at Santa Anita. The ninth-place finisher in her debut won by 6 lengths next out with a 63 Beyer.
Suggested 50-Cent Ticket
DMR 5th Race: 1, 4, 9
DMR 6th Race: ALL
DMR 7th Race: 3
DMR 8th Race: 7, 9, 11
Cost: $40.50
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