Horse Racing: Today at Del Mar, Aug. 24

By Richard Eng

Post Time 4 p.m.

Race 1 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $20,000, Claiming $8,000, 3-year-olds and up

1 Hidden Blessing – Won at this level two races ago; reunited with Rafael Bejarano who rode him that day.

7 Imperial Pride – Two good seconds since claimed by Bob Hess; clearly fits well in this bottom rung.

Long Shot – 9 Gibson Home Run

Race 2 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $28,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, 2-year-olds

4 Duke Street King – Flattered when Sherer Magic won a stakes next time out; big class drop from $50K to $30K today.

8 Sexyuknowit – Taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW to maiden claiming; trained by Cash Asmussen.

Long Shot – 6 Kentucky Kid

Race 3 – 5 furlongs (turf), Purse $71,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds and up

7 Grumpy Small Mouth – With all the speed in here, expect Garrett Gomez to take back and make one run.

3 Consulado – Speedball may have some company on the front end; if he can clear he truly fits on the class drop.

Long Shot – 5 Gal has to Like It

Race 4 – 6 furlongs, Purse $28,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

4 Kvetch – Reclaimed by Peter Miller, one of the strongest trainer angles in racing; no early speed, she’ll fly fast late.

6 Mirror Ball – Taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW to maiden claiming; been away since February, watch the tote for clues.

Long Shot – 9 Christmas Candy

Race 5 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $40,000, Starter allowance $40,000, 3-year-olds and up

6 Smoken Legacy – Flattered when Royal Meridian won right back; this one has talented and is protected in a claim proof spot.

5 Zuboff – Joe Talamo for Rafael Bejarano who opted to ride the chalk; Mike Pupye adding blinkers on for this.

Long Shot – 7 Just Tripping

Race 6 – 1 3/8th miles (turf), $85,000 CTT and TOC Handicap, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

3 Left a Message – Didn’t get much help last time in the American Oaks; huge rider switch to Garrett Gomez, expect improvement.

2 Quaintly – Reunited with Victor Espinoza who rode her twice; she has good tactical speed to sit a decent trip.

Long Shot – 5 Lady Aspen

Race 7 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $32,000, Maiden claiming $40,000, Cal-breds, Fillies, 2-year-olds

8 It’s Aine – Taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW to maiden claiming; need not be much horse to handle these.

4 Tribal Custom – Was well bet in debut and then didn’t run a step; big switch to Martin Garcia, let’s see some improvement.

Long Shot – 2 Italian Harmony

Best Bet – 3 Left a Message (race 6)

Del Mar Thursday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 13/2/$9.60; Long Shots, 7/4/$60.40; Best Bet, 1/0/$0

Del Mar Totals – 435/110/$715.00; Long Shots, 222/31/$330.80; Best Bets, 25/12/$48.20

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – #3 Frivolous Alex (6/1) in race 7 at Saratoga. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Thursday, Lunar Victory won at Saratoga paying $3.80 to win, $2.90 to place and $2.50 to show. Stats – 131/95/$817.50; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick