Horse Racing: Today at Del Mar, July 16
Post Time 2:05 p.m.
Race 1 - 1 mile, Purse $26,000, Claiming $12,500, 3-year-olds and up
1 Candy for Debbie - First race of meet always starts in front of the grandstand; I like a rail post in 2-turn mile races, dirt or turf.
9 Dress Code - Another factor is no more synthetics, real dirt; this horse would move way up if the carpet fibers were still in place.
Long Shot - 10 American Act
Race 2 - 6 furlongs, Purse $31,000, Claiming $16,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
2 No Tricks for Jack - Would be neat if Iggy Puglisi could bag a race on opening day for Peter Miller; it won't be for any lack of trying.
5 Always a Chance - Solid dirt resume and drop in class point to a live wire; I expect Tyler Baze to have a good summer on the shore.
Long Shot - 6 Two Step Flor
Race 3 - 7 furlongs, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up
3 Vartan - This is as big a jockey switch as one will ever see; expect Corey Nakatani to be focused as he needs to make things happen.
11 Pippaguy - I don't expect a lot of favorites to win on opening day; showed promise in debut and has been pointed for Del Mar.
Long Shot - 8 Stellar Act
Race 4 - 1 1/8th miles (turf), Purse $75,000, Optional claiming $62,500, 3-year-olds and up
6 Texas Ryano - Ran like a short horse in last off a 11-month hiatus; should be a nice tightener for a race they really want to win today.
1 Infinite Magic - Michael Stidham is a tremendous horse trainer; I expect his stock to compete, not get outclassed, during this meet.
Long Shot - 3 Cyrus Alexander
Race 5 - 5 furlongs, Purse $70,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, Fillies, 2-year-olds
5 Late 'n Left - Ran well in debut and was well backed at the windows too; the one race of experience can only help her.
6 Miles Sister - Closed for a good third to the chalk in her debut; green horses will run like that, slow early but fast late.
Long Shot - 2 Alicanto
Race 6 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $36,000, Claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up
10 Nextdoorneighbor - Has been as consistent as any horse on the SoCal circuit; rarely runs a bad one and is well spotted in here.
3 Ranulf - Second race off the claim by Mark Glatt; has back class to run a big race and win at a square price.
Long Shot - 2 Basmati
Race 7 - 1 mile, Purse $40,000, Starter allowance $40,000, 3-year-olds and up
2 Derby Glass - Doug O'Neill ended the Los Alamitos meet on a high note; suspect his barn is ready to fire big this meet too.
8 Fight Thru - Won a sharp MSW race last time out; facing winners for the first time is a big step up in class.
Long Shot - 5 Northern Iowa
Race 8 - 1 mile (turf), $100,000 Oceanside, 3-year-olds
10 Papacoolpapacool - Had a rugged trip in the Penn Mile, was stuck in traffic most of the way; he's back home where he should excel.
11 Soul Driver - Hate the post but like the horse very much; turf course was widened, we'll see how it helps the parking lot posts.
Long Shot - 9 Anytime Anyplace
Race 9 - 6 furlongs, Purse $70,000, Maiden special weights, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up
6 Dreamologist - This is beautiful pedigree for a FTS; in the right hands of HOF trainer Richard Mandella and hot riding Flavien Prat.
2 Never Ends - New jockey to the circuit James Graham gets a leg up from the maestro Jerry Hollendorfer; chance to show his skills.
Long Shot - 7 Illuminant
Race 10 - 1 1/16th miles, Purse $72,000, Allowance, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up
12 Unusually Green - Closers did well in turf routes here last year; Rafael Bejarano is not loaded on opening day, but he always manages.
1 It Is Living Water - Chance to save every inch of ground over this newly widened turf course; Drayden Van Dyke no longer has the bug.
Long Shot - 7 Benba
Best Bet - 6 Texas Ryano (race 4)
Los Alamitos Sunday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 17/5/$29.60; Long Shots, 8/2/$17.00; Best Bet, 1/0/$0
Los Alamitos Final Totals - 129/38/$236.00; Long Shots, 64/10/$110.60; Best Bets, 8/5/$14.60
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #2 Piccolo Flats (5/1) in race 6 at Belmont Park. For scoring purposes, we'll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Sunday, So Noted won at Belmont Park paying $3.80 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.10 to show. Stats - 97/67/$517.40; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick
