Del Mar opens tomorrow, and while my focus for the weekend will be on Saratoga, I happen have a bunch of watch horses running back tomorrow – so many that I wish I could jump on a plane to the left coast right now.
Stone Cold Playbacks
R5 – Bird Is the Word – Wide and mild Trouble in last, gets Bejerano this time around instead of Desormeaux
R7 – True Validity – Callaghan runner, working well and looks the part
R9 – Super Duper Cooper – Bobble at the start in last, got up for 2nd, well clear of rest; Asa Espinoza stays aboard
R10 – Data Central – Troubled trip on rail, got stopped rallying 4th on turf at SA behind strong 2-1 MSW, Desormeaux stays.
Action Plays
Regulate – Race 6 – Del Mar – Outran Restoring Hope in a MSW a while back, so there’s talent there, but in this spot gets Talamo, who’s usually not on Baffert’s strongest mounts; Shivermetimbers is in here with Mike Smith, who’s a must use as well.
Bullet Bandit – Race 1 at Mountaineer – runs back 1st time against winners; strong turf pedigree against what may not be the strongest group
Stakes Look
Oceanside: The opening day feature, there are a few ways to go in here; but my top choice will be Peter Miller’s Texas Wedge, who draws inside, should get a stalking trip under Prat has the best last-race beyer, and comes in 1st off the layoff, and looks like he has been pointed and sharpened for this spot. Desert Stone comes in off back to back wins for Baltas and Nakatani, who gets off the 11 to ride here. Calexman has faced Justify, Paved, McKinzie, Blended Citizen, and Ax Man in his previous starts, and has a win over the DMR turf last fall; only hesitation is the outside post and wanting to be forwardly placed so may not get the preferred trip.
Turfhandicapper.com 