Del Mar offers the race of the summer Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic, which lured 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome, the three-time champion mare Beholder, and the highly talented Dortmund, who gave California Chrome all he could handle in last month's San Diego Handicap.
Brad Free's horses to watch at Del Mar for the week of Aug. 15.
Trip Notes by Michael Hammersly for races on August 13-14, including the Arlington Million, Beverly D., Best Pal, and Saratoga Special.
Ron Gierkink's horses to watch at Woodbine for the week of Aug. 15.
The bottom of the barrel is no place to look for overlays in Southern California. The high level of predictability in $20,000 maiden-claiming races produces low win payoffs, and the 2016 Del Mar summer meet is not an exception.
There are two graded races at Saratoga on Saturday. Let’s take a peek.
Let’s look at a few intriguing runners in races 5, 7, and 8. These horses may not ultimately be keys to my plays, but they’re interesting prices that may offer some value – whether in a win bet or an exotic wager.
BreezeFigs Quick-Pix for Saturday, August 13th, 2016 by Bob Fierro and Jay Kilgore
It is a sound practice for a casino gambler to know the house and game rules. Some casinos and games are kinder to bettors than others. Horse racing is similar, with tracks having different takeouts and often varying takeouts from wager to wager.
Saturday is one of the few weekend racing days of the summer when the stakes spotlight is not squarely on Saratoga or Del Mar, and that is because it is Arlington Million Day. The Grade 1, $1 million Arlington Million heads a card at Arlington Park that features four other graded stakes, including the Grade 1, $700,000 Beverly D. and the Grade 1, $450,000 Secretariat.
