Del Mar Babies for Friday, Aug. 29
DRF handicapper Matt Bernier takes a closer look at juveniles running at Del Mar.
Matt BernierAug 27, 2014
DRF handicapper Matt Bernier takes a closer look at juveniles running at Del Mar.
I’ve always been more of a multi-race oriented player, so I’ll focus my attention on Thursday’s early pick five.
Cat Feathers, a 6-year-old mare whose last two wins have come in the 2012 and 2014 renewals of the Mrs. Ogden Phipps Stakes, picks up four pounds stretching out to 2 3/8 miles in the Mrs. Walter M. Jeffords, the 12:25 p.m. opener that is the 12th and final steeplechase of the Saratoga meet.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano may have done some of your handicapping for you. There are a few races where the top rider’s presence on one horse instead of another could be telling.
DRF handicapper Dan Illman takes a closer look at juveniles running at Saratoga.
Let’s try the early pick four beginning with the P.G. Johnson Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on the turf.
Rain, rain, stay away - Saratoga has seven grass races today. The late pick four, in fact, is an all-turf event in which race 8 looks to these eyes the trickiest.
DRF handicapper Matt Bernier's late pick four play for Del Mar.
DRF handicapper Matt Bernier takes a closer look at Del Mar's Generous Portion Stakes.
A number of southward class moves dot the card. The dilemma for handicappers is how to assess the drop. Is it a move to get the money? Is it a move to maybe get rid of a horse? Is it merely an adjustment in class to get said horse to its proper level? And regardless of which, does the drop mean overplay at the windows, as is often the case?