Bernier: Del Mar pick four play for Sunday, July 27

Race 7 – Maiden Special Weight, 6 furlongs on Polytrack

Make the Sun Shine cost owner John Oxley a pretty penny in March, as she sold for $700,000. She went off as the betting favorite in her debut at Churchill Downs on June 15, and she ran very respectably. After displaying good early speed, she changed leads nicely at the top of the lane and unfortunately got a bit short at the end. With that effort under her belt, I’m expecting this Mark Casse trainee to take a big step forward.

Starlet O’Hara was badly outrun in her debut at Los Alamitos earlier this month for trainer Bob Baffert, which is something that seldom happens with any of his horses – let alone 2-year-olds. That said, this daughter of Discreetly Mine came charging down the lane absolutely full of run. View that debut as nothing but educational, as she was figuring out what was going on – a player, for sure.

Others who will be on my tickets include Redshirt and Morning Coffee.

Race 8 – Grade 1 Bing Crosby, 6 furlongs on Polytrack

Goldencents is strictly the horse to beat in this field, and he must be considered an “A” in any DRF Ticketmaker play. That said, I don’t think this is his ideal distance or surface – he likely wants longer and dirt. He will be heavily used in almost all multirace wagers, so he figures to offer little to no value.

Pablo Del Monte has done his best running on synthetic surfaces, and it’s really indisputable that he gets back over his favorite footing today. He’ll turn back from the 9 1/2 furlongs of the Preakness in May to today’s six furlongs in the Crosby, and I expect him to be able to sit comfortably off the leaders and make his move as the field turns for home. The water is pretty deep here, but I don’t think Wesley Ward would be running him against elders if he didn’t think he had a chance.

Declassify exits a game victory in the Grade 1 Triple Bend at Santa Anita, but I can’t help but think he benefited from Cyclometer essentially folding in the final 50 yards. There’s little doubt that he’s talented, but I’m just not quite convinced that he’s the beast some have made him out to be.

Others who will be on my tickets include Big Macher and Kobe’s Back.

Race 9 – Optional-claiming $80K/N1X, 8 1/2 furlongs on turf

Personal Diary could be a standout in this spot; she ran very well in the Grade 3 Regret last time out at Churchill Downs, and the race has come back very live. She possesses a nice, powerful turn of foot late, and I expect her to run down the competition – especially in a race where there appears to be a fair amount of pace.

Of the horses likely to be close, I prefer Disregarded. This daughter of Artie Schiller ran admirably in her return from a bit of a layoff last month at Santa Anita in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes, cutting out honest fractions only to be run down late. I’d anticipate her to be even tighter this time around and feel like she’s the best of the early speeds in this field.

Others who will be on my tickets include Sistas Stroll and Kool Kat.

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Race 10 – Maiden Claiming $50K (Cal-breds), 6 1/2 furlongs on Polytrack

Mom’s Winner was claimed last out by trainer Ron Ellis and immediately takes a sharp jump in class; I’d normally be skeptical of this kind of move, but Ellis is as sharp as they come, and he’s proven over the past year that he can pull off this kind of move (2 for 7, 6 in the money, $2.39 return on investment).

Miss Kit Kat debuts against a rather mediocre field, and whenever John Sadler sends out a first-time starter, handicappers must take notice – especially when the first start is coming in maiden-claiming company. Her latest workout from the gate at Del Mar was nice, and it’s nice to see Tyler Baze take the mount on this filly for her debut.

Private Marina drops from maiden special weight company into maiden-claiming company today, and while she may be up against it slightly from a pace standpoint, she’s already earned Beyer Speed Figures that stack up very well in this field, and I don’t think she’s without a shot at a price here.

Others who will be on my tickets include Runningwiththelute, Desert Madam, Tempetuous, and Q’Viva.