Bernier: How I'd play Del Mar on Friday, Aug. 8

As a whole, the Friday card at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club doesn’t do much to entice me, but I figure I’ll put together a few early pick three tickets in hopes of making a few bucks to help lead into a nice-looking Saturday of racing from coast-to-coast.

Race 1

The Friday opener seems like a reasonably wide-open event for statebred maiden claimers, and I’ll look to use every runner in some capacity.

- Better Luck would seem to be the logical favorite based on pedigree (Papa Clem’s juveniles have performed nicely on synthetic surfaces over the past five years) and connections (trainer Peter Miller is 10 for 38 over the past three years with first time starters debuting in maiden claiming events with a $3.63 return on investment).

- I’m most intrigued by Gottalovethosecats, who has been working nicely over the past few months for trainer Steve Miyadi in preparation of his debut. I like to see the swift three-furlong blowout from the gate here at Del Mar on Aug. 4. This kind of move leads me to believe the horse is feeling good and ready to fire at first asking.

- Player’s Charm owns the experience edge of the rest of this field, and either of his two most recent starts is likely good enough to win this event. The major concern here is the lack of experience – racing or training – over a synthetic surface.

Race 2

- My lone “A” for this race will be the outside runner, Suite One. This daughter of Circular Quay ran against a severe bias in her debut here at Del Mar on July 18 and figures to take a step forward off the effort for trainer Doug O’Neill. It’s also nice to see her entered for a larger claiming tag than the one she had been entered in for here on the 18th.

- She may be a bit of a dangerous “A,” as O’Neill has won only 7 of 106 over the past three years with 2-year-olds making their second career starts.

Race 3

I’ll be looking to catch a price in the final leg of this pick three sequence.

- Lotta Attitude is one of the few multiple winners in this field and she projects to be among the leaders throughout the running. If she can sit just off the likes of Underhill Drive and Natalie Paige, I think she’ll have a legit chance as the field turns for home.

- First Flower was very impressive breaking her maiden at Golden Gate in her early June debut, and while the Beyer Speed Figure she earned pales in comparison to some of the others in this field, I like the way she’s been training here and wouldn’t be shocked to see her jump up at a big price

The tickets