Bernier: How I'd play Del Mar for Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018

The final Saturday of the Del Mar summer meet is highlighted by the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, which features three of the top five juvenile fillies in the country. As fascinating as that race is, I’m more interested in watching how the race plays out as opposed to wagering on it. But there are a couple other horses throughout the afternoon that have piqued my interest:

RACE 6 – N1X

TONAHUTU (9) ran against the grain of the turf course in a sprint on July 22, but that wasn’t the most impressive thing to take from that effort. This daughter of Sir Prancealot finished with a serious rush, galloping out full of run. There’s every reason to believe this Dan Blacker trainee is sitting on a significant move forward in her second start off the bench, and she may go off at an acceptable price. If she’s anything near her 7-2 morning-line odds, she’s worth a win wager.

RACE 10 – JOHN C. MABEE

MEAL TICKET (1) may appear a bit class compromised on paper, but often ability outweighs class in horse racing. The turn of foot this daughter of Malibu Moon displayed here on Aug. 11 was tremendous, and she came home in 28.77. If not for a miserable trip two starts back, this Matt Chew trainee could easily be entering Saturday’s Mabee on a four-race win streak. At odds of 20-1 on the morning line, she’s a must-use for me. I’ll play her to win, and just in case she runs well but not well enough to defeat Cambodia, I want her keyed underneath the favorite in a straight exacta.