Del Mar babies for Friday, Aug. 22
Race 3
Maiden claiming $30,000
2-year-old colts and geldings
5 1/2 furlongs, Polytrack
Purse: $28,000
Key Contenders
8) Arigato
The Beyer Speed Figure this son of Tale of the Cat earned in his debut makes him the horse to beat in this low-level maiden claimer, and if he moves forward off that effort, he’ll likely prove to be a tough customer. Arigato’s two most recent works have been rather even, but it’s not unreasonable to assume he’s the best runner in the field and the most likely winner.
FORMULATOR FACT: Sire Tale of the Cat’s juveniles have gone 26 for 143 over the past five years in synthetic sprints.
4) Little Tower
This son of Proud Tower Too makes his second career start for trainer Sal Gonzalez, and although he may not look like much on paper, it’s not as though he needs to be a superstar to graduate in this spot. The latest workout doesn’t do much to get the blood pumping, but again – it’s not like this is the saltiest group of maidens to ever come together.
FORMULATOR FACT: Trainer Sal Gonzalez is 13 for 80 (16 percent) in 2014.
The Strategy
It’s hard to make any sort of case for any of these runners in here simply because it’s such a bad field. Handicapping maiden races is tough enough when they have a hint of ability – trying to handicap low-level maiden claimers is an entirely different ballgame. Unless you love a horse in here or absolutely must play it for some reason (multirace wager, tournament, etc.), I’d suggest steering well clear of this event.