Del Mar Babies for Saturday, July 26
Race 3
5 Furlongs
Maiden Special Weight
Statebred 2-Year-Old Fillies
Field of 10 (14 AE)
Purse: $75,000
Key Contenders
6) Olympic Lady
This daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus has put forth back-to-back flashy gate drills – one at Santa Anita and one here at Del Mar. Although there isn’t much to go by on the dam’s side, it’s worth noting that 2-year-old progeny of Fusaichi Pegasus have done incredibly well on synthetics over the past five years (20 for 99). Another piece of information that can’t be overlooked is the jockey/trainer combination of Agapito Delgadillo and Victor Garcia; when these two have teamed up at Del Mar over the past two years they hit at a nearly 29 percent strike rate.
FORMULATOR FACT: Trainer Victor Garcia is 3 for 10 (7 ITM, $2.38 ROI) with statebred horses in maiden special weight events over the past five years.
4) Tatum’s Gold
Although the second race from Los Alamitos on July 3 has come back relatively weak, it’s probably not a bad idea to give Tatum’s Gold another shot here in her second career start. This daughter of Grazen ran greenly in her debut, not changing leads until deep stretch yet still running on with plenty of interest. It’s clear that there’s quite a bit of room for improvement here, and the debut should prove to be a very educational experience for her.
FORMULATOR FACT: Trainer Steve Miyadi is 10 for 58 over the past three years with second-time starters in maiden claiming events.
2) Appealing Lady
Trainer John Sadler is known for being able to have 2-year-olds ready to go at first asking, and if the latest gate drill over the Del Mar Polytrack is any indication this daughter of Cindago is ready to fire. The fitness level of this filly should be of little-to-no concern, as she has been working steadily toward her debut since the middle of May. It’s nice to see that the dam had minor success on synthetic surfaces, and it is never a bad thing to have Rafael Bejarano take the mount for a horse’s first career run.
FORMULATOR FACT: Trainer John Sadler is 4 for 17 (7 ITM, $2.51 ROI) over the past year with first-time starters on synthetic surfaces.
The Strategy
I happen to think Olympic Lady could be a pretty solid filly for her connections, but I’m not sure what I will get for a price on her. I will stick to just keying her in exactas with Tatum’s Gold and Appealing Lady. The plays look like this:
Exactas of 6 / 2,4
Exactas of 2,4 / 6
Race 6
6 Furlongs
Maiden Special Weight
2-Year-Old Colts
Field of 10
Purse: $75,000
Key Contenders
1) Texas Red
This son of Afleet Alex ran very greenly in his debut at Arlington Park last month, and hopefully that race proves to be an educational experience for him. After splitting horses toward the top of the lane he drifted about a bit greenly before proceeding to gallop out full of energy. If he can build off that performance, he will be a major player in this race. It’s also worth noting that the Polytrack is of no concern, as both Arlington and Del Mar share the same surface.
FORMULATOR FACT: Dam Ramatuelle went 5 for 8 in her career, earning $94,000 in the process with a top Beyer Speed Figure of 98.
4) Homer Matt
It’s never easy for a 2-year-old to run against other juveniles who have racing experience, but it’s exponentially more difficult when a 2-year-old faces winners in his or her debut, which is exactly what Homer Matt did last time out at Santa Anita. In his debut, this son of Majesticperfection made a nice move on the far turn before changing leads a bit sloppily down the lane – something which is understandable from an inexperienced baby. With that effort under his belt, backers should expect a much cleaner performance this time around, and it won’t be surprising to see this horse take a huge step forward here.
FORMULATOR FACT: Trainer Peter Miller is 6 for 24 (16 ITM, $2.08 ROI) over the past year with 2-year-old second- time starters.
5) Red Button
Red Button made his career debut on June 20 at Santa Anita going five furlongs, and he put forth a rather eye-catching performance. Although he was badly outrun early on, he really began to find his stride at the top of the lane before powering home and galloping out impressively. If he can stay within striking range of the field early on there’s no reason not to think that this son of Distorted Humor will graduate.
FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past two years, trainer Mark Glatt is 5 for 22 (12 ITM, $3.90 ROI) with sprinters moving from dirt to synthetic.
The Strategy
I thought Texas Red’s debut performance was very impressive, and he projects to have a bit of upside. That being said, it does appear as though Homer Matt is the more logical of the second-time starters to graduate from the maiden ranks today. I will look to key Homer Matt in exactas with both Texas Red and Red Button, as well as play Texas Red to win/place at odds of 4-1 or greater. Here are the plays:
4 / 1,5
1,5 / 4
WIN/PLACE on 1) Texas Red