Free: Art Collector bids for Charles Town Classic double

Feels like a road trip this week, from West Virginia to New York to California, and on to the state of Washington via a bettor in Florida. Time to hit the road.

Collecting Charles Town wins

Bettors may wonder if the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic (10:18 p.m. Eastern on Friday) will become another chalk-dominated stakes at its new position on the calendar. From 2009-19, the race was run in April, with just one winning favorite and an $11.40 median payoff. The Classic moved to August two years ago, and the last two winners, Sleepy Eyes Todd and favorite Art Collector, paid $7.60 and $4.60, respectively.

Friday at Charles Town, 2021 winner Art Collector looks formidable again following a win in the same prep race he used a year ago. An upset alternative Friday is Officiating, winner of the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap over three next-out winners. But the truth is, Art Collector looks rock solid.

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Funny Cide flyer

Can you beat Andiamo a Firenze in the Funny Cide Stakes, race 7 on Friday at Saratoga? Not on Beyer Speed Figures. The 80 and 77 by Andiamo a Firenze top the field.

Donegal Surges did not run fast winning his debut, but he ran better than his 59. Donegal Surges took up slightly and was shuffled back early, then looped the field and won by more than five lengths. His rivals Friday in the New York-bred juvenile sprint include four front-runners; Donegal Surges won rallying from behind. On figures, he is not fast enough, but the video and price on Donegal Surges merits a win bet and exacta box with Andiamo a Firenze.

Bang for your Travers buck

One way to bet the Grade 1 Travers on a budget Saturday is part-predictable, part-speculative. Epicenter will be tough for obvious reasons; a $10 play would concede the Travers to the 7-5 program favorite. The other part of the wager is based on trainer Bill Mott, whose reasons to enter 30-1 longshot Gilded Age include belief his colt will relish 1 1/4 miles.

Gilded Age is speed-figure deficient, but his grinding rally could allow him to hit the board. The $10 bet: $2 exacta Epicenter to Gilded Age (6 with 4), $1 trifecta Epicenter with “all” with Gilded Age (6 with 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 with 4); and 50-cent trifecta that excludes Rich Strike and Ain’t Life Grand (6 with 1, 5, 7, 8 with 4).

Quite a long, strange trip

Want to see a weird trip? Check out the Formulator replay of Morning Addiction, a claiming mare entered in the second race Friday at Del Mar. The most recent start by Morning Addiction was at Pleasanton (July 4, race 5). She made the lead, set the pace into the backstretch, then was engulfed by the entire field and fell to last by 18 lengths. When it seemed she might pull up, Morning Addiction re-rallied to finish third, only five lengths behind the winner.

The weirdness continued after the wire, when Morning Addiction actually galloped out in front of the field. Strange, indeed. Morning Addiction may win the $8,000 claiming race she entered Friday, but, geez, can she be trusted?

First time going long

Friday’s third race at Del Mar is the season’s first dirt route for California 2-year-olds. The field includes bias-compromised Hard to Figure, who broke from the rail first out, set the pace, tired, and finished third on an anti-inside track. He is speed. His stablemate Carmel Road finished third with a troubled trip in his debut and should improve. The fifth-place debut by Riverside was ideal. He broke slowly, steadied, trailed, finished well, and galloped out super as if he wants two turns.

Del Mar’s first dirt route for summer 2-year-olds is historically productive. Winners include subsequent Grade 1 winners Texas Red (2014) and Express Train (2019), and Grade 3 winner Gunmetal Gray (2018).

Now, that’s a losing streak

Is it a good idea to bet on a maiden making the 21st start of her career? Lookintogeteven is in the right spot in the eighth race Friday at Del Mar, dropping to $50,000 maiden claiming after losing her first 20 starts.

Confession: Lookintogeteven, in the money in her last three, is this handicapper’s choice. But whether she wins or loses, she’ll never catch Kawaii.

One of the longest losing streaks to end happened Dec. 11, 2011, in the ninth race at Beulah Park. Kawaii, a 5-year-old mare who was 0 for 51, caught a sloppy track and scored a $61.40 upset in the $5,000 maiden-claiming race. Kawaii never won again and finished 1 for 61.

Compromised by bias

How severe was the track bias July 30 at Del Mar? The question applies to the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien on Saturday.

American Theorem and Get Her Number rode the pro-outside bias to finish one-two July 30 in the six-furlong Grade 1 Bing Crosby. Shaaz ran against the bias; he dueled inside and finished fourth. Defunded met a similar fate the same day. He set the pace inside and finished seventh in the San Diego.

If the July 30 bias was as extreme as it looked, Shaaz and Defunded will run better, while American Theorem and Get Her Number might be downgraded. Anyway, they are all running for second in the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien. East Coast shipper Speaker’s Corner might be a standout.

Express Train on right track

Remember when Express Train was the top older horse in California? Well, Express Train is back, which seems odd since he has not started since April at Santa Anita.

“After his last race, he was really stoved up; he was sore everywhere,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “It took him a long time to get over that. His last three works have been really good, like his old self.”

Express Train’s six-furlong work Aug. 20 at Del Mar was his best yet, Shirreffs said. Winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March, Express Train is the projected fourth betting choice in the Pacific Classic on Sept. 3 at Del Mar, behind Flightline, Country Grammer, and Royal Ship.

Tripoli recovering from virus

It turns out 2021 Pacific Classic winner Tripoli had an alibi for his lackadaisical sixth-place finish July 30 in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap.

“He got sick,” trainer John Sadler said. “We think he had a virus going into the race. He came of the race with a fever. He was fighting a virus.”

Tripoli recovered and has resumed workouts, but Sadler said “He’s going to need a few weeks before he runs.”

Next start for the 5-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy is to be determined.

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Don’t count out Hejazi yet

The $3.55 million 2-year-old Hejazi was odds-on in his debut Aug. 20 at Del Mar and finished second after a slow start from post 3.

“I didn’t like that post, he missed the break, and I didn’t have blinkers on him,” Bob Baffert said. “He’ll get something out of it. I didn’t want to do too much with him. He trains like a good horse.”

Hejazi’s next start is undetermined.

A debut loss is not the end of the world, as Baffert noted.

“I got Pharoah beat here,” he said. “It happens.”

American Pharoah finished fifth in his debut Aug. 9, 2014, at Del Mar, then won nine of his next 10, including the 2015 Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Just to be clear, Baffert was not comparing Hejazi to American Pharoah. He was only making the point that top horses sometimes get beat first out. As for Hejazi, the jury is out.

Teena Ella might be worth wait

Another high-profile Del Mar 2-year-old is the filly Teena Ella, sired by War Front and produced by Hall of Fame mare Beholder. Teena Ella was up to working a half-mile in July, until trainer Richard Mandella stopped her breezes. Teena Ella currently is just galloping.

“She started showing a little bit of stiffness, so I backed off,” Mandella said. “She’ll work in another couple weeks and maybe be ready at the end of October. She’s growing like a weed, but she’s shown some promise.”

Coming from Mandella, the phrase “shown some promise” cannot be taken lightly.

Maybe too laid-back

One reason for the sedate vibe this summer at Del Mar is that the infield remains closed, which is unfortunate. Over the years, the Del Mar infield was always a vibrant destination for fans, and its summer-vacation atmosphere filtered through the entire facility. But in the post-pandemic reality, things have changed everywhere. Del Mar closed its infield for fans, the racetrack no longer hosts summer concerts, and ambience has waned.

That’s Mr. Pool Cleaner to you

A Florida bettor who goes by “Porky” has a new nickname after he bought the only winning ticket in the $67,847 Emerald Downs pick four on Aug. 14.

“We kid around about someone hitting the whole pool, and the nickname is you’re a pool cleaner,” the bettor said. “I really was the pool cleaner.”

The 62-year-old retiree’s win was the biggest individual score (not group ticket) of his career, and it was made on a $216 wager through TVG. The bettor, who requested anonymity, said he rewatched video of the final leg of the pick four “about 50 times, and I screamed every time.”

On a related note, according to a Del Mar official, the $277,595 jackpot pick six payoff Aug. 19 was from a $432 ticket purchased by a New York bettor through Xpressbet.