King: Del Mar pick three play for Thursday, July 17

It’s opening day at Del Mar, and full fields greet racing fans in many races, not to mention a stakes race with the Oceanside going off as the eighth. What follows is a pick three analysis of races 7-9. The bet can be played in $1 combinations.

Race 7

A starter allowance at a mile, this race drew a field of 10 and two also eligibles. Go deep in an evenly matched field.

Using DRF’s TicketMaker – where leading prospects are assigned an “A” rating and secondary horses a “B” rating – listed below are the selections.

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A runners: Sir Macho (No. 5), owns the top last-race Beyer Speed Figure, an 83, and goes first off the claim, plus already has a second on synthetic; Roman Success (No. 6), an in-form turf sprinter trying to handle the Polytrack at a mile; and Navarre (No. 2), another who has sprinted on turf recently but who has the pedigree to stretch out.

B runners: Jackson Sundown (No. 4) and Maxx The Giant (No. 10) ran third and second, respectively, in a similar race on the turf. The latter seems the better horse of the two but is in a potential ground-losing situation on the far outside

Race 8

A runners: Argyle Cut (No. 1) caught the eye with a troubled runner-up finish in his Southern California debut, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure in the Singletary Stakes; Enterprising (No. 9) also is appealing, having raced in five straight stakes, making him the class of the grass.

B runners: Texas Ryano (No. 10) is 2 for 3 and comes off a smart allowance win.

Race 9

A runners: Diamond of Blue (No. 9) appears much the best if ready for his return, having performed at a high level and being proven on synthetic, but is unraced since last summer.

B runners: Close to the Edge (No. 7) is a consistent claimer that enters this race off a game win against a notch easier at Santa Anita for trainer Peter Miller; Xuang Fenge (No. 4), another Miller trainee, rises off the claim for, owns good speed figures, and has twice been third on synthetic tracks when matched against classier.

The TicketMaker Ticket

Plugging the selections into Ticketmaker using a base of $1 and a budget of $72 results in all “A’s” being played for $3 apiece; two “A’s” and one “B” for $2 apiece; and one “A” and two “B’s” in $1 combinations. Cost of the ticket is $72.