King: How I'd play Del Mar on Friday, Aug. 22
In addition to playing the late pick three Friday as advised in another column in Daily Racing Form, some of the earlier races hold interest, too.
Race 2, $40,000 claiming
Although Hadfunlastnight (#4, 2-1) is not a fat price on the morning line, he is a likely winner and worth supporting in the win pool if he sticks to 2-1 odds. He just ran third in an optional claimer off the bench, running a lofty Beyer Speed Figure, and has a great record at Del Mar, having gone 3 for 7 on the Polytrack there.
Starting off a pick three here with him keyed seems like a good idea as well.
Race 3, maiden $30,000 claiming
Aaron’s Thunder (#7, 7-2) is the preferred choice over Arigato (#8, 5-2). Both come into the race in good form, but the drop from the latter seems highly aggressive, is a head-scratcher, and could hint at regression.
To a lesser extent, Mike’s Lion (#5, 3-1) is another contender and one to consider for those wishing to go three deep in multirace gimmicks.
Race 4, $25,000 claiming
This race appears wide-open, with Tebowing (#2, 6-1) intriguing most at her morning line following a fast-closing third against similar July 24. That was her second strong effort at Del Mar in as many starts on this Polytrack following a win at Del Mar last year.
Sweetrayofsunshine (#3, 3-1) is a tough horse to evaluate after being away since June 27, when pulled up in a race at Santa Anita. A return to her best would make her tough to beat, but her last breeze Aug. 13 was slow and came 20 days after her preceding work – a longer break than usual.
That noted, her connections are still keeping the faith in her, running her for $25,000 when cheaper races are available. Her appeal is her 7-for-13 record.
She needs to be at least at her morning line to warrant backing in the win pool given the question marks surrounding her.
Use them both in gimmicks.