McGee: How I'll play Del Mar on Sunday, Aug. 6
Mike Machowsky is going to win the Graduation Stakes on Sunday at Del Mar, isn’t he? The perennially underrated trainer has three entries, all viable contenders, in a wide-open edition of the 2-year-old fixture, and we’ll bank on him finding the winner’s circle with one of them when slanting a pick-five ticket (total cost: $60) in his favor.
Race 1: In a small-field, two-turn opener with a noticeable lack of pace, I’ll look for leading jockey Evin Roman aboard the favored FREDDIES DREAM (2) to save ground from just in behind the two outside horses and go on for a repeat for the Miller barn. (And if by chance this single doesn’t happen to come through, I’ll start a couple of rolling pick threes in races 2 and 3.)
Race 2: Something of a head-scratcher here, so I’ll use half the field by keeping both morning-line favorites, SIMMY’S TEMPLE (3) and ZUZANNA (5), in play, along with potential mild upsetters MO’VETTE (4) and TINK’S TWIRL (6). That should keep me alive at least.
Race 3: I was tempted to single the well-bred first-timer GAS STATION SUSHI (10) on the basis of her nice-looking work slate and open-air outside box until noticing that Richard Baltas is just 2 for his last 54 with beginners, so that was enough to scare me into making this another spread race. I’ll also use WISH YOU WERE MINE (1), PROUD HEROINE (2), UNCHANGED (6), and MY PRINCESS TAYLOR (8).
Race 4: Both favorites, BUYMEABOND (2) and ATOMIC RULE (4), look particularly strong here; the former has a 9-4-2-2 record over the local turf course and comes well drawn inside with Bejarano after already having had a race at the meet, while the latter comes aggressively spotted off the O’Neill claim with Prat and superior overall Beyer Speed Figures. Those two should be enough.
Race 5: Machowsky told DRF’s Steve Andersen that all three of his Richard Barton homebred geldings have trained forwardly for the Graduation, and with no real standout facing them, I’ll look for SCHULACE (4), UTAH UTE (6), or DRIZZY (10) to emerge a winner.
Here’s the DRF TicketMaker link to the opening pick five.
Win, lose, or multi-dead-heat with that opening play, I’ll try to have some fun with the final four races of the card by relying solely on the Jay Em Ess second-timer TAKE THE ONE O ONE (9), who gets a favorable outer post in race 7, and play another $60 with the following pick-four ticket:
Race 6: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10
Race 7: 9
Race 8: 1, 2, 4, 9
Race 9: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10
Here’s the DRF TicketMaker link to the late pick four.
