The strapping chestnut Jimmy Creed can take the next step to becoming a star by winning his stakes debut in today's El Cajon.
Carryover madness strikes again on the final Friday of the meet with a pool likely to exceed $3 million after nobody was able to put six winners together the last two days. The 13th carryover of the meet and third double carryover totals $432,260.
The abbreviated seven-race card means the Pick-6 begins with race two and the featured $100,000 El Cajon Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the main track is slotted as race six.
It’s a short five-horse field in the El Cajon loaded with talented runners that could make a big splash the remainder of the year.
After getting de-railed from the Triple Crown trail after a nearly six-length allowance optional claiming win at Santa Anita in February, Fed Biz is the 2-to-1 favorite making his stakes debut for Bob Baffert. Purchased for $950,000 as a yearling, the Giant’s Causeway colt has been favored in his three previous starts and will likely be in that role again today off a sparkling seaside work tab.
Jimmy Creed also leaps into stakes action as the 5-to-2 co-second choice and stretches out off a pair of impressive wins sprinting. The Distorted Humor colt has a flashy price tag of his own, going for $900,000 as a yearling in the same Keeneland sale as Fed Biz, and also has been favored in his first three career starts.
A multiple stakes winner against Cal-breds leading to by far the highest earnings in the field of over $400,000, Unusual Heatwave is the other 5-to-2 choice retaining the services of Rafael Bejarano despite the meet’s leading rider having been aboard Fed Biz in all three previous starts. The son of Unusual Heat exits a win over seven furlongs in the Real Good Deal Stakes and also won over 1 1/8-miles in the Snow Chief Stakes over the main track at Hollywood Park.
We’re off to the races!
Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 4 (4,5,6,8, 13) – No. 4 Swiss Bliss is the top pick dropping from allowance company and finally drawing a cozy post, but we’ll spread with No. 5 Sharp Bella, No. 6 Tribal Rain and No. 8 Amy’s Cashin In and No. 13 Leona Pegaus.
Leg 2 – Race 5 (1,8,9,11) – No. 9 Bella Viaggia looms a tough customer to beat with plenty of time since a resounding maiden breaking victory over this track.
We’ll try No. 8 Toomanytomatoes as a potential upsetter after being left at the gate last time and running a solid race despite encountering trouble in the stretch as well, along with No. 11 Easy Goes By, who will be a generous price based on her last, but is by far the most experienced runner in the field and showed she fits in Southern California with her previous two runner-up efforts.
No. 1 Quizzical makes her third start of the month and was no match for Bella Viaggia two back, but we’ll include with Bejarano aboard.
Leg 3 – Race 6 (2,5,6) – Stick with the chalky trio from above with No. 2 Fed Biz, No. 5 Unusual Heatwave and No. 6 Jimmy Creed.
Leg 4 – Race 7 (2,4,6) – A good race to play vertically as well keying around No. 2 Money Talker, No. 4 Big Bane Theory and No. 6 Warrior’s Ridge.
Recap – (4,5,6,8,13) w (1,8,9,11) w (2,5,6) w (2,4,6) – Total cost of ticket = $90
Yesterday’s Result – (-$160)
Total for current Del Mar meet – (-$863.20)
Total from 12/26/10 – 7/15/12 – (-$1,571.15)
Pick 5 –
Leg 1 – Race 1 (2,3,6) – A solid group of starter allowance runners that have all run well over Del Mar’s main track, where the only horse without a local win is the top pick as No. 6 Jim’s Decision is likely to get the best trip sitting just off stretch out sprinter No. 5 Street Car.
Both No. 2 Royal Import and No. 3 Lamm can save ground before making a late run in search of consecutive scores.
Leg 2 – Race 2 (1,3,4,5,11) – Cal-bred maiden fillies spring six furlong son the main track and we’ll spread with No. 1 Salty Forecast, No. 3 Party in Excess, No. 4 Tiz a Daisy, No. 5 Blessed to Excess and No. 11 Rich in Tradition.
Leg 3 – Race 3 (2,4,7) – No. 7 Mr. Ornery showed tracking speed in a pair of solid efforts at Hollywood Park and now gets a major upgrade to Rafael Bejarano. This is a rather weak field for the first-level Cal-bred condition and he can mow them down with plenty of pace to chase.
That pace will come in the form of No. 2 Matthew L, who could be the quickest early and broke his maiden in his only previous turf try, and No. 4 Daylight Magic, who missed by just a neck in a similar race two weeks ago.
Leg 4 – Race 4 (4,5,6,8) – Use four of the same as the Pick-4 leaving off No. 13 Leona Pegaus.
Leg 5 – Race 5 (8,9) – Trim down to just No. 8 Toomanytomatoes and No. 9 Bella Viaggia.
Recap – (2,3,6) w (1,3,4,5,11) w (2,4,7) w (4,5,6,8) w (8,9) – Total cost of ticket = $180
Yesterday’s Result – (-$225)
Total for current Del Mar meet – (+$16,230.10)
Total from 7/20/11 – 7/15/12 – (+$1,874.55)
Best Bet of the Day – Can now be found in the free analysis section at www.theracingedition.com along with an early Pick-4 ticket and a consensus box for the entire card.
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For more Del Mar action check out Jarrod Horak’s Pick 6 Blog.
Good luck!
