Rousing Sermon is back in with Cal-breds for the first time since cruising to an easy 2 1/4-length win in last year's Cal Cup Juvenile.
Tonight’s appropriately named $200,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for 3-year-olds illustrates the lucrative purse structure the Golden State Series has created in its inaugural year that has fueled Cal-bred stakes purses to the level of graded stakes.
Dipping back into Cal-bred company for the first time since winning the Cal Cup Juvenile last October, Rousing Sermon is the 2-to-1 favorite cutting back to a sprint for the first time since his last start over this main track that resulted in a third-place finish in the I’m Smokin last summer. The son of Lucky Pulpit has campaigned against the best of his class through five graded stakes tries this year, but the best result his late-running style has generated was a third-place finish in the Louisiana Derby (Grade II).
Also back sprinting after five two-turn efforts and sprinting on the main track for the first time since debuting on Del Mar’s Polytrack last summer, Unusual Heatwave is the 5-to-2 second choice. The son of Unusual Heat has never finished worse than fourth through 11 starts while running on both turf and synthetic surfaces, with the highlight of his career coming when he closed from far back to capture the $300,000 Snow Chief Stakes over 1 1/8-miles at Hollywood Park in April.
Breaking from the outside, 4-to-1 third choice Derby Gold could sit the perfect pace-pressing trip off long shot Got Even in his third career start for Bob Baffert. Given four months off since a dazzling three-length win in the Echo Eddie Stakes at Santa Anita, the son of Bertrando retains the services of Martin Garcia now that he’s back in good standing with the silver-haired wizard.
We’re off to the races!
Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 5 (1,3,5,8,9) – No. 5 Cupid’s Bling should get lots of attention at the windows on the continued drop in class and pair of solid local spins, but we’ll spread with maiden claimers using No. 1 R Doubleday, No. 3 Rock U Up, No. 8 Totally Blonde and No. 9 Talk N Sassy.
Leg 2 – Race 6 (6) – No. 6 Highly Rated will be difficult to beat at short odds as the quickest early and likely too good to run down after just missing last time in her first against winners.
Leg 3 – Race 7 (ALL) – There’s enough to like about each of these seven runners to give them a shot so we’ll punch the all button.
Leg 4 – Race 8 (1,2,6,8,9,11) – A bitter way to close what should have been an exciting evening after my filly Victoriously Jewel was a late scratch in a field of 3-year-old fillies where we spread with No. 1 Elivette, No. 2 Lady Rochelle, No. 6 Arinyes Love, No. 8 Miss Ambition, No. 9 Vegas Rules and No. 11 I Sense Your Luck.
Recap – (1,3,5,8,9) w (6) w (ALL) w (1,2,6,8,9,11) – Total cost of ticket = $105
Yesterday’s Result – (-$150)
Total for current Del Mar meet – (+$266.25)
Total from 12/26/10 – 7/15/12 – (-$1,571.15)
Pick 5 –
Leg 1 – Race 1 (1,3,5) – No. 3 Night Tide will be odds-on off a monster win in his last, but he moves a notch down the class ladder meaning there are some underlying issues. We’ll try to beat him with new face No. 1 Gal Has to Like It and No. 5 Frenemy back at the level claimed.
Leg 2 – Race 2 (1,2,5,7,8) – A mile on the main for maiden claimers and we’ll use five runners with No. 1 Quick Save, No. 2 Street Rocket, No. 5 Tiz Lovely, No. 7 Givimaway and No. 8 Rintoo.
Leg 3 – Race 3 (3,4,5,7) – Another four-pack of maidens, this time allowance runners at a mile on the lawn with No. 3 Glamour Manor, No. 4 Perfecta, No. 5 Remarkable Moon and No. 7 Bromelia.
Leg 4 – Race 4 (4) – Dropped in for a tag for the first time in his last, No. 4 Runaway Bandido had the lead late after a slow start from the rail before getting beat just a length by a runner that came back to run big at huge odds. Returning to a track where he notched his lone career win and was the runner-up in his other two tries, the 5-year-old son of Runaway Groom should dominate this field.
Leg 5 – Race 5 (1,3,5,8,9) – Same five as the Pick-4.
Recap – (1,3,5) w (1,2,5,7,8) w (3,4,5,7) w (4) w (1,3,5,8,9) – Total cost of ticket = $150
Yesterday’s Result – (-$160)
Total for currentDelMar meet – (+$15,493.45)
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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Good luck!
