Big Day at Del Mar
As the Bing Crosby meet winds down at Del Mar we have three competitive stakes on Saturday. We have the Jimmy Durante, the Seabiscuit and the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.
Let’s see what we can come up with in all three races.
The Jimmy Durante at a mile on the turf is a wide-open race in my opinion. After much consideration and primarily because of the trip I project I’ll take a shot with Sea Runner. The 9-2 morning line seems fair, and it should hold close. Tim Yakteen who is hot thought enough of this Gun Runner colt to try him in a stake while still a maiden and he ran a good third. He improved off that race when back with maidens and stalked the pace and won with a game stretch run. I think he can go forward again here, and I like where I think he will be going around both turns. Supa Speed flopped against males last out but I think she will bounce back with a good effort here once again against her own sex.
In the Seabiscuit I am not wild about the price on the morning line for Redistricting but I think he is sitting on a big race and potentially a big year. He did not have the best of trips in the return from the lay off and still ran good in a race he had every right to need. Chad brings him out west for this and I do not believe if he wasn’t sitting on a forward move, he’d do that. I’ll use Astronomer and Easter for second and hope for the best. Redistricting has the potential to be one of the better turf runners in 2025.
Rothschild is intriguing in the Hollywood Derby. I liked him a lot at a price or so I thought last out, and he went to the gate at 5-2 and didn’t do much running. Prat takes the call here and I think he deserves another chance especially at anything near the 15-1 morning line. His best turf races out him very close to the better ones in here and I think he is still improving. Stay Hot can turn the tables on a few of these with the right trip and timing. He is another whose best race can win this. We should see some nice racing Saturday at Del Mar.