Del Mar Horse Racing Picks for Sunday 7/18/21
Starting at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, we have 11 races at Del Mar. Using numberFire’s projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets to make at FanDuel Racing.
As always, check for scratches and changes and monitor the weather and track conditions.
(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions.)
Neptune’s Storm and Bob and Jackie, Race 7
FanDuel Racing Odds: 8/5 and 4/1
Race 7 is the $80K Wickerr Stakes at 1-mile on the turf. The numberFire data projected the favorite Neptune’s Storm (8/5) to win with leading jockey Flavian Prat riding. Next Shares (5/1) and Bob and Jackie (4/1) are projected to hit the board with top turf rider Umberto Rispoli in the saddle for Bob and Jackie.
Bob and Jackie has early speed and also holds the track record, having won this race last year. Neptune’s Storm makes his first start in nine months, but he has a class and form advantage in this restricted stakes race and has a number or runner-up and strong finishes in graded stakes. Homer Screen (8/1) has a solid work tab, and he arrived in the U.S. in February with a win last summer.
Ko Olina, Race 8
FanDuel Racing Odds: 8/5
Race 8 is a Maiden 5 furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies.
Juveniles can be difficult to figure early as they find their way, but numberFire projects the favorite Ko Olina (9/5) will have no trouble this trip. She won by a nose in her debut but was disqualified for interference. She’ll be tough to catch if she stays straight.
Bonita Leona (3/1) makes her debut with a series of sharp works and Flavien Prat riding. numberFire's model gives Bonita Leona a 25% chance to win, trailing just Ko Olina's 36% odds in this race.
Tizamagician, Race 10
FanDuel Racing Odds: 8/5
Race 10 is the $100K Grade 3 Cougar II stakes at a marathon 1 1/2 miles. The numberFire algorithm likes the favorite, Tizamagician (8/5), to win over Red King (4/1) and Cupid’s Claws (3/1).
Tizamagician can run along the front end and settle. He won a similar race two races back and has won and run well at Del Mar.
Red King has never raced on dirt, and he’ll try to rally late. Cupid’s Claws makes his third start off of a layoff and has won at this distance. Both are at least 45% likely to finish top-three.
