Del Mar Horse Racing Picks for Friday 9/3/21
Starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, we have eight 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.)
Cleopatra’s Strike and Via Egnatia, Race 1
FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/1 and 3/1
Late day racing “Where the Turf Meets the Surf” begins with a solid level Claiming race and a field of 10 runners going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. numberFire's model projects Cleopatra’s Strike (5/1), Cono (7/2), and Via Egnatia (3/1) to determine the winner.
Via Egnatia won on this course last fall, and his speed figures fit as he fires off a six-month layoff. Cleopatra’s Strike has been off for three months when he finished second, and he’ll be making a late run down the lane.
Sea of Liberty (4/1) looms as a contender with Flavien Prat riding, while Kazan (8/1) won here last summer but has missed the money in nine races since.
Class Code and Big Moon, Race 4
FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/1 and 7/2
Race 4 is a Maiden Claimer for fillies and mares at 1 mile. numberFire's algorithm projects Naughty Evelyn (5/1) to finish in front of Consider Me Gone (8/1) and Class Code (4/1).
Naughty Evelyn finished 2nd last race off a long layoff, and her speed figure of 75 is the highest last-out dirt figure in the field. Big Moon (7/2) drops to a bottom class level where she faces a weaker group of runners.
Drizella and Carmen Miranda , Race 6
FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/1 and 6/1
Race 6 is the $100K Generous Portion Stakes for state bred 2-year-old fillies sprinting 6 furlongs. Breaking from the outside No. 12 post is the favorite, Connie Swingle (5/2). She won her maiden race by more than 7 lengths over Big Novel (6/1), who was well bet in her debut but had a poor break and ran well to finish. Connie Swingle has returned with a pair of bullets on her work tab.
The numberFire data projects an order of finish of Drizella (4/1), Madiha (10/1), and Carmen Miranda (6/1). The 2-year-old races can often be unpredictable as the young runners learn their way through early training and racing.
Drizella beat Connie Swingle in early July and has improved her speed ratings through four starts, including when finishing second in her stakes debut here on August 3rd. She was a head better than longshot Madiha that day, and she was also in front of Carmen Miranda, who had a sub-par trip and is better than her speed figures indicate, with a strong recent workout also in place. Leading jockey Juan Hernandez rides Drizella, while the meet’s top jockey, Flavien Prat, rides Carmen Miranda.
