The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club decreased their action from 43 days to 37 this season, and Saturday's Eddie Read Handicap will be one of their biggest races on the year.
The Del Mar thoroughbred meet got underway this week and its opening day on Wednesday achieved a track attendance record 44,907 enthusiastic fans who wait all year for the excitement to start.
This weekend, Del Mar’s action is topped by the Eddie Read Handicap on Saturday as a field of eight contenders go 1-1/8 miles on the turf as it meets the surf. ESPN2 will be broadcasting the race live with coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. (ET).
Avoiding the chalk The favorite for today’s race is Monterey Jazz (#1) and will be ridden by Tyler Baze. At a morning line of 2-1 odds and two recent solid wins on the turf at Hollywood Park, he will be the one to beat. However, the low odds alone are enough to make me look through the rest of the field and find another horse who can get it done today. Throughout the Del Mar meet so far, favorites have not enjoyed much success.
On Wednesday and Thursday, only two favorites out of a combined 18 races won their contests. The betting pools at Del Mar can get huge as many tourists come in from all over to unload along with many other gamblers tuning in around the world. This can create some good overlays in the odds available and helps make it a popular meet for many horse enthusiasts out there looking for value.
Two for the money Although you never know what odds a horse will go off at come post time, there are two contenders paying higher odds than the favorite that I feel are worth some of your betting dollars today.
My choice to win today’s main event is Awesome Gem (#5) who just came off an impressive victory at Hollywood Park last month going 1-1/16 miles on its turf. Alex Solis has been aboard for the last three starts and with finally tasting the winner’s circle last month after not getting it done two times before that, I feel it is only onward and upward in today’s race.
Awesome Gem has the largest lifetime earnings of any horse in the Eddie Read Handicap and has tried to face some top competition wherever possible – even at Sha Tin in Hong Kong this past December. In eight lifetime starts on turf, he has won or placed in half of those outings and at Del Mar itself the horse has come in second both times racing there. Look for the third start today at Del Mar to be a “third time is the charm” winner for this hidden jewel.
Another horse I like today which looks to pay some good odds at a morning line of 8-1 is Thorn Song (#4). Two starts ago, Mike Smith rode Thorn Song to victory in the Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park, and like Awesome Gem, this horse has over a million dollars in lifetime earnings. With Thorn Song coming in fourth last time out when running in the Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs, this should drive the odds up a bit going into the Eddie Read Handicap today. Also note that the turf course at Churchill that day was in a slow yielding condition so I expect less excuses at sunny Del Mar today and a chance for an upset here.
Longshot in the Fleet Treat Stakes
On Del Mar’s undercard Saturday, one race worth taking a look at outside of Eddie Read is the Fleet Treat Stakes. Nine fillies will be going seven furlongs for a $100,000 purse on the synthetic surface for this one.
Saucey Evening (#8) is the morning line favorite at 5-2 odds but is not worth backing here for several reasons. This fillie has not raced since March after finishing in fourth place on the turf at Santa Anita, and the long layoff here is enough of a bad sign to pass at such low odds. The horse’s most recent win came at the seven furlong distance but jockey Garrett Gomez who was aboard then, as well as a number of other recent starts, will instead be on Century Doll (#3) in this race today. With Gomez no longer saddling up on Saucey Evening, that in itself may be all we need to know here.
A longshot worth a serious look in this one is Chalula One (#1) who will probably go off at less than the 12-1 morning line but will still pay well. Only six starts for this fillie but Victor Espinoza has been aboard each time and would not be staying along for the ride if it did not mean a big payday at some point. In six starts, Chalula One has hit the board five times and will likely pay the highest odds here on the tote board of any start. Two victories on the synthetic surfaces at Hollywood Park and Santa Anita are enough to make me feel there is just as much of a chance for the winner’s circle at Del Mar.
California Dreamin’ Handicap on Sunday
Del Mar’s weekend action continues with the California Dreamin’ Handicap on Sunday. I will be back then with a look at that matchup’s field of 10 going at it for $100,000 miles on the turf. Until then, have a great Saturday at the races!
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Awesome Gem a hidden jewel in Del Mar’s Eddie Read Handicap on ESPN2
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