The Grade 2 La Jolla Handicap is one of the best races at Del Mar for three-year-olds. The 8.5 furlong turf race counts last year’s victor, Sidney’s Candy, as its most notable recent winner. The son of Candy Ride set a course record in his triumph and has gone on to take two graded stakes races since then.
Jockey Chris McCarron owns seven wins in the La Jolla including three in a row from 1980-82. Joel Rosario has won two of the last three editions of this race, but does not have a mount this year.
The highly ordinary Midnight Interlude (War Chant x Midnight Kiss by Groom Dancer) will play the role of favorite. The Bob Baffert trainee won the Santa Anita Derby, but that race was perhaps the weakest it has ever been this year. Calling that race a Grade 1 field is a joke.
Midnight Interlude won his turf debut last out when he took the Tsunami Slew Stakes by a neck over Surrey Star (Dubawi x Turning Light by Fantastic Light) who isn’t much to talk about. Surrey Star is a minor stakes winner, but has been crushed in every graded stakes try save the Generous Stakes as a two-year-old where he was third. Both Midnight Interlude and Surrey Star will compete for win honors, but only because this is a bad field.
My top pick will be the shipper Lil Bit O’ Fun (Langfuhr x Dash of Humor by Distorted Humor) who races for trainer Thomas Proctor and will be ridden by David Flores. He was up the track last out in a tough American Derby, but before that won the $200k Oliver Stakes at Indiana Downs over a good colt named Chalice. Lil Bit O’ Fun has been competitive with horses like Air Support, Great Mills and Adirondack Summer. I’m hoping he can catapult past the pace makers in the stretch of this race at a good price.
Other horses to consider are Burns (Unusual Heat x Little Hottie by Afternoon Deelites) and Fort Hastings (Aragorn x Peaceful Love by Dashing Blade. The latter races in North America for the second time after finishing seventh in the Oceanside on Del Mar’s opening day. He was a winner of his first three races in Europe. Burns was last seen closing hard to be second in the Oceanside behind the top turf horse Mr. Commons. Use them with my top choice Lil Bit O’ Fun in the exotics.
You can get a $200 sign up bonus to play this race at TVG. I can personally vouch for their site. It has one the best wagering platform on the internet and their customer service is top notch. Also, consider getting my Del Mar Picks for the entire card by clicking the link.
Gradedstakes.com Social Media