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Travers & Pacific Classic Picks

August 24, 2011 By 6 Comments

So you need help picking the races at Saratoga for the Travers and at Del Mar for the Pacific Classic? Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.

For the past 3 years I have handicapped almost every race at Saratoga and for the past year I have done the same for Del Mar. I’ve done quite well too. Some of my recent successes are listed below.

There are many more that I have not mentioned. You can check out how our free picks have done by clicking the Free Horse Racing Picks page. At the time of my writing this post picks on that page are 3 winners ($21.40,  $8.20, $7.20) from 7 starters with two second place finishes at big prices.

 

Picks for the Travers at Saratoga will include top picks for the following races as well as spot plays in at least 3 other races on the card. I plan to focus primarily on Win plays as well as both Pick 4′s and the Pick 6. Exacta, trifecta and superfecta plays will be made available for the Travers and other races as I deem necessary.

 

  • Ballston Spa Stakes
  • Victory Ride Stakes
  • Ballerina Stakes
  • King’s Bishop Stakes
  • Travers Stakes
Picks for the Pacific Classic at Del Mar will include top picks for the following races as well as spot plays in at least 3 other races on the card. I plan to focus primarily on Win plays as well as the Pick 4 and the Pick 6. Exacta, trifecta and superfecta plays will be made available for the Pacific Classic and other races as I deem necessary.

 

  • Del Mar Mile (Saturday)
  • Del Mar Handicap
  • Pat O’Brien Stakes
  • Pacific Classic
I’ve got a proven track record in the big races. Why not join along and optimize your chances of winning? You can play with faith knowing  my history and that I will be betting everything I send you myself. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions via email or by leaving a comment on this page. Best of luck and I hope you join us by clicking the “Buy Now” button below!

Saratoga & Del Mar Picks

Even if you don’t join us, be sure to check out my Twitter and Facebook pages. I give numerous free picks throughout the year and in fact all except for two of the examples listed above were available without charge on our website. You can sign up for our RSS feed to have our posts/picks sent directly to your email.

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Rail Trip headlines big day at Del Mar in the Pacific Classic

September 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I love the place where the surf meets the turf. Del Mar is easily one of the best places on this planet, and Sunday will be its best day of racing. Some of the events include the Grade 1 Pat O’Brien Stakes, Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, and the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. It doesn’t get much better than that. The winners of each of these races will almost undoubtedly find a place in the upcoming Breeders Cup.

Battle of Hastings looks like the best horse in the Del Mar Derby. He is returning to California after a successful campaign on the east coast that included victories in the Colonial Turf Cup and the Virginia Derby. The son of a British sire named Royal Applause, he has a great turn of foot and doesn’t win by big margins. He got up by a head in each of his last two wins. Tyler Baze has done very well on him thus far. I really like his chances to win this.

Papa Clem also looks interesting in the Del Mar Derby. The Arkansas Derby winner has yet to make a start over the turf, and has been running poorly since peaking to run fourth in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Gary Stute has given the mount to Garrett Gomez for the first time. Perhaps that can help the son of Smart Strike get out the current rut he is in. I really like his works of late, especially the four furlong move around the dogs in :45 4/5 H.

The Pat O’Brien Stakes produced last years Breeders Cup Sprint winner in Midnight Lute. It is likely to do the same again this year, but the horse is a three-year-old named Zensational. Trained by Bob Baffert, he is getting better with each start. He has already defeated older horses and jockey Victor Espinoza fits him very well. I highly doubt he loses this race. Bigbadleroybrown has been running better every time he races. I’ll look for him underneath.

I really like Rail Trip in the Pacific Classic at odds of 4-1. He ran exceptionally well to win the Hollywood Gold Cup last out by about 3 lengths. He proved his doubters wrong in that race after losing two races in a row. The son of Jump Start proved that distance wouldn’t be a problem last out going 10 furlongs. He will be going the same distance in today’s event. If Rail Trip is able to get a win here then he will be the early favorite for the Breeders Cup Classic.

Colonel John will hold a strong hand after winning his first start of the year over the turf in the Wicker Stakes. He won the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at this distance last year. Parading was the favorite in the Hollywood Gold Cup, but couldn’t get it done. Will he run better here? I think not. I didn’t like him at all last out, but I would probably include him on exotic tickets at a bigger price this time around.

Who do you like in the Pat O’Brien Stakes, Del Mar Derby, and the Pacific Classic? Leave a comment and let your voice be heard!

Filed Under: Breeders Cup, Horse Handicapping Tagged With: , , , , , ,