First off, I took last week off and celebrated my 24th wedding anniversary with my beautiful wife of 24 years. I’m back and ready to go Saturday, at Los Al. The focus will be the late pick 4 (I like the $1.00 minimum) and selected simulcast races. I've got at least two races to add from the Philly Park card on Saturday. Secondly, I will always be looking for individual races to play and value horses. However, Del Mar was tough this year as many of the favorites were winning and many big, long shots won, taking a bite out of the mid-price winners (my wheelhouse) this year. Next year and this fall, I will switch my focus equally to pick 3s, 4s and 5s for Del Mar. Finally, Jay and I will be back for opening week at Santa Anita with our podcast Saddle Up. We will have an update when the show is ready to watch. Read Less

Hey all. Ok, we have had five days of racing to see what (if any) changes have been made with the CAWs. Good news, this is working!!

Here is what I can tell you the difference is. If you are betting the win pool, wait until the two minute warning comes up on your computer or at the track, re-evaluate, then make your wager. The odds change will come in at just under two minutes as the computer money will be added to the pools. You will be able to make a good decision based on odds and probability, unlike what we have experienced the past few years.

The other solid wager is the late pick 3. Lower take-out and a $3 minimum are ending up with some very nice payoffs. If the $3.00 is daunting to you, my suggestion would be not to play unless you have a single that you like. If you were to use 3x4x1, your ticket would be $36 with solid coverage on two of the races.

Good Luck and thanks for following. Read Less

Great News!!! DMTC is closing the win pools to CAW players for the final two minutes. Maybe the Bing Crosby winner, who was 38-1 down the backside and crossed the line paying less than half that, was the final straw. This is crucial, for those of us trying to finish on the plus side every day.

All of my betting this meet had become doubles, pick 3s, pick 4s and pick 5s. After making a wager on the second day of the meet on a runner over 20-1 that left the gate at less than 5-1!! I decided the computer betting had gotten out of control to a greater level than I had ever seen it. Kudos to Del Mar for making the adjustment. Now, as players we need to make the adjustments this week before the fields start shortening.

Outside trips have been best on the main track Although two horses won from the rail on the Sunday card. Speed has done much better this year in the grass races, especially at the five furlong distance.

Great race this Saturday at Saratoga as Mindframe, Sierra Leone, Fierceness and White Abbarrio square off in the Whitney. It will be a big race that will have Breeders Cup Classic implications for certain. Read Less

Hello Race Fans! With Del Mar opening on Friday, here are a few things to think about when looking at races at each distance and surface.

Dirt Sprints - Remember when Victor Espinoza was dominating the jockey standings at Del Mar for about five years or so? He rode every dirt sprint to get his horse to the lead by the time they hit the turn. I read a book early in my handicapping days called Modern Pace Handicapping by Tom Brohammer that talked about the same thing. He called it "turn time". Horses in contention at the turn are the ones that win sprint races here. Yes, the track can change to outside or inside, to all speed or all closers but, no matter what, if you play horses that are in contention coming out of the turn, you will have a good chance for success.

Dirt Routes - The 1 post won the most races in last year's Del Mar route races, but I think the inside is best when horses have early speed. If you are playing a mid-range runner or a deep closer, the outside posts at Del Mar are much better.

Turf Races - Two comments: First, last year the turf races were jockey dominated. Umberto Rispoli, Juan Hernandez and Hector Berrios all ride this tricky course incredibly well and can even find a way to get a ground saving trip from a poor post. To a slightly lesser extent, I think Armando Ayuso is improving and getting close to the top level. Stick with these four and that will keep you in the game. I’ll also keep my eyes open for Antonio Fresu (needs improvement over this course), Kazushi Kamura (better in sprints than routes, still capable), Christian Demuro (champion rider from Italy coming over to test his skills), and Abel Lezcano (brought in a number of price runners at Santa Anita). Secondly, always pay attention to the position of the rails. Rails at zero favor inside trips. Rails out at 30 feet are much more even as far as inside and out goes, and speed does do better when the rails are way out.

Finally, Del Mar has a low takeout and bigger minimum on both the late pick 3 and late double. These are bets any player with a small to middle size bankroll (less than $2,000.00 per day) should really be looking at every day.

Please note, I will be updating this post each week with relevant information that should be able to guide you through the meet. I'll also be adding a play or two from Saratoga on the Del Mar full card on most racing days so stay tuned!

Best wishes for a great Del Mar season! Read Less