NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND AT DEL MAR

Opening week is finished at Del Mar.........the all weather track seems to me to have a inside speed bias the first couple of days...then the track was fair from the inside to the outside post.

The new turf course seemed to play even.........great new look...it looks like a golf course as it was design by Greg Norman.  I picked Passing Game to win and he won playing $62.80 to win.... Gary Sherlock was the trainer and he did have a win over the poly track surface.

Martin Garcia has the most wins the first week with six wins.......two of his wins came from the Baffert barn. Mike Smith was hot......big money jockey.......5 of 19.......His horses earned $455,720. Rafael Bejarano returned from a horrible injury.......then like a pro he scored three victories......all of them on the turf. I expect he will be heating up the rest of the season with live horses.

Two jockey's you might what to watch is Corey Nakatani and Stewert Elliott.......both have a-lot of seconds and thirds the first week......I expect that will turn into wins. Stewert Elliott rides for Candian based trainer Mark Casse......watch him ride on this all weather track.......He is a smart jockey that can take advantage in a second a (track bias) and take full advantage of it!

The ice cold jockeys the first week at Del Mar has been Victor Espinoza and Edwin Maldonado........both have not won any races the first week at Del Mar........I expect a much better performances by both of them in the upcoming weeks at Del Mar. They are too good to go without a win!

The trainers:  Doug O'Neil is 4 for 21......He led with three wins on the poly-track.

John Sadler, Peter Miller and Jerry Hollendorfer all have three wins. Miller has two wins on the turf. You might want to watch trainer Casse who has a strong group from Canada.....

The X factor is trainer Michael Stidlham a mid west trainer. His turf horses the first week have run better on the turf then on the all weather track......His all-weather horses are coming in from Arlington Park to the beach......but having said this......this could change.......so watch this trainer as well.

Good luck as the first week has been a difficult week to have a Zen like insight on how the horses were going to run......I had some great picks and I miss the mark on a few.......She's Flush on Sunday was a hard horse to pick.......I miss that one as well......Hang in there as Del Mar is a long season and the it is are final ROI at the end of the season......





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