FRIDAY OAK TREE AT HOLLYWOOD PARK

 Bank Update $500.00  $20 Across the board on Summers At Del Mar in Race 1 return a investment $190.00. I ran out in all the pick four and pick three bets which totaled $48.00.  $190.00-$48=$142.00. I place $20 to place on Finish Rich In NYC in Race 5 and returned ROI $46.00+ $142.00 equals ROI for Thursday for a flat profit of $188.00. Add to Bank $500.00 +  $188.00 = Bank $688.00





Race 1          One Mile Sixteenth Maiden Special Weight
A contentious competitive maiden special weight route is the first race on Today's card. Just Imagine takes off the blinkers. He chased the pace in the Del Mar Futurity and faded. This is a drop in class and should be on the lead. He is stretching out to two turns. A major player that can win this two year old baby race. Minutesandtouches trained by Terry Knight by Rockport Harbor has been in three stakes races at three different tracks in California. I like his September workouts. He drops in class and looks like he will relish the distance of a mile and a sixteenth. He will be doing his best running down the stretch. Lagoon Of Diamond trained by Bob Baffert sold for 500K tried the turf his last race. He looks better going two turns on the cushion track then sprinting or routing on the turf. A Player! Diamond Touch first race was a public outing to get him fit and ready for a route race. This is his second start and he is not out of the realm of giving his best performance today.




Race 2          Six Half Furlongs Maiden 40K

Big Bad Boo scratched from yesterday maiden race to face this field. His best asset is his speed. Big Bad Boo trained by Barry Abrams gets P-Val to sent from the gate. Come Catch Me might be the message with this horse. No mortal lock! Kessabtsi drops in class from Calbred special weight to face this field. He has shown speed and will contest the lead with Big Bad Boo. He looks in form and fit and ready to run his best race. A Player! The Bob Dylan Tune Absolutlypostivly goes for his 12th straight maiden race. He has the ground saving rail and looks to run his race closing down the stretch. He has a shot! I like two first time starters to win this race. Red Defense has all the right connections to show up. Carla Gaines trains and Joel Rosario rides and the Sire is Redattore. I seen this before! At the winners circle which suggest to me all systems go. Wait one more first timer is a horse that was entered last night but was scratched. Battling Atticus has been firing bullets over at Fairplex Park. The trainer lite up the tote board at Del Mar this summer....... do not take this horse lightly in this modest field of maidens.

    1. Red Defense    2. Battling Atticus 

Pick Three 4,5 with 1,3,8 with 2,5,6 cost of ticket $18.00

Paid $60.30 minus $18 = $42.30 Pick three

Race 3          Six Half Furlongs Maiden 32K
A modest field to say the very best about this group of maidens. The logical contenders on paper Swiss Hero ran a dull race last time out. He switches to P-Val from Bejarano which gives me concern coupled with the fact that he might not like the added distance. Ride Candy Ride drops in class has a tad bit of early speed but the distance is a unknown . Warren's A Legend by owner breeding Warren just won maiden races over at the bullring. He is not without a shot. What's The Rumpus showed speed routing at Fairplex. He shortens up today and he also has a shot. One race does not make a career and Big Son Of A Gun fits this to a tee. David Flores re-rides for his second career start. I like his last gate workout...... which suggest to me that is one just might have a hint of ability. A Contender on the rail!


   1. Swiss Hero  2. Big Son Of A Gun. 3. Meshuguna

$20 Place on Big Son Of A Gun  
Returned ROI $160.00 + Pick three equals $202.30


Race 4          Six Furlongs Claimer 25K

A salty cast of characters sprinting on the cushion track for a claiming price of 25K. Movie Duty on paper looks to be the speed of the race. She is one class act and looking for a hat trick today! She looks like the horse to beat.  Can't Topper will track her from off the pace.She beat movie Duty this summer and has four straights thirds hanging like a cheap suit down the stretch. She switches trainers and switches jockeys from Garcia to Rosario. Yankee Romance gets Martin Garcia and showed speed at the bullring at the claiming price of 32K. She just might be tailing off form. Movie Duty might fear Fairway Road who was in too deep of waters in a 50K stake race at Fairplex Park. She fits nicely from off the pace. I like her and if Movie Duty melts down on the front end Fairway Road can win this. The upset special is Marino's Promise who if you read my blog on a regular bases then you know that I pick her as one of my long live fillies to outrun her odds. If you watch her second race back she had all kinds of trouble and it looked to me that with some racing luck she just might have won. P-Val takes the call and that suggest to me that she will have a major improvement......... she still need her best to beat Movie Duty and Fairway Road.


      1. Movie Duty  2. Fairway Road  3. Marino's Promise


Race 5          Six Furlongs Turf Claimer 40K

On past performances the pace looks fast and contested.  Sassou has speed to make the lead with El Scorpio a horse that goes from sprint to route. El Scorpio is the other rabbit in this turf sprint. Sassou is outside of El Scorpio and if the factions are slowed down then Sassou needs to hold off Pack Your Bags a horse for the course to win. This is what it looks like on paper but I expect the final picture might just be Leandos closing on the whole field. He looks like a horse on the upswing in form....... beware!

Pick Three   1,2,3,4,6 with 5, 8 with  2,8 
                     Cost of Ticket $20




Race 6          Seven Furlongs Claimer 12K
 This is non winners of two for three year old and up. The horse to beat is Best Affair who takes a drop in class for the money run. He is trained by Carla Gaines and Joel Rosario takes the mount. The horse that I like is the outside gelding by Storm Cat......Escaping The Storm. Jack Carava claimed him at Del Mar for 10K dollars. He had to need his last race to get fit and in some kind of racing shape. He takes the blinkers off today...... and has put together eight workouts in preparing for his return. He then ran a public outing and I expect with blinkers off he will run a big race at double digit odds.

        1. Escaping The Storm   2. Best Affair 3. Iotabgrey

Late Pick Three     8  with 1,2,3,7,8 with 1,4,9
         
Race 7          Six Half Furlongs Starter Allowance

A salty cast enters this field going a distance of six and half furlongs. Inverness Cape looked great winning first time out for Bob Baffert. He posted a easy lead and sailed home with a big speed number. This time around there is rabbits in the race to contest a lead at the quarter and half mile pole. Having said that he was well bet in his debut and I expect in this race as well. The question for all young horses is what happens when other horses go head to head.  Moonlark with a race under his belt looks faster then Inverness Cape. Moonlark might just try to steal this race on the front end slowing down the early factions to have some energy for a closing kick down the lane.  Maybe, a speed dual sitting it up for a mid-pack closer to fly by the rabbits at the wire. This is one of many pace scenario's of this starter allowance. Beware of Scofield Barricks closing at the top of the stretch. He seems to hang a tad at the wire therefore no a win machine but his last race showed me that he dug in with heart and won. He is fit and on the up swing. Leothelion a lightly race colt that I have followed. I thought he would jump the class ladder quickly. He needed time off because of soundness issues but I love the fact that he has tactical speed and with some racing luck on the inside can close and in fact win this. If cranked up and ready to rock and roll he is a major contender. My main concern is Bejarano goes the Scofield Barricks for a reason. The upsetter is the import from South America El Pitucon............ Vienna is a master in getting this types of running that barley have shown any type of run to fire........ a interesting long shot.

        1. Leothelion  2. Inverness Cape  3. Scofield Barricks      


Race 8          One Mile Sixteenth Turf Maiden Special

The hardest race of this Friday's card to handicap. There are many contenders and very few pretenders that I can throw out.  My top contender:

           1. Lone Justice  2.Papa Lev  3.Minister D'Oro