La Jolla Handicap (gr. II)
1 1/16th miles on the Del Mar turf course
Entries:
| PP | Horse | Jockey |
| 1 | Blingo | Mike Smith |
| 2 | Old Time Hockey | Joe Talamo |
| 3 | Facoltoso | (Scratched) |
| 4 | Chips All In | Garrett Gomez |
| 5 | My Best Brother | Martin Garcia |
This field wasn't particularly large to begin with, and the scratch of Facoltoso has left only four horses scheduled to run. The morning line favorite is My Best Brother, who has won each of his last three races, including a gate-to-wire victory in the faster division of Del Mar's Oceanside Stakes. In this small field, his tactical speed gives him a major edge, one which may prove to be insurmountable.
Old Time Hockey is also coming out of the faster division of the Oceanside, where he finished a strong third, two lengths behind My Best Brother. While no match for the winner, or even the runner-up, he was gaining ground in the stretch and will surely appreciate the additional sixteenth of a mile. The only question is whether there will be enough pace to set up his run.
The other two runners, Blingo and Chips All In, are both coming off of strong efforts in the slower division of the Oceanside. Chips All In ran particularly well that day, leading by a length passing the eighth pole before getting nailed in the final strides for a neck defeat. Blingo also turned in a good effort, rallying to finish fourth, and just 1 3/4 lengths behind Chips All In. Of the two, Chips All In holds a tactical advantage thanks to his superior early speed, but Blingo is a talented colt that seems to be improving with age, much like his sire Artie Schiller.
You would think that a field of this size would make handicapping easier, but picking the winner of this race will not be an easy task. I'm going to side with My Best Brother, my feeling being that his early speed is going to enable him to grab the early lead and never relinquish it en route to a fourth consecutive victory.
Other Races of Note
At Saratoga . . .
The feature of the card is the $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap (gr. II) on the turf. You can view my analysis here: http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/08/saratoga-stakes-analysis-august-11th.html
At Monmouth Park . . .
Race 10: The $100,000 Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) has drawn an intriguing field of six, with Seran's Song Stakes winner Morrow Cove the favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher. She possesses some good tactical speed, and is certainly a deserving favorite, but Churchill allowance winner Wine Princess and former Baffert-trainee Jemima's Pearl also deserve a great deal of respect, with Wine Princess especially looming a serious threat for the win.
At Remington Park . . .
Race 8: Alternation and Prayer for Relief loom as the main contenders in the $200,000 Governor's Cup Stakes, and it would surprise no one if they finished 1-2. Both are coming off of dull efforts -- Alternation in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I), and Prayer for Relief in the San Diego Handicap (gr. II) -- but both have established back-class, and anything near their best would put them in contention. Stachys is probably the best of the remaining entrants, but he is stepping up in class and would likely need a career-best performance in order to defeat the top two.
-Keelerman
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