December 1, 2024
Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know”
Del Mar
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RACE 5: Post: 1:30 PT Grade: A-
Top Selection/Prime Play: 4-Scipio
Back-ups:: none.
Forecast: Scipio finished fourth, beaten two lengths, in a valuable listed stakes at Del Mar on Breeders’ Cup weekend and with any kind of clean trip this talented two-year-old would have won. Racing in heaving traffic and forced to check and steady several times, the son of Caravaggio finally secured clear sailing and flew home but was simply too late. In this year’s renewal of the Cecil B. DeMille S.-G3 over a mile on turf, the R. Baltas-trained ridgling needs only to settle somewhere in mid-pack and then – if he has to – take the overland route under F Plat to outkick his rivals close him. With rising numbers and a wicked turn of foot, he’s going places – hopefully to the winner’s circle today – while offering excellent wagering value as the logical post time favorite.
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RACE 7: Post: 3:30 PT Grade: B+
Top Selection/Prime Play: 3-Ag Bullet
Back-ups: 11-Gina Romantica
Forecast: With the scratching of the speedy front runner Kehoe Beach (who remained in Kentucky and wired the field in the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs on Friday), the pace scenario in this year’s edition of the Matriarch S.-G1 changes dramatically, and that’s good news for Ag Bullet, who surely will inherit the role as the controlling speed. A gate-to-wire winner of the listed Osunitas Stakes over this course and distance last summer, the daughter of Twirling Candy should prove to be difficult to catch based on the projected race flow, and on her best day she’s good enough to take control early and never look back. Beaten a neck when third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint-G1 last time out, she’s back with fillies and mares today, has breezed well in the interim, and retains regular pilot U. Rispoli, who knows her well and fits her perfectly.
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