July 2006 Archives

Storming Bronx looks good in third

| | Comments (2) |

Jose Silva and jockey Victor Espinoza should be a big winner in the third today at Del Mar.

Favorites are killing me

| | Comments (2) |

With favorites winning at a 43-percent clip through the first 10 days of the Del Mar meet, it's no wonder I'm off to a slow start.

Arson Squad works impressively

| | Comments (1) |

Swaps Stakes winner Arson Squad, the next star in trainer Bruce Headley's barn, worked five furlongs Saturday morning at Del Mar in 1:00.20 in preparation for his next start -- the Del Mar Derby on grass.

Best jockey out there

| | Comments (4) |

If you owned a stakes horse and could pick one jockey to ride it, who would u choose? The East Coast's darling, John Velazquez?

Solis looks good in feature

| | Comments (5) |

Zoning In looks to have the tactical speed to either go gate to wire to sit just off the pace and pounce in the stretch today in the featured Graduation Stakes at Del Mar. It doesn't hurt that Alex Solis, who should be in the Hall of Fame, is riding.

Martin the Great

| | Comments (2) |

I'm more convinced than ever that ultra-talented apprentice jockey Martin Garcia is going to win the Del Mar riding title.
The kid won two more races Monday, pulling into a tie with Hollywood Park riding champ Victor Espinoza. They both have nine wins through the first six days of the Del Mar meet.

A day at the beach

| | Comments (0) |

Heading down to Del Mar today to get a little bit of sun and also work on a Juan Ochoa column that will be appearing in Friday's edition.
I'm also going to check and see why my horses have not been running well so far this meet. Is it the air? Is it the feed they're getting? I gotta get to the bottom of this.

Ready for a big day

| | Comments (0) |

I'm off to a slow start with my selections in the Star-News Racing Edition, only five wins in the first four days of Del Mar. But I'm never going to pick as many winners as the other public handicappers. I am a long-shot handicapper, I look for a price and then I strike.
I've done well the past two Southland meetings and it's only a matter of time before some of my long shots start clicking down by the beach. OK .. so for today ...

Giacomo comes alive

| | Comments (0) |

Well, the colt that some predicted might never win another race looked pretty darn impressive in winning the San Diego Handicap on Saturday at Del Mar. Mike Smith rode the 4-year-old Giacomo, the 50-1 winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby, with perfection.
Granted, the gray colt didn't beat a stellar field, but it was a win and perhaps this guy is starting to put it all together.

Watch the Frankel runners

| | Comments (1) |

All-world trainer Bobby Frankel has moved most of his good stock to the East Coast, but he's got a couple of live horses running today at Del Mar, including the French-bred Amorama in the featured John C. Mabee Handicap. The 5-year-old mare is the defending race champion and loves this track, winning twice with a second in three starts over Del Mar's turf course.
Frankel's other live runner comes three races later in the ninth -- Niquita. She's our best bet of the day, but don't take less than 5-2 odds. She went 4-wide in her return off a seven-month layoff and is ready to roll today for Garrett Gomez.

A hat trick for Garcia

| | Comments (0) |

Three more wins for apprentice jockey Martin Garcia on Friday, including a pair of nice prices on Victory Spy ($16) in the second and Kouri Jill ($19) in the fourth. He came back to win the feature on Ces't Mark and now has five victories in two days.
Trainers are putting this guy on live horses because he can ride and they like that five-pound weight allowance. The way Garcia is going, you have to give all his horses an extra long look.

Solis going strong

| | Comments (0) |

Alex Solis is riding as well as any jockey in the country. He won two stakes races on opening day at Del Mar and seems to be making all the right decisions.
Alex is as good at judging a pace as it gets. He's equally as dangerous on a speed horse as on a come-from-behinder. In fact, the way he's riding these days, he reminds me of Eddie Delahoussaye when Eddie D. would come from far back and just get up to win. If you bet Alex on a come-from-behinder and he's 2 or 3 lengths behind the next-to-last horse, don't fret. It just means more times than not he's going to be closing like an express train in the stretch.

Del Mar riding title up for grabs

| | Comments (1) |

With news that Patrick Valenzuela may eventually have to undergo back surgery, who's poised to win the Del Mar jockey title?
How about apprentice Martin Garcia, who has been tearing up the Southland since relocating from Northern California two weeks into the Hollywood Park meet?
Certainly, Victor Ezpinoza has to be favored now that it appears P-Val could be sidelined for quite a while because of back pain.

About this blog

Art Wilson is the assistant sports editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group.

About this Archive

This page is an archive of entries from July 2006 listed from newest to oldest.

August 2006 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Recent Comments

podie on Road to the Kentucky Derby continues today: i think that papa clem has a good chance to win the derby, i will als ...

Nancy O on Smith will ride Chocolate Candy in Derby: Not to take anything away from the other two Jockey's But Mike Smith ...

DMTC on Final Del Mar plays of the meet: If you love horse racing and the Del Mar Racetrack, and have a faceboo ...

Nancy O on Smith will ride Chocolate Candy in Derby: Not to take anything away from the other two Jockey's But Mike Smith ...

Art Wilson on Hollywood Park cancels Thursday card : Patrick, As one owner so succinctly put it ... no owners = no horses ...

sfhs89 on Hollywood Park cancels Thursday card : If only we can card mule races (j/k). With horse inventory down 25% a ...

Art Wilson on We have our first possible Preakness horse: Patrick, I'm going to have to watch that race on youtube. I was at Ho ...

Art Wilson on Quality Road is out of the Kentucky Derby: Yes, sad news indeed. If I had a colt who was Derby bound and looked l ...

Art Wilson on Time for some early Derby talk: Douglas, Well, you're certainly going to get a better price on the co ...

sfhs89 on We have our first possible Preakness horse: Art, You can also add Hull to the list of contenders for the Preaknes ...

Powered by Movable Type 4.21-en

Links

Advertisement

Headlines

Other blogs

Storming Bronx looks good in third in Inside Horse Racing
DISCUSSION TIME: Miramonte League vs. San Antonio League ... in Best High School Sports Blog - Fred Robledo Talks Prep Sports
Chuck Norris hits Main Street in From Steve Scauzillo's Opinion Desk