Friday's Best Bet: Escape Artist is ready to deliver in Oceanside

Friday’s eighth race on opening day at Del Mar is the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds traveling one mile on the turf course. The scheduled post time is 8:38 p.m. EDT.

Click here for Del Mar entries and results. 

No. 10 Escape Artist (7-2) finished in the top three in all five turf routes. He was a close third in the Singletary on May 7 and exits a sharp win as the even money favorite vs. optional claimers at this distance. Profitable turf pilot Kent Desormeaux rides him well and has early-pressing options from an outer post.

No. 1 Classical Cat (4-1) is 3-for-4 overall and his only below par effort was in the Del Mar Futurity last summer. He is 2-for-2 in flat mile turf races and was last seen winning the Eddie Logan late last year. He has been in steady training since mid-May and Phil D’Amato shows a profit with this type of layoff runner. His regular pilot Umberto Rispoli should have him in a nice ground saving tactical spot.

No. 7 Agency (15-1) earned a decent late pace rating in his last-to-first optional claiming win in a turf sprint on June 17. That was the first turf outing for the Bolt d’Oro colt and he tries a route of ground for Mark Glatt.

No. 8 Kid Azteca (12-1) finished a length behind Classical Cat at this distance last fall. He exits a late running optional claiming win at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf and can be used underneath.  

Get Jarrod’s Del Mar analysis.

Wagers

No. 10 to win

Exacta box 1-10

Trifecta 1-10/1-7-8-10/1-7-8-10

Recent Best Bet winners

July 3 – Surly Furious ($4.20)
July 5 – Nobody Listens/Latigo exacta ($26.20)
July 6 – Katie M’lady/Trail Ridge Road exacta ($7.60)
July 7 – Coastal Charm ($6.80)
July 9 – Katonah ($4.60), exacta ($13), trifecta ($111.20)
July 11 – Bengala Joy/Lovely Ever After exacta ($16.40), trifecta ($38)
Sunday – Clovisconnection/Lloyd’s Logic/Jin Tong trifecta ($12.40)