Friday's Best Bet: Found My Ball begins career in I'm Smokin

Friday’s 8th race from Del Mar is the $100,000 I'm Smokin Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds dashing six furlongs on the main track (Post Time 8:45 p.m. ET).

Click here for Del Mar Entries, Results

#9 FOUND MY BALL (6-1) must have some ability if Doug O’Neill is putting him in a stakes race in his career debut. Square Eddie is a win early sire, dam’s other six starters won (2 stakes winners), and he shows two San Luis Rey bullets for this. I like the outside draw, and his last two local works were solid as well.

#7 Touchdown Brown (5-1) looked very good stalking and rolling home in his career debut at Santa Anita. He was the favorite in the Graduation Stakes but lost all chance after a bad start. He adds blinkers and gets a rider upgrade to Hernandez.

#3 Tacoflavoredkisses (5-1) added blinkers and showed marked improvement in a pace pressing maiden victory Aug. 8. Umberto Rispoli is 4-for-5 with Simon Callaghan recently and he is a solid prominent throughout threat if he moves forward a bit.

#4 Positivity (7-2) won his first two starts for Luis Mendez and he used a different running style both times. He dueled from the rail and pulled clear in his debut, and stalked and scored in the Graduation Stakes second time out. Paddy Gallagher has him now and Drayden Van Dyke stays put.

Wagers:

#9 to win

Quinella 9/3-4-7

Recent Best Bet Winners

Aug 29 - C Z ROCKET ($4.20), Quinella ($6.60), Trifecta ($19.30)
Sept 3 - GIRL DADDY ($8.60), Exacta ($22.80)

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