Friday's Best Bet: Smokem Ez can stir the pot in Graduation

Friday’s sixth race at Del Mar is the $125,000 Graduation Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds dashing 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track. The scheduled post time is 9 p.m. EDT.

Click here for Del Mar entries and results.

No. 5 Smokem Ez (3-1) chased from second and pulled away in a smart 4 3/4 length tally in his 4 1/2 furlong debut on May 12. Steve Miyadi is strong with this type of layoff runner and with his graduates trying winners for the first time, and his new rider Ramon Vazquez teamed up to win a local race with this barn on July 28. He shows two local works for this and projects an outer tactical trip.

No. 1 Refocus (5-2) has experience from inner posts so the rail draw does not bother me. He dueled inside from an inner post and kicked away in his 4 1/2 furlong debut in the California-bred special weight ranks on May 21, and the runner-up was a next-out winner. He broke from the rail in the Fasig-Tipton Juvenile on June 17, and he chased from the inside post and finished third behind a romping winner. He is back with state bred friends and should be all over the pace.

No. 3 Last Call London (6-1) dueled and was clearly second best behind Refocus on May 21, and he stalked and smartly graduated on June 11. He shipped to Pleasanton in a stakes event on July 9, and he stumbled at the start and made up some ground late in a throwout race. He reconnects with his winning rider Juan Hernandez and might bounce back in this spot. 

Get Jarrod’s Del Mar analysis.

Wagers

No. 5 to win

Quinella 5/1-3

Trifecta 1-5/all/3

Recent Best Bet winners

July 22 – Warrens Candy Girl ($22.20)
July 23 – Du Jour ($11.60)
July 26 – Amanda's Folly/Sweet Mystery exacta ($9)
July 27 – Tom Horn/Devil Moon quinella ($25), trifecta ($284.60)
July 28 – Amy C ($9.20)
July 30 – Gold Phoenix ($11)
Last Friday – Bus Buzz ($5.80), trifecta ($82.80)
Saturday – Carmelita's Man ($13.60), trifecta ($199.20)
Sunday – Maltese Falcon/Panic Alarm/Agency trifecta ($173.40)