Saturday's Best Bet: Defunded capitalizes in San Diego
Saturday’s tenth race from Del Mar is the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap for 3-year-olds and up traveling a mile and a sixteenth on the main track. Post time is 9:37 p.m. EDT.
Click here for Del Mar Entries, Results
I have been a fan of No. 2 Defunded (5-1) since he returned as a gelding and graduated as my 8-1 top choice at Santa Anita March 2021. He won a pair of optional claiming dirt routes since including one at Del Mar, and he completed the exacta in a trio of graded stakes starts. This is a good distance for the early-pressing sort and he earned quality speed ratings in his last three starts.
No. 7 Tripoli (6-1) rallied for the place in this race last year and followed that up with a 6-1 upset in the Pacific Classic (G1). He tailed off after that and returned with a troubled 4th in the American (G3) at one mile on turf. That last turf prep should have him ready to move forward in this spot.
No. 3 Mandaloun (4-1) stalked wide and weakened to 4th in his first start back from Saudi Arabia in the Stephen Foster (G2) July 2. He is a two-time stakes winner at this distance and might rebound for Florent Geroux and Brad Cox.
No. 8 Country Grammer (5-2) is the class of the field. He won the Peter Pan (G3) in 2020, the Gold Cup (G1) last year, and was a close 2nd in the Saudi Cup (G1) and 1st in the Dubai Gold Cup (G1) in his last two starts. He is using this as a prep for the Pacific Classic, and he wants every bit of the classic distance.
Get my expert Del Mar full card picks for July 30 (available now).
Wagers:
No. 2 to win
Quinella 2/3-7
Trifecta 2-7/2-3-7-8/2-3-7-8
Recent best-bet winners
July 1 - Net a Bear ($6.20), trifecta ($87.80)
July 2 - Crystal Cliffs ($4.20) - dead heat
July 3 - Chasing Artie/The Virginian exacta ($29.00)
July 6 - First I've Seen/Hannah's Haven exacta ($17.40)
July 9 - Butterbean/Falconet exacta ($22.00), trifecta ($74.20)
July 11 - Mo Clare's ($6.80)
July 16 - Beren/Wondrwherecraigis/Pickin' Time trifecta ($146.00)
July 22 - Practice Squad ($12.60), exacta ($26.20), trifecta ($31.40)
July 23 - Dolce Zel ($8.60), trifecta ($96.00)
July 24 - Bellabel ($8.00)
July 25 - Heywoods Beach ($8.20), trifecta ($70.60)
Tuesday - Nice Ace ($5.00)
Thursday - Fun to Dream ($4.20), trifecta ($35.60)