Oceanside fair odds: Favorite could offer value at Del Mar

Live racing returns to Del Mar on Friday and with it the return of wagers that already are familiar to Southern California bettors via Santa Anita Park.

New for the 2025 summer meeting, where the turf meets the surf has adopted the $3 late Pick 3 and $5 late double that were popular with bettors this past winter and spring at Santa Anita Park. Both wagers feature 15% takeout.

The first $3 Pick 3 of the meeting begins with the traditional opening-day feature, the Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds who have not won a stakes at a mile or beyond this year. And I'm not looking to overthink things here. Iron Man Cal is the best horse in this race, and he is certain to be the favorite. And I think there is a chance he offers value against nine other sophomores with stakes-tested form.

Iron Man Cal won the Grade 3 Zuma Beach Stakes by disqualification before finishing second by a neck to Henri Matisse in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at this course and one-mile distance. He then returned from a six-month layoff to test deep waters in the American Turf (G1) on Kentucky Derby day and was 9-2 against 13 others, including next-out winners graded stakes Zulu Kingdom and Test Score. Any three of those horses would be 1-20 here.

I expect Iron Man Cal to be a touch closer to the pace back home in his second start off the layoff, especially with a clear target in uncoupled stablemate Lyle The Crocodile, who ran out of gas in his stateside debut last month at Santa Anita Park. 

I have not handicapped the late double yet, but my hope is that Iron Man Cal is the horse to lean on to beat the chalk in those races. A $3 base bet Pick 3 with 15% takeout is a great bet.