The next-to-last Saturday of the Del Mar summer season co-features the Pat O’Brien and Del Mar Handicap as the final 2 races on a 10-race program. There’s not a lot of meat on the bone early in this program, so I’ll approach the back half with more attention. Sometimes you struggle to find a card with horses you like at tempting prices, but this one sort of jumped off the page in a positive way once you get past the opening races. A $46,408 pick 6 carryover adds extra spice.

Each day this summer at Del Mar, I’ll be handicapping the action with my top plays on the card – including full-card selections for a featured program each week (this week’s full-card will be Sunday – providing more focus away from Travers Saturday at Saratoga).

Del Mar: Race 4 | 6:31 pm ET
#1 Midnite Musket (12-1 morning line odds) looks worth a longshot peek on the stretch-out in trip. 14 of first 38 turf miles this meet won by horses going sprint-to-route. Last start was a much tougher ran that his rivals exit, fits well at this class level. After all, a bunch of these come out of the same Aug. 7 race won by a 57-1 shot. There’s not much early pace here so he should be into the mix from the rail and there’s no reason on pedigree that a mile is impossible. Poor connections win percentages demand we get a fair price in double digits. Win-place #1. Picks 1-4-8

Del Mar: Race 7 | 8:10 pm ET
#4 Sir Rocket (6-1 morning line odds) gets a delicious pace set-up to make the final run. I love a veteran trainer like Neil Drysdale wheeling this one back on 13 days’ rest. Note he won turf-to-dirt here last August on 17 days’ rest and has run very well turf-to-dirt in several prior tries. Win #4. Key in exotics in the most attractive betting race on the card to this point. Picks 4 over 6,8,9,10,3.

Del Mar: Race 9 | 9:11 pm ET
#7 Moonlight (10-1 morning line odds) ran a bang-up third at huge odds in the Bing Crosby over 6 furlongs and will love the additional real estate. Note he bounced out of that race better than his other rivals, working 4 times to their 3. Offspring of Audible love this racetrack and he appears to as well. Going to take my chances against favorite Big City Lights, who appears to be a bit better at Santa Anita than Del Mar. Win-place #7. Daily Doubles 7 with 7,4. Picks 7-1-6

Del Mar: Race 10 | 9:43 pm ET
#7 Atitlan (6-1 morning line odds) was third by a neck in this race last year and could be the one to upend Gold Phoenix in his bid to win a fifth straight Del Mar Handicap. Just love the prep pattern for this from Richard Mandella, running a shorter mile off the layoff and then workouts at 1M and 6F to build stamina after it…sharped with a fast blowout at 3F for the final tuneup. The 2024 Twilight Derby winner is one of several value plays by The Factor to produce a strong ROI for the sire on this grass. Win 7. Exacta key-box 7 with 7,2,11. Picks 7 with 4-2-11