Pick 3 of the Week: Del Mar Saturday, July 18

The first Saturday of the Del Mar summer meeting features a strong 11-race card headlined by a pair of Grade 2 events, and my goal is to pad the bankroll before taking aim at the exciting co-features. 

Race 4 Wager

• $1 Pick 3: 5,6,9,10 with 4,6,7 with 7,9 ($24)

Race 4 – Maiden Special Weight

A full field of juvenile fillies will jaunt five-eighths on the dirt to commence the sequence. I’ll use four runners to kick things off with the Doug O’Neill duo of #6 Janie Not Jeanie and #10 Mystic Empress, as well as the Bob Baffert pair of #5 Holmby and #9 Quattro Passi. 

Race 5 – Claiming 

A total of 10 boys will travel six panels on the main strip in a $16,000 claiming tilt. #7 Stagger Lee has put in two good races after being off for more than two years, led by a win on the grass at the $25,000 level in his latest performance. The Steve Miyadi trainee appreciated the addition of blinkers last time and drops in class while moving back to the dirt. He’ll be tough under Leparoux. 

#6 Y’all Come is a consistent sort who will go first off the claim for Victor Garcia. The Smiling Tiger gelding has hit the board in both prior runs on the course and will sit a fine trip just off the leaders early with Armando Ayuso on board. #4 Kid Dynasty has sped to wire-to-wire wins in two of his last three tries and is the inside pace of the pace in his first off the claim for Farias. 

Race 6 – Maiden Special Weight

The closing piece is a five-furlong dash on the main oval for California-bred males with an overflow cast of 14 signed on. First timer #7 Freedom Sings has been posting steady morning drills since May and should be fit and ready for his unveiling for O’Neill, who will be a major player in the two-year-old races at this meeting. The Independence Hall colt has a juvenile-winning sibling from one to have raced and will have Jaramillo in the irons. 

Reddam homebred #9 Net Par didn’t have a smooth start in his unveiling when he was a solid third as the post-time favorite, and the Antonio Garcia pupil will move forward with a better break on Saturday. The colt receives an upgrade to pilot Juan Hernandez, too.