Pick 4 of the Week: Del Mar Saturday, November 14

I’ll focus on early races at Del Mar on Saturday for the Pick 4 of the Week, starting in race two. 

Race 2 Wager

• 50-cent Pick 4: 1,2,5,6 with 1,5 with 3,4,5,6,9 with 2,4 ($40)

Race 2 – Claiming

The boys will speed five furlongs on the grass to commence the wager. Four of the seven signed on for the dash are two-time winners on the course, and I will include each of the quartet in the heat. #1 Irish Corn, #2 Smart Code, #5 Code Duello, and #6 Harcyn are the ones. 

Race 3 – Desi Arnaz S. 

The feature of the afternoon is a seven-furlong dirt dash for two-year-old fillies with a handful of ladies set to go postward. I’ll go two deep in order to advance to the next leg of the sequence. #1 Holmby, one of two contenders for trainer Bob Baffert, is a Grade 3 victress on the course and comes off of a pair of placings while facing some of the top juvenile fillies in California. She cuts back to a preferred sprint on Saturday and looms large with go-to pilot Juan Hernandez in the silks. 

Michael McCarthy’s #5 Mo Chuisle wasn’t super fast in her debut score at Santa Anita on Oct. 4, but the April foal won with relative ease and has obvious room for improvement going forward. The $825,000 Omaha Beach filly will be in the clear throughout from this post, with Hector Berrios retaining the ride. 

Race 4 – Claiming

A wide-open dash for the boys on the dirt attracted nine, and I have to spread in the third portion of the play that lacks a standout. I have a level of interest in #3 Battle School, #4 Hankering, #5 Amador, #6 Victoria’s Rocket, and #9 Danzing Wild Cat, and all five will make my ticket.  

Race 5 – Maiden Special Weight

Two-year-old boys will jaunt one mile on the turf to close out the play. #2 Dream Seeker, one of three in the field for McCarthy, hit the board in both tries on the surface in the summer and will race as a gelding for the first time. The dark bay son of Girvin will have Juan Hernandez on board. 

#4 Special Performer is a half-brother to seven-time stakes winner Man O Rose, and out of a mare that was a stakes-placed runner on the lawn. The $65,000 son of Oscar Performance has trained well in advance of his unveiling for capable debut trainer Jeff Mullins, and the colt will have Joel Rosario on board.