Hirsch Tops Del Mar Weekend

A pair of graded races will top the weekend of action at Del Mar, led by the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1). Multiple Grade 1 queen Include Me Out will likely lead this field for conditioner Ron Ellis in hopes of defending her title in this event. The sensational five-year-old had a fine score in her 2013 debut, which was merely a prep for this, and she does own a pair of wins from three tries on this oval.

Include Me Out made her five-year-old debut on June 16 in the Desert Stormer Handicap at Hollywood Park, scoring by three parts of a length, and is set to make just her second start of the season Saturday in the Grade 1, $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch going 1 1/16 miles over Del Mar's Polytrack.

The Ron Ellis-trained mare has made three other starts at Del Mar during her career, finishing sixth in her career bow in August 2010 before returning almost exactly one year later to break her maiden at the track. She wouldn't show up at the seaside track again until last year's Hirsch, which the dark bay daughter of Include scored in by a quarter-length under Joe Talamo.

Include Me Out followed that with a third-place run in the Zenyatta before closing out 2012 by filling the same spot in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. Talamo has been aboard for all but two of her races and retains the mount Saturday.

Byrama and Great Hot are the only other runners in the field with prior experience on Del Mar's Polytrack. The former, a four-year-old daughter Byron, was second in her appearance in last September's C.E.R.F. at Del Mar and has finished worse than third only twice in nine races since. Included in those starts is a win in the Vanity Handicap two back and a third in the A Gleam Handicap.

The hot-riding Gary Stevens was aboard for both those starts at Hollywood Park and will be in the pilot's seat Saturday for trainer Simon Callaghan.

Great Hot will be returning off a more than four-month break in the Hirsch. The A.C. Avila charge captured the Santa Maria on February 16 but showed up a month later to be a well-beaten fourth in the Santa Margarita. The multiple Grade 2-winning miss will have a familiar face in the irons as Chantal Sutherland-Kruse continues her return to riding. The duo last teamed up to be third in last season's Adoration at Del Mar after Great Hot threw in a subpar eighth and last in the Hirsch.

More Chocolate opened her four-year-old season with a first stakes victory in only her second try in the La Canada in late January, and has since placed in both the Santa Margarita and Vanity. The Malibu Moon filly's only off-the-board effort this year came as a fifth in the La Troienne on May 3, but she could easily get back on the winning track in this spot for trainer John Sadler and jockey Rafael Bejarano.

Also entered Saturday are Grade 2 heroines Lady of Fifty and Quiet Oasis. The former was third in the Vanity and runner-up in the Marjorie L. Everett Handicap in her past two, while Quiet Oasis will be trying a synthetic track for just the second time in the Hirsch after competing on turf in all but one of her 12 career starts.

Sisterhood is no stranger to Polytrack, having just missed by a half-length in the Arlington Matron on May 25, while Via Villaggio will be returning to an all-weather surface following a runner-up effort in the California Governor's Cup Handicap at Sacramento. Sister Kate wired that fair meet contest and completes Saturday's Hirsch field.

The Sunday feature at Del Mar is the $150,000 Best Pal S. (G2). Two-time stakes winner Skydreamin, Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. winner Alpine Luck, runner-up Ontology, as well as maiden winners Albert’s Hope, Celtic Moon, Easy Solution and Guns Loaded, will add to the depth of this field. 

Del Mar Summer 2013 Wagering

One of the most popular selections at the track – the Pick Six – will be presented once more with guaranteed pools on all racing days. The bet, which requires that fans pick the winners of the last six races on the day’s card and often results in large payoffs, will have a guaranteed pool of $125,000 on weekdays and $250,000 on weekends.

As it also has for the past two years, the track additionally will offer guaranteed pools on its Pick Four bet, requiring the selection of the winners for the day’s final four events. The guaranteed pool for this .50¢-minimum wager is $250,000 on weekdays and $500,000 on weekends. 

A bet that was instituted in 2011 – the .50¢ Player’s Pick Five – continues on the betting menu again this season. The wager requires picking the winners of the day’s first five races and will be available at a minimum price of .50¢. It carries the additional advantage of having a takeout of only 14%.

The full array of Del Mar bets is as follows: $2 win, place and show; $1 Exacta; $2 Quinella; $1 Trifecta; $2 rolling Double; $1 rolling Pick Three; $1 Superfecta (.10¢ minimum); $1 Place Pick All; $1 Super High Five; $2 Pick Six; .50¢ Player’s Pick Five, and .50¢ Pick Four.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club 2013 Summer Meet

Del Mar Racing Dates: July 17 through September 4

Del Mar Racing Schedule - Del Mar will conduct a 37-day meeting, racing on a Wednesday through Sunday basis up until Wednesday, September 4. There will be one additional day added to the seven-week schedule – a holiday program on Labor Day Monday, September 2.

Del Mar Post Times: First post on most days will be at 2pm PT with the exception of Fridays when cards start at 4pm PT.

Del Mar Handicapping with Brisnet.com

Those planning to play Del Mar all season should check out Brisnet.com/summer for savings plans on Ultimate PPs, Daily Selections, and ALL-Ways data files. Buy any of the summer racing packages and receive Track Stats free!

New for 2013 at Del Mar is Bruno De Julio's Bruno With The Works product with horse-by-horse workout notes plus full-card analysis with spot plays and long shots.

Andy Harrington's National Turf Clocker Report is indispensable especially for the contentious maiden races popular where the Turf Meets the Surf, and Bob Selvin's Fair Odds Analysis delivers daily value.

Whether you play every day or any day, though, Brisnet.com has the information you need to cash in big.

Del Mar Free Race Replays

TwinSpires.com brings you free live online horse racing and race replays from Del Mar and all you favorite tracks.  Just type in what you want in our race replay library, click and four years of horse racing history comes to life. The same super quality audio and video resolution you see on our live feeds, captured for you to watch over and over again.

Bet on racing at Del Mar and all your favorite tracks for free right here on TwinSpires.com!