Del Mar: How to bet the Rancho Bernardo

#1 Gingham might not be a superstar in the making, but she has long shown flashes of potential. On Friday at Del Mar, she can secure her first graded stakes win in the 6 1/2-furlong Rancho Bernardo H. (G3).

Trained by Bob Baffert, Gingham has spent the majority of her career running around two turns. Her first eight starts came in races at a mile or longer, most notably the Las Virgenes (G2), where she finished second, behind the multiple Grade 1-placed Venetian Harbor.

But it appears Gingham has secretly been a sprinter all this time. When Baffert cut the daughter of Quality Road back in distance for the 6 1/2-furlong Angels Flight S. on Jun 13 at Santa Anita, Gingham promptly rallied from the back of a small field to win with a 98 Brisnet Speed rating, eight points higher than her previous best.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith was in the saddle for the Angels Flight and will remain aboard for the Rancho Bernardo. Sticking to 6 1/2 furlongs should be perfect for Gingham, since she is catching a field with a fair amount of speed on paper.

Stakes winners #4 Artistic Diva and #5 Sneaking Out are almost always involved in the early tempo, while #2 Mother of Dragons and #7 Mucho Amor  have displayed enough tactical speed to be involved from the outset.

Gingham hasn’t run in two months, but this shouldn’t be an obstacle. She has been training forwardly at Del Mar, where she cranked out 5 furlongs in :59 4/5 Aug. 6.

As the lone 3-year-old in a field of older fillies and mares, Gingham has more upside than her rivals and will produce a winning rally to bring her record sprinting to 2-for-2.

Let’s bet Gingham on top in the exacta and trifecta. Underneath, we’ll emphasize Great Lady M. (G2) winner Sneaking Out and the stretch-running #8 Unique Factor, who drops in class out of a sixth-place effort in the Madison (G1) at Keeneland.

$4 exacta: 1 with 2,5,8 ($12)
$1.50 trifecta: 1 with 5,8 with 2,5,6,8 ($9)
$1.50 trifecta: 1 with 2,5,6,8 with 5,8 ($9)
Total: $30

Good luck!