The Dirt on Del Mar Opening Day

We'll know more about how to play the new dirt surface at Del Mar, but going into opening day of the summer meeting I see no reason to treat perceived wagering opportunities with kid gloves. Keeneland's recent change from Polytrack to dirt and Southern California racing's adaptation to myriad racing surfaces the past 10 years gives us a decent level of confidence in our approach that in-form horses are in the best position to run quality races. As such, we'll put a premium on horses with top Brisnet.com Speed Ratings last out as well as those with steady works/races coming into the opening part of the meeting.

Here's the ABC grid for the 10-race card on opening day:

As you can see, I'm narrow in some races and spread in others. The comment about treating perceived wagering opportunities with kid gloves was made with this in mind. The right price on a lone "A" will absolutely be bet. Likewise, the chance to connect a $20 winner makes the multis playable, but I'm going to trust my opinions.

Good luck!