INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Betting Tips & Track Trends for Opening Weekend at Del Mar For as speed favoring as the Del Mar main track is known to be, the seven-furlong Jimmy Durante Turf Course plays fairly to all running styles, as seen in the graph below for all turf routes in 2023-2024. The Horse Racing Nation Track Trends Tool allows you to apply additional filters, such as selecting specific dates, exacta distances, and rail settings (especially important in turf sprints). The link in this paragraph links to stats for one mile on the turf, an important distance for opening weekend considering both turf stakes are at that distance. The Grade 2 San Clemente is the feature on opening Saturday at Del Mar, and while No. 5 Thought Process looks the horse to beat with her front-end tactics, but the aforementioned track trends give No. 1 Will Then a boost in probability–especially factoring she already won at this course and distance when capturing the Jimmy Durante Stakes last year. Thought Process has three fillies to her outside capable of pressing the pace, which could put the favorite in a precarious position either going too fast to maintain position or getting stuck behind a wall of speed from the outside. The trip Will Then figured to get always looked good on paper, but coupling it with stats that say the inside runs well relative to other posts has me thinking she is worth a bet to win the San Clemente. Ed DeRosa Share This:Share
