Horse Racing: Today at Del Mar, Nov. 28

Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Race 1 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $17,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up
7 Roper – Sliding down the maiden claiming ladder to this bottom rung; no where else to go from here except Phoenix, leap of faith is ready for trainer Philip D'Amato.
5 Financial – For whatever reason was bet to favoritism on the drop in class last time out; still didn't run much, so trainer David Hofmans opted to geld him.
Long Shot – 9 Adair

Race 2 – 1 mile, Purse $29,000, Claiming $25,000, 3-year-olds and up
1 Alex Rossi – Big rider switch to the main man Rafael Bejarano for the money shot; like the rail draw in a 2-turn mile where he can save every inch of ground.
4 Tulira Castle – Logical chalk has won three races in a row like breaking dry sticks; also been claimed in the last two wins, now in the hands of crafty Bill Spawr.
Long Shot – 6 Airfoil

Race 3 – 1 mile (turf), Purse $52,000, Maiden special weights, 2-year-olds
12 Archaeo – There seems to be plenty of pace in this mile turf route; Rafael Bejarano is a master at finding a good spot and saving energy for the late stages.
8 Path of David – Tepid chalk is a Midwest invader who has likely faced better at Keeneland; has been gelded since so the level of improvement could be profound.
Long Shot – 4 Undeniable U

Race 4 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $52,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, 2-year-olds
7 Demonslayer – You will have a huge edge over me in seeing the tote board activity among these 7 FTS; clocker reports will surely be important on who is live or not.
5 Eddie Haskell – I hope Trevor Denman has fun with this name, although he may not know about U.S. TV history; Eddie Haskell was the best friend in Leave It to Beaver.
Long Shot – 2 Lymebyrd

Race 5 – 1 mile (turf), $100,000 Jimmy Durante, Fillies, 2-year-olds
6 Jeremy's Legacy – Trainer Doug O'Neill had no problem replacing Rafael Bejarano with stable rider Mario Gutierrez; an interesting race among future turf stars.
3 Riri – Rafael Bejarano had choices and opted to ride for trainer Philip D'Amato; this filly looked like an amazon and even better does not need the lead to succeed.
Long Shot – 13 Mirage

Race 6 – 1 mile, Purse $53,000, Optional claiming $20,000, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up
2 Toledo Eddie – Has an outstanding dirt resume of winning 7 of 15 starts on the main track; has also done well at a mile, so can sit a nice trip with his tactical speed.
8 Storm Comin Thru – Tepid chalk in a fairly wide open affair; has the misfortune of running some good races this year, but is winless in 8 starts this season.
Long Shot – 4 True Ten

Race 7 – 1 1/8th miles (turf), $300,000 Hollywood Derby, 3-year-olds
5 Om – This very talented colt will face the toughest test of his young career; he prefers to lead and with the distance at 9-furlongs, may be under attack early on.
13 Offering Plan – Top Eastern trainer Chad Brown has at least 4 starters with a fifth sitting on the also eligible list; would not be shocked if he makes the exacta.
Long Shot – 8 Closing Bell

Race 8 – 1 1/8th miles, $150,000 Native Diver, 3-year-olds and up
4 Iron Fist – Late bloomer has really shown some moxie with good races in the West Virginia and Pennsylvania Derbies; was meant to be any kind of horse by Tapit.
3 Dortmund – Heavy favorite still has his work cut out for him; he didn't beat much last out in a set up prep race, but he is all class for HOF trainer Bob Baffert.
Long Shot – 7 Imperative

Race 9 – 1 mile (turf), Purse $53,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 3-year-olds and up
6 Hunt – Exited a good effort when fourth to Om in the Twilight Derby; this is clearly some class relief that he will greatly appreciate.
7 What a View – Cal-bred has shown enough promise for trainer Kenny Black to try open company; should help get more value with Alonzo Quinonez replacing Kent Desormeaux.
Long Shot – 2 Daddy D T

Best Bet - 2 Toledo Eddie (race 6)
Del Mar Friday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 18/4/$33.40; Long Shots, 8/1/$9.60; Best Bet, 1/0/$0
Del Mar Totals - 302/81/$497.00; Long Shots, 146/17/$207.60; Best Bets, 18/9/$30.60
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #9 Mor Spirit (7/2) in race 11 at Churchill Downs. For scoring purposes, we'll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Friday, Hoppertunity ran second at Churchill Downs paying $3.20 to place and $2.60 to show. Stats - 175/116/$880.50; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick