23:45 Del Mar Tips

Ted Noffey is in stall 8, runs off 106, and won the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders Futurity at Keeneland over 1m. John Velazquez rides for Todd Pletcher again, and he will look to make the running like last time and dominate from the front. Strong win chance here.

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Surprisingly small field for this one this year, with at the time of writing just seven going to post, the smallest in the 42-year history of this race. Bob Baffert looks to have a strong hand with Brant and the likely pacemaker for him in Litmus Test, but I am opting for INTREPIDO. This Jeff Mullins runner was almost ten lengths behind Brant on debut, but has improved since then, with his most recent success coming in the G1 American Pharoah Stakes earlier in the month. Has he improved enough to overturn that 10-length deficit? They both beat the same runner, Desert Gate, when last seen by around the same difference, which is a good indication that Intrepido is going to give Brant a proper race here.

Mr. A. P. is a 2-year-old colt by American Pharoah out of Trenchtown Cat. He has already shown me that he handles 1 mile with a win at Santa Anita, beating the odds-on favorite in that race, Cherokee Nation. Trained by Cerin with Antonio Fresu riding, he is likely to race close to the pace and stay on strongly if the tempo is honest. Stepping up in class will demand more from him, but he has solid each-way claims if he replicates that effort today.