Del Mar Picks: Best Bets for San Diego Handicap Day, 7/18/26

Key Takeaways:

• Del Mar’s opening weekend card offers value beyond the San Diego Handicap, with competitive stakes and allowance races where pace and trip should play a major role.
• Keep an eye on scratches and race dynamics, but with clear weather expected, bettors can focus more on pace scenarios than changing track conditions.
• Berry Valley (Race 3): Returns in strong form after a long layoff, has proven versatility across surfaces, and projects to benefit from a fast early pace.
• Ground Support (Race 9): Looks well positioned to control or stalk a moderate pace, gets ideal conditions back on firm Del Mar turf, and owns back class against tougher company.
• Faran (Race 10): Baffert’s lightly raced colt has route pedigree, positive first-route/first-Lasix angles, and the upside to build on an impressive debut victory.

The West Coast’s marquee horse racing meet at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club gets underway this weekend! The stars come out Saturday, July 18, for a card headlined by the San Diego Handicap (G2), featuring last year’s Preakness winner Journalism and 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano. The race is the key local prep for the

However, that’s not the only race to watch Saturday in Southern California. Del Mar has lined up an 11-race card, including a pair of stakes races. In addition to the San Gabriel, the card also includes the San Clemente Handicap (G2), a turf mile that drew a field of 11 up-and-coming sophomore fillies. Racing gets underway at 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, and you can be a part of the action by watching FanDuel TV and wagering all day through FanDuel!

Don’t forget to check the weather and the scratches. It’s supposed to be a warm, sunny, and pleasant California day, but scratches can happen for any reason to affect the pace and class balance of the race. An informed horseplayer is a smart horseplayer!

These are three best bets, as well as some additional tips, for undercard races on San Diego Handicap day on Saturday at Del Mar, including handicapping analysis:

Del Mar Racetrack Free Picks

Race 3 - California-bred allowance optional claiming, five furlongs on the turf course - Berry Valley, Zip Me Up

FanDuel odds: 6-1 and 5-1

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Berry Valley (6-1) has a muddled past-performance line, but sometimes that can be the key to finding betting value, and this is one of those times. Though she was off for over a year, she returned with a solid second in a dirt sprint at this level June 21 at Los Alamitos, suggesting she is the same horse she was in some of her better efforts before the long break. She is also versatile enough to run on anything – she has won on turf, all-weather, and dirt. Though this will be her first try at five furlongs on the grass, between that last-out effort at 5 ½ furlongs on dirt and an earlier win going 5 ½ on the Tapeta at Golden Gate, she should be able to handle this, especially with a lot of speed to close into. And, she’s a clever condition book fit – she won an open first-level allowance already, but the winner’s purse is enough to slip under the threshold and still qualify for this first-level Cal-bred condition.

Zip Me Up (5-1) is an up-and-comer: in fact, this will be her first attempt against winners. She graduated at Santa Anita, going the flat five furlongs last out, meaning she is proven at this distance. She is tactical enough to track a few lengths off and make her run; that’s the running style she has shown in both starts this year, and should be a good one in this spot as well. And, it’s a big plus that trainer Carla Gaines is a 16% winner with a positive flat-bet ROI with her last-out maiden winners – it means she gets her horses ready in those first starts against winners, even if they don’t get slammed at the windows.

Race 9 - San Clemente Handicap (G2), one mile on the turf - Ground Support, Peanutbutterbombe

FanDuel odds: 5-1 and 8-1

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Even though the San Clemente drew a big field, 11 horses, there isn’t the plethora of early speed that can sometimes happen in such big fields. That’s excellent news for Ground Support (5-1). Last time she had to handle ground that wasn’t quite firm and had to race close to a sharp pace first off the lay…now she has that fitness under her, she’s racing against horses who mostly don’t have the speed she does (though she can stalk and pounce if someone else goes), and she’ll get to enjoy the California-firm turf, the same course where she finished third against much tougher company in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last year. Her regular rider, Adam Beschizza, gets on the plane to ride and knows exactly how to get the best from her. And, even though it’s a pretty big field, gates toward the inside tend to do well in Del Mar turf miles, so the 3 hole is a solid draw.

Another horse who should get a good run of things pace-wise is Peanutbutterbombe (8-1). Trained by Phil D’Amato, a perennial force in the California turf division, she graduated last year on debut in a turf sprint at Santa Anita but is coming into her own as a three-year-old in turf miles. She ran her best race yet last out in a first-level allowance, settling midfield and making a run to the lead. However, that’s not her only dimension – she wired her debut maiden win and has usually shown a little more speed than she did last out. This gives jockey Antonio Fresu, who won with her last out, plenty of options from a nice middle gate.

Race 10 - Allowance optional claiming, one mile on the dirt - Faran, Berlin Wall

FanDuel odds: 5-1 and 8-1

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There’s no shortage of speed in this spot, but Faran (5-1) showed in his debut last month at Los Alamitos that he could do the dirty work and keep on running. That came in a sprint, but he’s bred to go long: by Not This Time out of a full sister to Colonel John and Mr. Hot Stuff. If he can tap into that same fight he showed on debut – he’ll have to, with some other likely speed in here – he could be tough in the lane, especially going first-time Lasix and first-time at a route, both strong statistics for trainer Bob Baffert. And, his stats with last-out maiden winners are even better: Baffert is a 36% winner with a positive flat-bet ROI, an absolutely dizzying statistic given how heavily the barn gets bet on a regular basis.

If the speed tires each other out, Berlin Wall (8-1) will be lying in wait. He has tried a range of distances in his 11-race career, but has been finding some of his better form going a flat mile on the dirt in recent starts, including a Cal-bred allowance win in January and a close second against open first-level company last out. Both of those outings came at Santa Anita, but in his only start on the Del Mar dirt, he crushed a group of allowance-level California-breds, showing he can handle the footing at Del Mar as well. He has been off since May, but has been able to fire well fresh before, and if he fires one of his better shots again, he will threaten a ta square price.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.