US Horse Racing Tips: Two Del Mar picks for Sunday

Our US Horse Racing Tips this Sunday come from Del Mar and Churchill Downs. 

Check them out below. 

21:30 Del Mar - Race 3 - Proton (1) @ 3/1

The class-plunging Hey Nay Nay (7) looks a worthy short priced favourite. He won his first three career starts including a Grade 3 over course and distance in September. His latest wasn’t too bad considering he was facing Gstaad and co in The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He ran well for a long way, pressing a hot pace from the outside before fading late on. This is a much easier race to win. He has speed but doesn’t need to lead to win. His outside draw gives his jockey Flavien Prat tactical options if something is gunned hard for the lead.

As the likely second favourite, Proton (1) may be worth a small interest. He followed up a debut win with a stakes victory at Laurel in September. His trainer Graham Motion wanted him to run at Breeders’ Cup but he didn’t get in. Instead, he ran in a stake at Del Mar on the Friday. He ran well, but never looked like reeling in an all the way winner. It was still a fine and improved effort. If Hey Nay Nay (7) is sucked into a speed duel or is not quite at his best, he could take advantage. Caro Buono (3) finished a couple of lengths behind him last time. He could be finishing fast.

The rest of this field are made of last time out maiden winners. Some have ran speed figures suggesting they can contend. Unrivaled Time (4) improved off his debut to graduate by four and a half lengths. Iriseach (5) looked a different horse when stepped up to a mile. Stablemates Brigante (2) and Track Tiger (6) have more speed. The last named who won over five furlongs last time may be sent for the lead.

*You can bet on all of Today's Horse Races over at betfred.com

23:30 Del Mar - Race 7 - Segesta (9) @ 7/2

It will be interesting to see how much separation there is between Ag Bullet (8) and Segesta (9) at the top of the market. Ag Bullet (8) is locally based but she has won top class stakes in New York and Kentucky this year. She ran another fine race when runner up in The Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The speedster has won stakes over a mile but not at this level. She is dangerous but if In Our Time (10) takes her chances, she is unlikely to get it easy on the front end.

A trio of these come out of The Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland. Segesta (9) did the best of them running second beaten a neck. She was close up to a fast pace, running well the race was run. Take out a run on yielding ground, she’s ran well in all her starts since she broke her maiden last year. She had In Our Time (10) behind her when second to a next time out stakes winner in a Grade 3 in September. Her trainer Chad Brown has won this race six times before.

The pair that finished behind Segesta (9) last time have upside. Both didn’t have ideal trips. Heredia (7) has very little to find with her. She came from the rear and had to go very wide to challenge. The former Richard Hannon trained mare won a Grade 2 on her only previous visit to Del Mar. Ozara (6) has more to find but was held up in traffic in deep stretch. She was on a hat-trick after back to back stakes victories at Saratoga.

Breath Away (2) and Medoro (1) were placed in a Grade 3 here on Breeders’ Cup Weekend. The winner had beaten Segesta (9) prior to that suggesting the pair can make their presence felt. From a class point of view Vibez (4) has more to do but is too sharp to ignore. She beat next time out winner Spicybug (5) over course and distance before winning a restricted stake at Santa Anita.